Alexander Rossi strategized differently in the Fast Six to score his first pole position since the 2019 Detroit GP, and now wants Indy win after three-year drought
Alexander Rossi broke a three-year fast and took the pole-position for the Elkhart Lake GP. This is the first time that the Andretti driver has come out on top since the Detroit GP in 2019. The American made a different strategy in the Fast Six, using the hard tires to set the best time with 1min44s865 and beat Josef Newgarden, who opted for the red tires, by just 0s072.
"I think we saw with Josef [Newgarden] last year, he was able to beat Colton [Herta] on the black [tires] and a lot of our competition was on the reds. I think that's been the trend here," Rossi explained after qualifying at the Road America circuit.
"The team has done an amazing job this weekend, it's been a while since we've been in that position, and it's sensational. It's good, we'll enjoy it, but we have a job to do tomorrow," said the 2016 Indianapolis 500 champion.
The streak of poles has been broken, but Alexander still hasn't won a race at Indy since 2019. His last victory came precisely at Road America, when Andretti had a dominant car. The American sees himself in a similar position this year, and hopes that the good performance with the black tires will be the differential to get back to the top of the podium.
"I think we have a great performance with the black tires, but the balance is not ideal with the red tires. We struggled a bit in the first two rounds of qualifying, but we knew that if we got to the end we would only lose to ourselves. So again, a big thanks to my team, it hasn't been easy for them, it's a big boost for everyone and let's enjoy tomorrow," he concluded.
After seven seasons with Andretti, Rossi is on his way out to McLaren, just as he is experiencing his best moment in the category in years. The start of the GP of Elkhart Lake is scheduled for 1:45 pm this Sunday (12), Brasília time, and the race will be fully covered by GRANDE PRÊMIO.