Pocono IndyCar pole highlights Russian Aleshin's rise in America
Mikhail Aleshin's breakthrough IndyCar pole at Pocono on Saturday followed a maiden win being lost in the previous round at Mid-Ohio, and underlined the Russian's rise in America

The Schmidt Peterson driver had been on course for Mid-Ohio victory before a pitlane collision with Josef Newgarden, his Pocono front row partner.
Aleshin was dejected after Mid-Ohio but topped first practice and qualifying at Pocono.
He had moments at Turn 1, where three drivers crashed in morning practice, on both qualifying laps but "just decided I was going to keep it flat."
The Russian joked about his stern-faced reaction to pole afterwards.
"It's obviously very difficult to explain what I feel now," he said.
"But it's a lot of emotions definitely. Maybe you cannot see it with my Russian face, but it's true."
After a long European single-seater career that included beating Daniel Ricciardo to the 2010 Formula Renault 3.5 title, Aleshin came to IndyCar with Schmidt in '14.
He showed promise but ended the year with shoulder, foot and internal injuries after a horrific practice crash at the Fontana season finale.
While sidelined, his sponsorship funds were frozen due to sanctions issued against Russia over its invasion of Ukraine.
Aleshin raced for SMP's LMP2 project in 2015, before returning to Schmidt for the last IndyCar round at Sonoma and finishing 10th.
With his sponsorship situation resolved, team owners Sam Schmidt and Gary Peterson brought Aleshin back into the fold full-time this year.

"We've been through some very difficult situations at the end of 2014. They supported me then," said Aleshin.
"We have some new team members this year and I wasn't in the championship last year.
"We needed to do some work together to understand better each other.
"Now we can see really good and effective progress in the last couple of races.
"I hope that this pole position is definitely not all what we can show to you."
Second-placed Newgarden said Aleshin's practice pace had showed "it was going to be tough for us to get them" and that the Russian was a "super legitimate" contender now.
"I think it starts with his team. He's with a great group," said Newgarden, who won his 2011 Indy Lights title with Schmidt.
"Mikhail is a great driver. He's pretty daring, particularly on ovals.
"There's not a lot that spooks him, which can be unnerving when you think about it.
"He gets better and better the more seat time he has."
Despite his European background, Aleshin has also become very much at home on ovals.
"I just love it," he said. "Some of my colleagues from Europe that came over here and tried IndyCar told me that I going to hate the ovals because it's just a completely different idea compared to what you normally do in Europe.
"Actually I loved it straight away. It's just so interesting. It's very intense racing. You need to think like two times faster than on normal tracks.
"That's definitely what racing should feel like."

Ryan Hunter-Reay, Juan Pablo Montoya explain Pocono IndyCar crashes
IndyCar Pocono: Will Power closes on points lead with victory

Latest news
Las Vegas approves plan to shut Strip for F1 race until 2032
Officials in Las Vegas have approved a plan to shut the Strip for the Formula 1 grand prix for the next 10 years as they eye a “lifetime in partnership.”
Porsche boss “as surprised as anyone” over Gulf-Williams F1 social media frenzy
Porsche’s head of motorsport Thomas Laudenbach found it “funny” that streamlining its Instagram channels caused a Formula 1 social media speculation frenzy last month.
Why Albon won't be "throwing around laptops" to gain a 2023 F1 edge
OPINION: At the Williams 2023 Formula 1 season launch, Alex Albon’s easy-going nature was again a point of focus. But does being “too nice” really matter in modern F1? Albon’s own expressions put that in an intriguing new light
Why Alfa Romeo has kept its blade roll hoop on 2023 F1 car
The Alfa Romeo Formula 1 team has retained its unique blade roll hoop for the C43 but designed it to withstand load tests that the FIA will introduce in 2024.
Nigel Mansell’s greatest F1 and Indycar drives
It’s 30 years since Mansell won the Formula 1 world title and then headed off to do battle in America. Here are his best races – and the Briton’s memories of them
How Ericsson achieved Indy immortality as Ganassi's main man stumbled
Chip Ganassi Racing team was strong again in the Indianapolis 500, with poleman Scott Dixon and reigning champion Alex Palou leading almost three quarters of the race between them. But when dominator Dixon was penalised for pitlane speeding, ex-Formula 1 driver Marcus Ericsson stepped up to score the biggest win of his career and seize the IndyCar points lead
Ranking the top 10 IndyCar drivers of 2021
In an enthralling 2021 IndyCar campaign, the series bounced back from its COVID-19 truncated year prior and Alex Palou defeated both the established order and his fellow young guns to clinch a maiden title. It capped a remarkable season with plenty of standout performers
How F1's other IndyCar exile finally unlocked his potential
Romain Grosjean's swashbuckling rookie year in IndyCar captured the imagination of many in 2021. But another ex-Formula 1 driver whose potential was masked by five years of toil in, at best, middling machinery also enjoyed a breakout year in 2021 - winning twice and finishing sixth in points. Here's how Marcus Ericsson finally delivered on his promise
How Ganassi's relentless new champion outfoxed IndyCar's best
IndyCar sophomore Alex Palou stunned by overcoming team-mate Scott Dixon and the rest of a white-hot field in 2021. He was consistently fast and crucially showed a level head, rebounding well from setbacks to put himself in a near unassailable position entering the final round
Have Harvey and RLL formed IndyCar’s next winning match-up?
Despite appearing to have an IndyCar job for life with Meyer Shank Racing, Jack Harvey’s departure and move to Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing sparked plenty of debate. However, Harvey's and RLL's combined strengths could prove to be a winning combination - if they get the balance right
Remembering Dan Wheldon and his last and most amazing IndyCar win
Saturday 16 October marks the 10th anniversary of Dan Wheldon’s death. David Malsher-Lopez pays tribute, then asks Wheldon’s race engineer from 2011, Todd Malloy, to recall that magical second victory at the Indianapolis 500
Why Kyle Kirkwood is America's new IndyCar ace-in-waiting
Kyle Kirkwood, the record-setting junior formula driver, sealed the Indy Lights championship last weekend. But despite an absurdly strong junior career and scholarship money, his next move is far from clear
Subscribe and access Autosport.com with your ad-blocker.
From Formula 1 to MotoGP we report straight from the paddock because we love our sport, just like you. In order to keep delivering our expert journalism, our website uses advertising. Still, we want to give you the opportunity to enjoy an ad-free and tracker-free website and to continue using your adblocker.
You have 2 options:
- Become a subscriber.
- Disable your adblocker.