Sato wins pole for IndyCar season opener

Takuma Sato

Takuma Sato beat Tony Kanaan to win the pole for Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg in the Fast Six shootout and he won it in convincing style in the AJ Foyt Honda. After 5 laps it was Sato first and Kanaan 2nd. Kanaan tried to topple Sato but lost control of his Ganassi Chevy in Turn 1 and spun (then continued).

Sato then put the pole out of reach with a lap of 1m01.8686s, the only driver to get down into the 1m01s bracket.

Ryan Hunter-Reay will start third in the Andretti Autosport Honda.

Will Power, Scott Dixon and Marco Andretti rounded out the fast-6.

The start of these rounds of qualifications was delayed more than three hours as a mid-afternoon rainstorm. The March 30 weather forecast is promising for the 110-lap race, which will be televised by ABC (3 p.m. ET).

"Over the course of the winter, we did really extensive winter test program," said Sato, who started second and finished eighth at St. Pete last year. "Everything worked out really well. We had a strong package last year here, but obviously there are quite a few changes on the car: tires, twin turbo engine. To come this weekend, qualifying, very dramatic weather change as well. Very pleased the league and promoters make possible for the qualifying session this evening because otherwise I would have to start middle of the pack (based on final 2013 entrant points)."

Tony Kanaan, making his debut in the No. 10 Target Chip Ganassi Racing car, was .2951 of a second back and was equally pleased as Sato about the effort.

"I think it has been like three years since I have been in the top six," said Kanaan, the 2013 Indianapolis 500 winner. "It feels really good. I can't thank the Target Chip Ganassi Racing guys enough. A lot of people made a lot of comments over the years because we struggled so much in qualifying on street and road courses and nobody was counting on that. I like to be the element of surprise. Nobody was talking about us at Indy last year and nobody was talking about this weekend."

Four teams were represented in the final session of six. Will Power, driving the No. 12 Verizon Team Penske car, had earned the pole the previous four years. He'll start fourth alongside Andretti Autosport's Ryan Hunter-Reay. Reigning Verizon IndyCar Series champion Scott Dixon will start fifth and Marco Andretti will start sixth. He has started sixth or seventh the past five years at St. Pete.

Rookies Carlos Munoz and Jack Hawksworth will occupy Row 4.

POST-QUALIFYING QUOTES:

JAMES HINCHCLIFFE (No. 27 United Fiber & Data Honda): "I made sure that the 27 crew has our work cut out for us, that's for sure. Really mad at myself. Conditions were obviously tricky, but I just lost it. It's a real shame because the guys have done such a good job, we were quick in the dry, quick in the wet until my spin, the United Fiber & Data Honda deserved to be higher up today. But when the going gets tough, the tough get it done anyway. We've got the pace so hopefully some good strategy will see us come good tomorrow."

MIKHAIL ALESHIN (No. 7 SMP Racing Honda): "We definitely had speed but the conditions were difficult in the qualifying session. Before qualifying I had never really gotten a chance to drive the car on a wet track or with the rain tires. It was hard for me to understand the level of the grip. At the same time we had red and yellow flags so I only got to do one lap at full speed. Starting 16th shouldn't be a problem, but when you're that far back in the pack it's important to be very mindful of the other drivers around you. Some drivers are very aggressive back there when some people think you can win the race in the first corner. It's a long race though and we have a good set-up. We'll stay positive and make sure we progress throughout the race."

JUSTIN WILSON (No. 19 Dale Coyne Racing Honda): "We had some shifting problems – it wouldn't up shift very well so I was struggling with that. We got one timed lap out of the tires before they went off so we have to work out why that is so we can look after them if we need to. The track conditions were changing the whole time, it was drying out but we had already overheated the tires at that point. It's tricky in those kind of conditions and your first lap out there is your quickest by half a second. It's weird because you start to push a little bit more in the session but the tires were not there. It's just how it goes. I'm disappointed with 16th but hopefully we can get the car good in warm up and come back through the field tomorrow."

JACK HAWKSWORTH (No. 98 Charter / Castrol Edge): "Good qualifying under tricky conditions. We were on rain tires in the beginning to get through the first segment. Then we were initially very quick in the second segment, although I thought we were going to get through but I made a little mistake at the end. If we could do it again, we could be a little bit higher but overall, I can't complain today for my first IndyCar qualification."

HELIO CASTRONEVES (No. 3 Hitachi Team Penske Chevrolet): "It was a little bit tough out there but the Hitachi Team Penske Chevy was really fast. I had no reference point in some areas so it made it challenging and it was a little wet for me in Turn 5 especially. We came up a little short to advance into the Firestone Fast Six and we have a little bit of work to do tomorrow. But I can't wait. I have Roger (Penske) on my side with the strategy and the Hitachi guys will be strong. It should be a really exciting race to start the season here in St. Pete."

SIMON PAGENAUD (No. 77 Schmidt Peterson Hamilton Motorsports Honda): " "This wasn't the result the No. 77 car is capable of. We started off really strong in the wet but the track dried very quickly. We weren't expecting the conditions to change that quickly so in the end we couldn't improve our lap time even though the track was drying. It's a shame that we didn't have it in the end. I think we were expecting more red flags to happen as well which would have given us more of an opportunity to make adjustments as we found that we needed them like different tire pressures and tires. There were a lot of factors that ended up working against us today but we still have a long day tomorrow and starting 13th isn't that bad. We can come back from that and fight for a good position during the race tomorrow."

CARLOS MUNOZ (No. 34 Cinsay Andretti TV.com HVM): "It was a fine, fine qualifying. We started the session on rain tires and then changed to slicks (Firestone Reds). We were out of the top six by less than one-tenth of a second. Anyways, I think seventh is a good position to start tomorrow. My main goal is to stay there the whole race, try not to make any mistakes and just take it step by step."

JUAN PABLO MONTOYA (No. 2 Verizon Team Penske Chevrolet): "The biggest problem for the No. 2 Verizon Chevy was the last corner, for some reason. I just couldn't come off that corner and get the car to turn. (Takuma) Sato was in front of me and I would lose everything to him right there. It is what it is. I haven't driven in wet conditions in a long time and we never had an opportunity to do it in testing. I don't think we're that far off. I'm still getting acclimated back to the Verizon IndyCar Series. My team is still getting acclimated to me. If that process was complete we would be a lot better. We are definitely making progress."

JOSEF NEWGARDEN (No. 67 Florida Lottery/SFH Racing Honda): "We had a tough qualifying today. Not the way you want to start the year obviously, but it's very early in the game and Sunday is where the money is paid out. We just have to be as prepared as we can for the race. We have to put our head down and get re-focused for tomorrow."

TONY KANAAN (No. 10 Target Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet): "I think it has been like 3 years since I have been in the Top 6. It feels really good , I can't thank the Target Chip Ganassi Racing guys enough. A lot of people made a lot of comments over the years because we struggled so much in qualifying in street and road courses and nobody was counting on that. I like to be the element of surprise. Nobody was talking about us at Indy last year and nobody was talking about this weekend. Although this is not even half of the battle because this is qualifying. Front Row, man it feels pretty good! I used to see 16 or 17 cars in front of me in a circuit like that so it feels pretty good. I am happy. It is a new team and those guys had a heck of a year last year and a huge disappointment on Dario's accident and I still feel like this is Dario's car. Those guys went through a lot and they gave me a lot of credibility when I replaced Dario. They made me feel extremely comfortable and although we have only been working together for the three or four months, I feel part of it. Every one of them is part of this front row for me.

SCOTT DIXON (No. 9 Target Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet): "It was a pretty good track out there. It was kind of fun to be in the mixed conditions. This place has been kind of a thorn in my side. I think that might be the best I've ever qualified here, but, we typically race well here. I did have loads of understeer, which was a bit of a pain on the backside. Maybe we didn't manage the tires well. I think the best lap was when TK (Tony Kanaan) was off in (turn) one. By the new rules, we have to slow down, so it was okay. I have to start there, and that is 15 spots better than last year. I am looking forward to the race."

TAKUMA SATO (No. 14 ABC Supply A.J. Foyt Racing Honda): It's a fantastic day. I really couldn't ask any more for a better start to the season. Really happy with where we are today. Over the course of the winter; we did a really extensive winter test program and it worked out really well. We had a strong package last year here, but obviously there've been quite a few changes on the car – tires, Honda's twin turbo engine. It's all been good. To come to this weekend is so exciting and, for qualifying, such a dramatic weather change as well. And I'm very pleased that the league and the promoters made the qualification session happen this evening because otherwise I would be starting middle of the pack.

GRAHAM RAHAL (No. 15 National Guard Honda): "I just messed up. I went into Turn 4, thought I was under control, thought I broke pretty well but all of a sudden the right front locked and I just went straight on (into the tires). Unfortunately we did a lap time that would have advanced us but the lap time doesn't count. Obviously I'm very disappointed. I would have liked to advance but I didn't do a good enough job today so we're going to have our work cut out for us in the race."

WILL POWER (No. 12 Verizon Team Penske Chevrolet): "The car is OK. Balance-wise, it feels good. We got a bit of the insight there on the red tires and bit of a dry track in the Fast Six. Just have to make we have a good look at the data overnight and work to make the Verizon Team Penske Chevrolet better for the race."

RYAN BRISCOE (No. 8 NTT Data Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet): "We started on the slick tires then went to the red tires and the track just kept getting better and better. My tires kind of dropped off there at the end and we didn't have the speed when the track was at its best. We went the safe way expecting there to be a yellow or a red at some point throughout the session and it just never happened. We've got the speed but today just didn't go to plan. We're still in the top 10 and I'm just excited to get out there tomorrow and be back with the Verizon IndyCar Series."

MIKE CONWAY (Fuzzy's Vodka/Ed Carpenter Racing Chevrolet): ""We generated a lot of tire temperature early in the second session of qualifying when the track was a bit damp. We are still missing something in the car. We need to look at it overnight. The 12th spot might have been a little better than what we thought coming into qualifying. The start of the race here is always pretty wild here. You can't take too easy and you can't be too aggressive either. You need to be aware of what and who is around you. We will need to make up some positions early and I hope we can do that in the first lap. Even though it bottlenecks into turn one, you usually can go two or three wide through there. You need to find the space to get through the turn."

CHARLIE KIMBALL (No. 83 Novo Nordisk Ganassi Racing Chevrolet): "Qualifying didn't go exactly according to plan, but the whole No. 83 NovoLog FlexPen crew is excited for the race tomorrow. We are a resilient group and I know we'll bounce back. We'll make some changes tonight and develop a plan for tomorrow and be ready to go at green flag."

RYAN HUNTER-REAY (No. 28 DHL Honda): "Definitely a strong start, it was a fun qualifying session – when the track is changing conditions like that all the time you're searching for grip and every lap is different. I really enjoyed that. We got into the (Firestone) Fast 6 on reds, had a bit of an electrical problem there we had to sort out, so maybe missed the peak. But it was good to come back and qualify third after the practices we've had. It's definitely a bright spot in the weekend so far. We're ready tomorrow and it should be a good race."

MARCO ANDRETTI (No. 25 Snapple Honda): "In Q2 I went out on the used black (tires) and it was pretty tricky for the first couple laps until the temps came up, but a dry line started pretty quickly after that. As long as you kept it on the dry line things were alright… We have to consider more than weather, it's the first race back and with a new engine, we don't really know as far as fuel mileage and stuff how we'll do until warm up. There's a lot to sort of see how it plays out, not sure what to expect but hopefully a good day and we can keep the track position. We were able to save a set of reds for the race which will be good."

SEBASTIEN BOURDAIS (No. 11 Hydroxycut KVSH Racing Chevrolet): "It wasn't much of a qualifying session for the Hydroxycut – KVSH Racing team. Because of the track conditions we waited to go out to make sure that we had room in case something happened, so everyone else got in a lap before the first red flag. When we went back out I got one lap at speed before the second red flag. We were too conservative and I feel bad for the crew. They did a good job preparing the car. We will just have to go to work and do the best we can in tomorrow's race."

SEBASTIAN SAAVEDRA (No. 17 AFS KVAFS Chevrolet): "I think it was meant to be that 11th position, whether we had qualifying or not. We're meant to put on a show and I think that's exactly what we did. The first session was wet, so it's important to read the track as quickly as possible and try not to make any mistakes. I think the KV AFS team did a great job in predicting what was going to happen. Q2 was positive in the beginning when it was still wet, but as it got drier I misread the track thinking it was wetter than it was. Once I had realized, it was too late so I didn't get the best out of my tires and wasn't then in a position to fight for the Firestone Fast Six. I am looking forward to the first race tomorrow and hope to bring home some good points."

Results

1. (14) Takuma Sato, Dallara-Honda, 01:01.8686 (104.738)
2. (10) Tony Kanaan, Dallara-Chevy, 01:02.1637 (104.241)
3. (28) Ryan Hunter-Reay, Dallara-Honda, 01:02.2167 (104.152)
4. (12) Will Power, Dallara-Chevy, 01:02.3955 (103.854)
5. (9) Scott Dixon, Dallara-Chevy, 01:02.4454 (103.771)
6. (25) Marco Andretti, Dallara-Honda, 01:02.9595 (102.923)
7. (34) Carlos Munoz, Dallara-Honda, 01:03.3955 (102.215)
8. (98) Jack Hawksworth, Dallara-Honda, 01:03.5738 (101.929)
9. (8) Ryan Briscoe, Dallara-Chevy, 01:03.6206 (101.854)
10. (3) Helio Castroneves, Dallara-Chevy, 01:03.6635 (101.785)
11. (17) Sebastian Saavedra, Dallara-Chevy, 01:03.8374 (101.508)
12. (20) Mike Conway, Dallara-Chevy, 01:03.9618 (101.310)
13. (11) Sebastien Bourdais, Dallara-Chevy, 01:15.8337 (85.450)
14. (77) Simon Pagenaud, Dallara-Honda, 01:12.3741 (89.535)
15. (7) Mikhail Aleshin, Dallara-Honda, 01:15.9111 (85.363)
16. (19) Justin Wilson, Dallara-Honda, 01:12.5890 (89.270)
17. (18) Carlos Huertas, Dallara-Honda, 01:16.8105 (84.363)
18. (2) Juan Pablo Montoya, Dallara-Chevy, 01:12.6994 (89.134)
19. (27) James Hinchcliffe, Dallara-Honda, 02:34.4862 (41.945)
20. (83) Charlie Kimball, Dallara-Chevy, 01:13.0048 (88.761)
21. (15) Graham Rahal, Dallara-Honda, No Time (No Speed)
22. (67) Josef Newgarden, Dallara-Honda, 01:13.1170 (88.625)