The Detroit Grand Prix is less than 24 hrs away but qualifying proved to be an exciting precursor for Andretti Motorsports when driver Colton Herta managed to get the team its first pole position of the season with a scorching fast lap time of 1:00.547 in the No. 26 Honda at the Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix.
Herta’s time places Honda in prime spot for tomorrow’s races
Herta’s impressive lap time capped off a busy day of qualifying for the Grand Prix with Honda gaining control of the front row with fellow Honda driver Alex Palou in the N0. 10 Chip Ganassi car in a bold message to Chevrolet on its home turf.
“Complete 180 and just super happy for the team,” Herta said after Sunday’s Indianapolis 500 ended with his car in the wall. “You know, they worked their tails off in the month of May and it was disappointing to say the least. To come back here for some redemption, man, it feels good.”
Palou was just as surprised and he admitted that he didn’t think he had the speed to outdo Herta during his qualifying laps. “Pretty happy,” he said. “The car’s been awesome since practice one yesterday and we’re able to fight during all segments in qualifying. Looking forward to tomorrow. It’s gonna be a busy, busy race, but with a fast car, everything is a little bit easier.”
Qualifying also had plenty of fireworks
In addition to Honda winning big in qualifying, the event also saw fireworks between Kirk Kirkwood and his frequent foe Santino Ferrucci. Kirkwood claimed that Ferrucci blocked him on purpose and the furious driver made a beeline to the AJ Foyt racing area to confront Ferrucci. A brief dustup ensued before the two drivers were separated but look for this rivalry to be a key storyline when the green flag waves on the streets of Detroit later today. As for Ferrucci, his bad day wasn’t done yet with the driver also getting a stern warning from Juncos Hollinger Racing driver Samuel Grosjean vowing revenge and a wrecked race car after Ferrucci’s actions prevented him from advancing to the next round during qualifying.
Carl Malek has been an automotive journalist for over 10 years. First starting out as a freelance photographer before making the transition to writing during college, his work has appeared on numerous automotive forums as well as websites such as Autoshopper.com.
Carl is also a big fan of British vehicles with the bulk of his devotion going to the Morgan Motor Company as well as offerings from Lotus, MG, and Caterham. When he is not writing about automobiles, Carl enjoys spending time with his family and friends in the Metro Detroit area, as well as spending time with his adorable pets.