Theo Pourchaire in the No.6 onsemi Arrow McLaren Chevrolet had a fantastic qualifying on the streets of Detroit as he will start Sunday’s Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix from seventh place speaking following the action, the Frenchman said:
“I am really happy with the result, as it will be my best starting position in the NTT INDYCAR SERIES so far. Of course, a bit disappointed, because I had a great car and was driving well. I think with one more lap, we could have made the Firestone Fast 6. I have a lot to learn still, but I am very much enjoying this series and this track, in particular. The No. 6 onsemi Arrow McLaren Chevrolet is very fast, and we have been pushing. I am feeling good about tomorrow; I really want to have a great race here at the Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix.”
Pato O’Ward, in the No.5 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet, was disappointed following qualifying. He will roll off from 12th place. O’Ward set the fastest time of 01:03.0479s, and speaking following the run, he said:
“I think we had a chance to get into the Fast Six, but it’s just so tight. You can’t be playing around with gaps. We were under pressure from the brake fire and then had some miscommunication, so we rushed to get out and get more laps in. The round didn’t end the way we wanted it to, obviously, so we have some things to work on before getting back on track tomorrow.”
Alexander Rossi in the No.7 VELO Chevrolet starts the race from 17th with a time of 01:01.5905s and speaking following the session he said:
“It’s been a bit of a struggle this weekend. We started behind the eight ball in Practice 1 and resolved quite a bit of things for Practice 2 but are just struggling for pace around here. There could be a lot of opportunities here tomorrow with yellows and the chaos that this track can bring. The result is not the end of the world for tomorrow’s race, but we’re still disappointed.”
Arrow McLaren Team Principal Gavin Warf said:
“It was a really strong qualifying from Théo today, finishing the day as the fastest rookie and the third-best qualifier for Team Chevy. He missed out on the Firestone Fast 6 by only three hundredths. It was great to see his confidence and pace out there. I’m a bit disappointed with traffic. Pato ended up stalling in Round 2; that car was capable of more. Then, we’re still sorting through how we missed out on some pace with the No. 7 car. We’re focused on delivering strong results across the board tomorrow.”