Graham Rahal got RLL's best result of the season with a fourth place in Toronto and sees the team heading in the right direction for the final stretch of 2022
Rahal Letterman has had a disappointing season in 2022, but responded last weekend in Toronto. The team achieved its best result of the season, with Graham Rahal finishing in a great fourth place. Rookie Christian Lundgaard also had his best performance of the year, finishing in eighth position.
Rahal started only 14th after being hindered by a red flag caused by Kyle Kirkwood in qualifying. The American opted to start on black tires and run a longer first stint, which put him in the lead for a few laps and allowed him to ride with no one in front. A perfect RLL pit-stop when virtually the entire grid went into the pits put him fifth, and an overtake on Scott McLaughlin late in the race resulted in fourth place.
"In terms of strategy, we didn't get anything on a platter. We were on the track quite a bit in the first stint and we were the fastest car on the track and the yellow flag got in our way a little bit. But the team did an unbelievable job in the pit-stops, we gained four positions, so congratulations to them," praised Graham.
"It's been hard for us to stay positive from an engineering and team standpoint. A lot of people doubt us, a lot of people think I can't drive - we know that's not the case. But people think that. We just put our heads down. This is a good start for the rest of the season with Iowa next weekend. We hope to have another great weekend," said the American.
Rahal revealed that the tests done by the team at Sebring and Iowa were important for RLL to close the performance gap to the top teams. The 33-year-old veteran's feeling is that the team is on track for the final half of the season after a period of extensive frustrations.
▶️ Get to know the GRAND PRIZE channel on Twitch by clicking here!
"The others keep improving as well, so it's very, very difficult for us to close that gap that we have in the middle of the season. It's not something you can do traditionally, but we had great testing at Sebring and Iowa. A lot of different aspects blend together, and we still have deficiencies in some areas, but this was a big step in the right direction. I'm really very proud of the team. A lot of people have had a very frustrating time," Graham concluded.
The American and Rahal Letterman return to the track this weekend for a double round in Iowa, the race of the team's main sponsor. The start of the Iowa Grand Prix 1 is scheduled for 5pm EST, with full coverage by GRAND PRIX.