- Palou scores second-consecutive NTT INDYCAR SERIES pole of 2023
- Honda power takes four of six Firestone Fast Six final qualifying spots
- Chip Ganassi Racing qualifies all four cars in top 11 positions
It was Alex Palou on top of qualifying for the second race in a row, this time at the all-new Detroit Grand Prix downtown street circuit aboard his #10 Chip Ganassi Racing Honda. The pole marks his second-consecutive P1 starting position, following his pole qualifying run at the Indianapolis 500 last month.
In addition to Palou, three other Hondas made it to the Firestone Fast Six in NTT INDYCAR SERIES knockout qualifying: Romain Grosjean for Andretti Autosport, and Palou's Chip Ganassi Racing teammates Scott Dixon and Marcus Ericsson. Honda powered four of the fast six starters, and seven of the top 12.
This weekend's Detroit Grand Prix marks the first downtown race since 1991 and the first-ever at the new configuration of the downtown circuit.
Detroit Grand Prix Honda Qualifying Results
- 1st Alex Palou Chip Ganassi Racing Honda
- 3rd Romain Grosjean Andretti Autosport Honda
- 4th Scott Dixon Chip Ganassi Racing Honda
- 6th Marcus Ericsson Chip Ganassi Racing Honda
- 8th Simon Pagenaud Meyer Shank Racing Honda
- 11th Marcus Armstrong-R Chip Ganassi Racing Honda
- 12th Kyle Kirkwood Andretti Autosport Honda
- 17th Devlin DeFrancesco Andretti Autosport Honda
- 18th Christian Lundgaard Rahal Letterman Lanigan Honda
- 21st David Malukas Dale Coyne Racing with HMD Honda
- 23rd Helio Castroneves Meyer Shank Racing Honda
- 24th Colton Herta Andretti Autosport Honda
- 25th Jack Harvey Rahal Letterman Lanigan Honda
- 26th Sting Ray Robb-R Dale Coyne Racing with RWR Honda
- 27th Graham Rahal Rahal Letterman Lanigan Honda
R – Rookie
Quotes
Alex Palou (#10 Chip Ganassi Racing Honda) pole qualifier, first Indy car pole on a temporary street circuit: "We started on used alternate tires, but they didn't feel very good, so switched right away to our second set. It feels good [to have two consecutive poles]. We've had a great car all weekend, all year really, so qualifying was just about maximizing everything we had. It's a crazy track, tight and short. It's going to be tough tomorrow in the race, but we'll try to make it happen."
Romain Grosjean (#28 Andretti Autosport Honda) qualified third: "Not too shabby, we mainly tried to stay out of trouble, and get the [quick] laps in when it mattered the most. I did make a mistake on my second set of tires. I hit the wall coming out of Turn 3 and that cost me a bit of time. But we have a very good car. All of us – me and my teammates – have been fast. A lot's going to happen in the race tomorrow, so it's going to be all about being in the right time and the right place. Hopefully that will be us."
Fast Facts
- This is Honda's sixth pole in seven rounds of the 2023 NTT INDYCAR SERIES, and the second of the season for Alex Palou, who also qualified on the pole for the Indianapolis 500 (his career first Indy car oval track pole).
- The other Honda-powered pole winners this year include Christian Lundgaard at the Grand Prix of Indianapolis; Kyle Kirkwood at the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach; and Romain Grosjean at both St. Petersburg and Barber Motorsports Park.
- Honda returns to Detroit having won six of the last nine NTT INDYCAR SERIES events – all previously run on a temporary street circuit at Belle Isle Park.
- Honda's most recent victory in Detroit came in 2021, when Ericsson recorded his first INDYCAR victory in Saturday's opening race of a doubleheader weekend.
Where to Watch
Television coverage of Sunday's Detroit Grand Prix starts at 3 p.m. ET on NBC. Complete, flag-to-flag race coverage also will be available on NBC Peacock, the INDYCAR Radio Network, and SiriusXM INDYCAR Nation (Channel 160).
Honda Racing social media content and video links can be found on:
Instagram (www.instagram.com/hondaracing_hpd)
TikTok (www.tiktok.com/hondaracing_hpd)
Twitter (www.twitter.com/HondaRacing_HPD)
Facebook (www.facebook.com/HondaRacingHPD)
YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/HondaRacingHPDTV)
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