Andretti Autosport’s Rossi, Grosjean top Honda’s qualifying effort in Laguna Seca
WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca
・Alexander Rossi to start third, Romain Grosjean fourth in final NTT INDYCAR SERIES race of 2022
・Championship contenders Marcus Ericsson, Scott Dixon to start 10th and 13th
・Honda drivers Christian Lundgaard and David Malukas carry series Rookie of the Year battle into the final race
Andretti Autosport's Alexander Rossi and Romain Grosjean topped Honda's effort today in qualifying for Sunday's season-ending Firestone Grand Prix of Monterey, while championship contenders Marcus Ericsson and Scott Dixon will start 10th and 13th, respectively.
Both Rossi and Grosjean advanced through the first two rounds of "knockout" qualifying; with Rossi claiming third in the "Fast Six" final round, while Grosjean will start alongside in fourth.
Dixon, 21 points away from scoring his seventh drivers' title – with 53 points on offer tomorrow – will start 13th after just missing advancing out of the first qualifying round. His Chip Ganassi teammate, Indianapolis 500 winner Marcus Ericsson, will start 10th and is 40 points out of the lead.
In the tight battle for series Rookie of the Year honors between two Honda drivers, David Malukas will start seventh and his rookie rival Christian Lundgaard will line up 16th. Lundgaard carries a five-point lead into tomorrow' championship finale.
Fast Facts
・Honda comes to this weekend's 2022 NTT INDYCAR SERIES season finale at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca with two of its drivers in contention for the series championship.
・Scott Dixon, a two-time winner this year and six-time series champion, comes to the classic central California road course third in the drivers' title standings, 20 points away from a record-tying seventh title. His Chip Ganassi Racing Honda teammate, Indianapolis 500 winner Marcus Ericsson, is fourth, 39 points out of the lead.
・In the contest for series Rookie of the Year honors, the coveted award will go to one of two Honda drivers. Rahal Letterman Lanigan driver Christian Lundgaard leads with 293 points heading to Laguna Seca. But fellow Honda racer David Malukas is only five points back, driving for Dale Coyne Racing with HMD.
Because of the red flag [for Josef Newgarden's spin], we only had a single lap at the end [to set a qualifying time] and unfortunately, some slower traffic kept me from getting my tires up to proper temperature. We missed [advancing to second-round qualifying] by less than a tenth of a second, which is always frustrating because we definitely had the speed in the car today, it felt really comfortable. For the race tomorrow, strategy is going to be the key, it's going to be a struggle to complete a full fuel run without the tires going off on this slippery, very low-grip track. There may be more cautions as well. Everything's to play for, so it may be even more exciting than usual here tomorrow.
Because of the red flag [for Josef Newgarden's spin], we only had a single lap at the end [to set a qualifying time] and unfortunately, some slower traffic kept me from getting my tires up to proper temperature. We missed [advancing to second-round qualifying] by less than a tenth of a second, which is always frustrating because we definitely had the speed in the car today, it felt really comfortable. For the race tomorrow, strategy is going to be the key, it's going to be a struggle to complete a full fuel run without the tires going off on this slippery, very low-grip track. There may be more cautions as well. Everything's to play for, so it may be even more exciting than usual here tomorrow.
Overall, a really good day for the whole Andretti Autosport Honda team. I've started, second, third and third here previously, so hopefully we can close out the year – and my time with Andretti, NAPA and Honda – on a high note and get a great result for them this weekend.
Overall, a really good day for the whole Andretti Autosport Honda team. I've started, second, third and third here previously, so hopefully we can close out the year – and my time with Andretti, NAPA and Honda – on a high note and get a great result for them this weekend.
We're starting nine places up from where we started last year (to finish third), so that should make my life a little bit easier in tomorrow's race! Qualifying went well, the changes we made to the car [since practice] all seemed to work and I feel really positive about our weekend so far. I definitely want to have a good race tomorrow, so we can go into the winter break with a bit more confidence than we had in recent races.
We're starting nine places up from where we started last year (to finish third), so that should make my life a little bit easier in tomorrow's race! Qualifying went well, the changes we made to the car [since practice] all seemed to work and I feel really positive about our weekend so far. I definitely want to have a good race tomorrow, so we can go into the winter break with a bit more confidence than we had in recent races.
