For its last appearance on the Belle Isle circuit in Detroit, before returning to the city center of the American city, the qualifying session of the IndyCar was not without sensations this Saturday, June 4.
The first surprise concerned the former leader of the general classification Will Power (Penske) as well as outgoing champion Alex Palou (Chip Ganassi Racing). The Australian and the Spaniard got in each other’s way in the first phase of the session and were unable to improve their times. They will start 16th and 18th respectively.
A few minutes later, Felix Rosenqvist (Arrow McLaren SP) came out of the pits, cutting off the momentum of Jimmie Johnson (Chip Ganassi Racing). The Swede, fourth in the last Indianapolis 500 Miles, was demoted to the back of the grid, alongside Tatiana Calderon (AJ Foyt Racing).
Another bad surprise then awaited Romain Grosjean (Andretti). The former Formula 1 driver came out of a corner too wide and hit the concrete wall, causing the rear suspension to break. Destabilized, his Dallara went into a spinning top before colliding laterally with another concrete wall. The French luckily escaped unscathed and will start from 12th place on Sunday.
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The Fast 6 showed the clear progress of rookie David Malukas (Dale Coyne Racing). The 20-year-old Lithuanian-American slipped into the final stage of qualifying for the first time in his short career. Vice-champion of the Indy Lights in 2021, David Malukas is undoubtedly the revelation of this Saturday (6th time), he who is in 19th place in the championship.
Another fine performance came from Meyer Shank Racing. Already in good shape during the Indianapolis 500, the pink and black team locked the second row of the starting grid. Finally, veteran Hélio Castroneves (47) still has speed to spare (4th)! The Brazilian will accompany his teammate Simon Pagenaud, author of a fine third performance. The 2016 IndyCar champion had collected his first victory in the North American series in 2013 with the modest structure Schmidt Peterson Hamilton. This track therefore suits him perfectly, even if his last podium in Detroit dates back to 2016 (3rd with Team Penske).
The front row will be occupied by Takuma Sato (Dale Coyne Racing, 2nd) and Josef Newgarden (Team Penske, 1st). The 31-year-old American is the seventh different poleman of the season, in as many meetings! “I almost hit the wall in every corner on that last lap! This set-up was better than the previous one in practice, but I slipped a lot. It was a great pole.rejoices the double champion (2017 and 2019).
“I’ve been here before. We did this last year and fell short, so we have to be really focused on the race and how we’re going to get to the end and finish it off.”@josefnewgarden drove on the ragged edge to bring home the NTT P1 Award, but his sights are set on tomorrow’s race. pic.twitter.com/meADNeJjpG
— NTT INDYCAR SERIES (@IndyCar) June 4, 2022
The start of the Detroit Grand Prix will be given on Sunday June 5 at 9 p.m. French time.
2022 IndyCar Grand Prix of Detroit standings – Qualifying:
