Scott McLaughlin has qualified fourth for the Children’s of Alabama Indy Grand Prix, while Scott Dixon will start one spot behind in fifth. Compatriot Marcus Armstrong will start 26th on the grid following an interference penalty.
Romain Grosjean continued his strong form of late, qualifying on pole for the second time in 2023. He has the #10 CGR car of Alex Palou for company on the front row, while Pato O’Ward will keep Scott McLaughlin company on row two.
Dixon has Christian Lundgaard next to him on the third row, those six drivers battling it out in a highly tight Firestone Fast Six Shootout, which saw Grosjean’s 1:05.8396 enough to take qualifying honours.
For Dixon, fifth on the grid provides an excellent opportunity to move forward come race time, with the Kiwi having never won at Barber.
“It was an interesting day,” said Dixon. “I think we were favoured a bit more on the black tires. We didn’t quite get it right on the reds. Great to make it to Q3 and great for the 10 car as well.
“I think we should have been higher but made a pretty big mistake in Turn 9 on my last lap, which cost us about a tenth and a half. I think that would have been good enough for P2 or P3. We’ll start P5, looking for a smooth race tomorrow and see what we can bring.”
For Armstrong, there was disappointment, the young Chip Ganassi racer losing his top two times in the first qualifying session while sitting seventh in the group.
“It was reasonable,” said Armstrong. “We were P7 in our group until we got an interference penalty. I was on my warmup lap, and to be fair, so was everyone else. So, unfortunately, we got a penalty for that. Nevertheless, IndyCar races are chaotic, and I’m sure that we’ll have opportunities tomorrow to make the most of it.”
The Children’s of Alabama Indy Grand Prix begins at 7 am tomorrow, covering 90 laps of the renowned Barber circuit.
Header Image: Chip Ganassi Racing
