PREMA Racing CEO Piers Phillips says that Barber Motorsports Park, which hosts this weekend’s Children’s of Alabama Grand Prix, rewards precision and innovative strategy. The race also marks the start of May, a busy time for the NTT INDYCAR SERIES with the Sonsio Grand Prix of Indianapolis on the IMS road course next weekend, followed by qualifying for the Greatest Spectacle In Racing, the 109th running of the Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge on Sunday, May 25.
PREMA Racing have shown steady progress since making their NTT INDYCAR SERIES race debut at the Firestone Grand Prix of St Petersburg in March. Speaking ahead of the race this weekend, Phillips says:
“Barber is a circuit that rewards precision and smart strategy. It can be a challenge for teams but, with both our drivers having previous experience, we should be better-prepared for this round than the street courses we previously had not visited. This weekend we are looking to take another step forward in the NTT INDYCAR SERIES, with each being a learning opportunity for us – especially as this marks the start of back-to-back races and the month of May.”
Robert Schwartman is looking forward to the race in Barber this weekend saying:
“We tested in Barber earlier this year and for me it was quite a difficult test day if I’m honest, so my personal hope is to go there with improvements and to be more competitive. If we look at the weather forecast for this weekend it looks quite mixed with possible rain, but I usually like those conditions and adapt well to them, even with rain. These variable conditions could also mix things up and Barber being a challenging track putting the car in the right window will be fundamental. My main goal for the weekend will be to improve compared to the test we did here but also generally keep improving our overall package which has been going in the right direction.”
Callum Ilott says he is hopeful that the team’s good pace from Thermal earlier this season translates to Barber this weekend saying:
Looking forward to returning to Barber this week. We’ve tested there before so we already have some knowledge of the track. The weather looks like it could throw some uncertainty but overall being back at the road courses should be fun. I think we had good pace at Thermal so hopefully we can carry that onto Barber and build up a bit and each race gets better and better.”