Simon Pagenaud has put himself in the thick of the hunt for a second straight Verizon IndyCar Series title without earning the pole position for a race in 2017. Until today, that is.
The reigning series champion set a track record for the current layout on the streets of Exhibition Place to capture the Verizon P1 Award and first starting position for the Honda Indy Toronto. The driver of the No. 1 DXC Technology Team Penske Chevrolet will lead the 21-car field to the green flag in Sunday's 85-lap race on the 11-turn, 1.786-mile temporary street circuit.
In the Firestone Fast Six - the third and final round of the knockout qualifying format employed on Verizon IndyCar Series road and street courses - Pagenaud clocked a lap of 58.9124 seconds (109.138 mph) to win his first pole position of the season and 10th of his eight-year Indy car career. The lap was more than eight-tenths of a second quicker than the previous record (59.7747 seconds) set last year by Will Power.
"It's been a great weekend so far," said Pagenaud, who earned Team Penske's eighth pole this season and its 253rd in Indy car history. "The car is really, really nice to drive. The most satisfying thing is to feel like as an athlete that you can extract the best out of yourself and be one with the car. That's what I've always dreamt about and today I feel that way."
Pagenaud said he enjoys the challenges of Toronto's downtown circuit, with its tight corners and numerous surface changes. He's looking forward to starting Sunday's race from the point.
"Usually when I start in the front, I feel like things can go well, but you never know here," said Pagenaud, third in the 2017 championship after 11 of 17 races and now within 30 points of leader Scott Dixon after collecting one point for winning the pole. "It's such an exciting race, always a twist here in the strategy, so anything can happen. But cross fingers that it goes our way."
Graham Rahal scored his best Toronto qualifying effort in 12 tries and will start second in the No. 15 Rousseau Metal Honda with a lap of 59.2245 seconds (108.563 mph) in the Firestone Fast Six.
"Honestly, I think on used (alternate) tires, it's probably the best lap I've ever put together to put us P2," the Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing driver said. "The Penskes looked like they were going to run away with this thing. I'm so geeked for this team. These boys have worked so hard and, man, I couldn't be more proud of them. That was awesome."
A pair of Pagenaud's teammates at Team Penske, Helio Castroneves and Power, locked up the second row in qualifying. Castroneves was third fastest in the No. 3 Hitachi Team Penske Chevrolet (59.4345 seconds, 108.180 mph) with defending race winner Power fourth in the No. 12 Verizon Team Penske Chevrolet (59.5430 seconds, 107.982 mph).
Dixon was fifth in the No. 9 NTT Data Honda (59.7970 seconds, 107.524 mph). The Chip Ganassi Racing driver has advanced to the Firestone Fast Six at every road- and street-course race where it has been contested this season.
The final spot in the Firestone Fast Six went to hometown favorite James Hinchcliffe, who equaled his best Toronto qualifying effort of sixth with a lap of 1 minute, 0.14145 seconds in the No. 5 Arrow Schmidt Peterson Motorsports Honda.
"It's always tricky qualifying here," said Hinchcliffe, who finished third in last year's Toronto race. "This track is one of the those with all the surface changes and, where the walls are, it's tough to get that lap on the (Firestone alternate) reds. ... I'm really proud of the SPM Arrow guys. Top six (in qualifying) two years in a row, and last year we turned it into a podium, so let's hope for more of the same tomorrow."
Two incidents in earlier qualifying rounds affected drivers Esteban Gutierrez and JR Hildebrand.
Gutierrez, the Verizon IndyCar Series rookie driving the No. 18 UNIFIN Honda, made hard contact with the wall at the exit of Turn 11 at the conclusion of Segment 1, Group 1 qualifying. The Dale Coyne Racing entry sustained significant right-side and rear damage in the incident.
Gutierrez was evaluated by INDYCAR Medical Director Dr. Michael Olinger after experiencing concussion-like symptoms. The 25-year-old from Monterrey, Mexico, was treated and released but has not been cleared to drive, pending further evaluation Sunday morning.
Hildebrand hit the wall in Segment 2 qualifying when his No. 21 Preferred Freezer Service Chevrolet jumped the curb on the inside of Turn 8 and slid into the outside barrier. The Ed Carpenter Racing driver was uninjured and will start 12th in Sunday's race, the 33rd for Indy cars in Toronto dating to the first event in 1986.
A final 30-minute warmup practice is scheduled for 11:30 a.m. ET Sunday and streams live on RaceControl.IndyCar.com. Live coverage of the 85-lap race commences at 3 p.m. on CNBC and the Advance Auto Parts INDYCAR Radio Network, with an encore presentation airing at 7 p.m. on NBCSN.
Mazda Road to Indy recap
Points leader Kyle Kaiser led wire to wire to win the first of two Indy Lights presented by Cooper Tires races this weekend on the streets of Toronto. Kaiser, in the No. 18 Juncos Racing Mazda/Dallara IL-15, started from the pole after setting a track record in morning qualifying and led all 35 laps.
Zachary Claman De Melo of Carlin finished second, 3.6118 seconds behind Kaiser. Carlin's Matheus Leist, second to Kaiser in the championship, finished 13th after crashing into a tire barrier on Lap 4, allowing Kaiser to extend his points lead to 37 after 11 races.
In the first race of the Cooper Tires USF2000 Championship powered by Mazda weekend, Parker Thompson led all 25 laps to win in front of his fellow Canadians. The Exclusive Autosport driver crossed the finish line 0.8730 of a second ahead of championship leader Oliver Askew of Cape Motorsports.
The second Toronto races for Indy Lights and USF2000 will be contested Sunday.
Honda Indy Toronto qualifying driver quotes:
SIMON PAGENAUD (No. 1 DXC Technology Team Penske Chevrolet): "It was a really good lap, one of the best I've ever put together. Certainly, there is not much more in it, but the whole qualifying I worked on details and driving. My teammates, they are tremendous. It's such a good atmosphere when we work together. Each practice we talked about how we manage the corners and we keep improving each other. I feel like I really extracted the best out of my car, the best out of my setup today. It's obviously the most satisfying thing and that is what I'm always seeking for."
JOSEF NEWGARDEN (No. 2 DeVilbiss Team Penske Chevrolet): "We just missed the Firestone Fast Six by like a tenth of a second or something. I didn't get it done. The margins in this series are razor thin and sometimes you come up on the short end. The DeVilbiss Chevrolet guys have worked hard and the car is really solid. It's not like all is lost or anything. We'll start seventh and go to work from there."
HELIO CASTRONEVES (No. 3 Hitachi Team Penske Chevrolet): "It was pretty good. The Hitachi Chevy was running really, really good. Obviously my teammates, we're all working together, pushing each other, and in my group, the car was running really smooth, picking up a little bit of understeer with the blacks (Firestone primary tires), so I was trying to make some adjustments. That's the fun part about it, you start making some adjustments and try to rush into it. But it worked pretty well and we saved the best for last. But definitely Simon (Pagenaud) put up a phenomenal lap out there. I mean, I wish I would have started with brand new (tires) instead of stopping and coming back in, so it would have given us a little bit more of a possibility to keep pushing every lap."
CONOR DALY (No. 4 ABC Supply AJ Foyt Racing Chevrolet): "I think we gained a good amount from the first set of reds (Firestone alternate tires) to the next. We've improved with every set of tires we put on, which is good, but we're just not there yet. We understand that it is still taking some time for us. I think we can be happy with the gains we made and I think we'll have a good car for the race. The key is consistency and being able to take advantage of other people's mistakes. There's a lot going on around here. The walls are very close. So taking advantage of other people's mistakes and maybe some strategic play could work for us. There's a lot about this race that's interesting."
JAMES HINCHCLIFFE (No. 5 Arrow Schmidt Peterson Motorsports Honda): "It's always tricky qualifying here. This track is one of the those with all the surface changes and where the walls are, it's tough to get that lap on the reds (Firestone alternate tires). We caught a break in Segment 1 because we were on our fastest lap outside of the top six when Esteban [Gutierrez] had his accident. That obviously knocked him back and put us through to the next round. Then we were on our out lap in Segment 2 when the red (flag) came out which set up the one-lap dash, and I just committed everything I had into that last lap and I snuck into the Firestone Fast Six. I'm really proud of the SPM Arrow guys - top six two years in a row, and last year we turned it into a podium, so let's hope for more of the same tomorrow."
SEBASTIAN SAAVEDRA (No. 7 Lucas Oil Schmidt Peterson Motorsports Honda): "I'm disappointed, of course... feeling bittersweet because I'm very excited to be here, but at the same time, we had a lot more in the No. 7 Honda-powered machine (in qualifying). I just felt that I waited a bit too long on that red (Firestone alternate tire) stint, which hurt us with the red flag. We probably could have battled with (James) Hinch(cliffe) or (Ryan) Hunter-Reay. I don't think we would have been quicker than Hinch, but I think we had the potential to be up there. The big progression we've had in only three sessions has been incredible, so huge thanks to the whole Schmidt Peterson Motorsports organization. They've made me feel at home and helped me get the rust off and get up to speed so quickly. I'm looking forward to the race tomorrow; it's a long race and I'm very satisfied with the car we've put together. We'll see what happens, maybe with some weather, it should be fun."
MAX CHILTON (No. 8 Gallagher Honda): "Qualifying wasn't terrible, but we've had better results on road and street circuits this year, and we were obviously hoping for more. We would have loved to get through into the final round but just didn't get there. We have some work to do tonight but I'm confident we'll have a good Gallagher car tomorrow for the race here in Toronto."
SCOTT DIXON (No. 9 NTT Data Honda): "It's been a rough start to the weekend for us. We really struggled finding the right balance for the car. From last year to this year, we've been dealing with a completely different configuration. I thought some of the gains we made this year on other street courses didn't translate here for some reason. We reverted back to our setup yesterday in the NTT Data car when we were in the top three, but it's just a handful around here. We had a great lap going, but I smashed the fence in Turn 6 in qualifying on the second lap, which cost us at least one spot I think. All in all my hands are full, but hopefully we can make some small improvements to get the car a bit better for the race tomorrow."
TONY KANAAN (No. 10 NTT Data Honda): "I'm disappointed with where we qualified today. We had a top-10 car in the No. 10 NTT Data Honda, but our qualifying effort obviously doesn't show it. I got held up on my fast lap in the first round, but we just couldn't avoid it. It's difficult when you do what you need to do to advance, but something else that you can't control takes it away. We have a hard day of working our way back to the front tomorrow, but we know our car is faster than where we're starting, so we'll take advantage of that and make it back to where we need to be."
WILL POWER (No. 12 Verizon Team Penske Chevrolet): "Obviously, the cars are really good. My qualifying on the blacks (Firestone primary tires) was really fast. Definitely the car felt good, a bit on the reds (Firestone alternate tires). Didn't get a good read on that when it went red there. I only had one lap and it had a lot of push, and I thought, 'Well, maybe the fronts weren't in,' and then didn't have time to make a change for the Firestone Fast Six. Just a big imbalance, and got as much as I could out of it, as it was, so starting fourth is pretty good around here. Try to keep out of the mess."
CARLOS MUNOZ (No. 14 ABC Supply AJ Foyt Racing Chevrolet): "Really disappointing qualifying session. In Practice 3 we were looking good (10th). Yesterday we couldn't try the red (Firestone alternate) tires (electrical issues) and there was some balance change in the car when we ran them in qualifying today. Starting from the back tomorrow. Hopefully we have crazy weather tomorrow to help us to go to the front, but I'm really disappointed for the team because in Practice 3 we were not looking bad."
GRAHAM RAHAL (No. 15 Rousseau Metal Honda): "That was awesome. I couldn't be more proud of the Rousseau team. These boys have worked so hard and we put it together in (the Firestone Fast Six). To finish second in (the Firestone Fast Six) after seeing how dominant Penske was all weekend, that's better than a pole for me. We can definitely race them hard from here. I think we have a pretty good race car. We just need to settle her down a little bit. Those Penske's had new reds (Firestone alternate tires) to finish qualifying and I'm really surprised Helio (Castroneves) and Will (Power) didn't get us. I think it's going to be a great race tomorrow. Trust me, we're going to give them everything we've got. We need good points here. We want to get a win. When you have a car like this, and a team like this, it makes it a lot more confidence inspiring. When you go out there, you know that you have what it takes to get the job done. They have made my life a lot easier and I am proud of them. A result like this is great for all of our partners."
ESTEBAN GUTIERREZ (No. 18 UNIFIN Honda): "It was not ideal obviously, it's been a tough weekend overall. Yesterday we lost a bit of track time due to contact in Turn 1 and today it was a pretty hard hit in a high-speed corner. I was having some understeer and I was trying to anticipate a bit the entry of the corner, but I touched the inside wall a bit and it sent me straight into the outside wall, pretty hard. It's unfortunate and I feel really bad for the team, they have a lot of work to do."
ED JONES (No. 19 Boy Scouts of America Honda): "It was a tough qualifying, but the jump with the Firestone reds (alternate tires) was very big. I thought I did a pretty good lap, but I missed by just a little bit, like a tenth, to advance to the fast 12. It was close, as usual, but frustrating at the same time, but I'm sure we can have a good race tomorrow."
SPENCER PIGOT (No. 20 Fuzzy's Vodka Chevrolet): "It's a little frustrating to miss transferring again by such a small margin - a hundredth of a second! - but that's the nature of Indy car racing. It's always extremely close. We've made good progress with the car over the weekend, especially on black tires. Hopefully that will be the tire of choice for the race tomorrow. I'm looking forward to seeing what we can do with the Fuzzy's Vodka Chevy."
JR HILDEBRAND (No. 21 Preferred Freezer Service Chevrolet): "I'm happy to have advanced on to the second round of qualifying. That was definitely on our list of ways to improve through the second half of the season. It's unfortunate that it's taken us this long to do it, but it's a step in the right direction. The car was quite good, I just made a mistake in the second round and got into the wall. I owe the Preferred Freezer guys some beers. Hopefully, we can maintain the trajectory of our weekend and get ready for a good race tomorrow."
TAKUMA SATO (No. 26 Andretti Autosport Honda): "I'm disappointed with the qualifying result. We had a good car and had a good lap time in the first round. We moved on to the second (segment) and until the red flag, the car felt quite positive. We ran into traffic on the last lap of the session - there was only one lap to qualify after the red flag - so we didn't make it. It's a shame, but we will concentrate on tomorrow's race. It will be a survival race and hopefully we will have a good car and good race tomorrow."
MARCO ANDRETTI (No. 27 Andretti Autosport Honda): "The final result is not our full potential, we were faster than where we ended. We advanced to Segment 2, and after the red flag (Josef) Newgarden didn't get going up to speed in front of us, so we had cold tires on the only lap we had to make it in (to the Firestone Fast Six). I had to clutch in trying to open a gap and I still couldn't get away from him. The tires were just too cold for the one lap and is disappointing because the UFD car had so much more in it."
CHARLIE KIMBALL (No. 83 Novo Nordisk Honda): "Honestly, kind of a frustrating session. If we would've run that lap time in the second group, we would have advanced to the top 12, but instead we're on the ninth row. It's going to be a long day tomorrow. I think the Firestone alternates (tires) aren't holding up quite as long as the Firestone primaries, so that'll definitely play into what we do strategy-wise. We've got to work the strategy and take advantage of the opportunities that are in front of us. We're making the car better, but we just didn't find as much lap time as we were hoping to find."
ALEXANDER ROSSI (No. 98 Andretti Autosport/Curb Honda): "Today was a big step forward from yesterday. I have to credit the team for making the right changes overnight - we were much more competitive today. I think we had a shot at the (Firestone) Fast Six, but the red flag at the end of the session only allowed us to have one lap. It's harder for us to get fast lap times on new tires early in the stint than it seems for other teams. The (qualifying) result is unfortunate, but it's a lot better than we were looking last night."
TORONTO - Results of qualifying Saturday for the Honda Indy Toronto Verizon IndyCar Series event on the 1.786-mile Streets of Toronto, with qualifying position, car number in parentheses, driver, chassis-engine, time and speed in parentheses:
1. (1) Simon Pagenaud, Chevrolet, 58.9124 (109.138)
2. (15) Graham Rahal, Honda, 59.2245 (108.563)
3. (3) Helio Castroneves, Chevrolet, 59.4345 (108.180)
4. (12) Will Power, Chevrolet, 59.5430 (107.982)
5. (9) Scott Dixon, Honda, 59.7970 (107.524)
6. (5) James Hinchcliffe, Honda, 1:00.1415 (106.908)
7. (2) Josef Newgarden, Chevrolet, 59.8992 (107.340)
8. (98) Alexander Rossi, Honda, 1:00.0114 (107.140)
9. (8) Max Chilton, Honda, 1:00.1202 (106.946)
10. (26) Takuma Sato, Honda, 1:00.1970 (106.809)
11. (27) Marco Andretti, Honda, 1:00.3384 (106.559)
12. (21) JR Hildebrand, Chevrolet, 1:02.3040 (103.197)
13. (20) Spencer Pigot, Chevrolet, 59.7585 (107.593)
14. (10) Tony Kanaan, Honda, 1:00.0607 (107.052)
15. (19) Ed Jones, Honda, 59.8686 (107.395)
16. (28) Ryan Hunter-Reay, Honda, 1:00.0926 (106.995)
17. (83) Charlie Kimball, Honda, 59.9820 (107.192)
18. (4) Conor Daly, Chevrolet, 1:00.2713 (106.678)
19. (14) Carlos Munoz, Chevrolet, 1:00.1650 (106.866)
20. (7) Sebastian Saavedra, Honda, 1:00.6272 (106.051)
21. (18) Esteban Gutierrez, Honda, 1:00.7441 (105.847)
