Honda Strong Again During “Fast Friday” at Indianapolis
Honda Strong Again During “Fast Friday” at Indianapolis
- Honda drivers, teams claim top four positions Friday, and 11 of top 12
- Fernando Alonso ends practice fourth overall, fastest rookie
- Qualifying to set the 33-car field takes place this weekend
SPEEDWAY, Ind., (May 19, 2017) – “Fast Friday” lived up to its name today at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, as Honda drivers dominated the speed chart in the final day of practice before qualifying begins Saturday for the 101st running of the Indianapolis 500.
With turbocharger boost turned up to the higher, qualifying levels permitted by series rules, Honda drivers led by Dale Coyne Racing’s Sebastien Bourdais claimed the top four speeds after five days of practice. Honda drivers and teams also claimed 11 of the top 12 positions today, despite mid-afternoon rain that caused a halt in the action for approximately two and a half hours of the six-hour session.
Following Bourdais in second through fourth were Andretti Autosport teammates Ryan Hunter-Reay, Takuma Sato and two-time Formula One World Champion Fernando Alonso. The 2016 pole winner, James Hinchcliffe, made a big jump in speed on Friday to end practice sixth fastest for Schmidt Peterson Motorsports, followed by teammates Mikhail Aleshin and Jay Howard, in seventh and eighth, respectively.
Another Honda rookie, Ed Jones, ended the week ninth overall, followed by the defending race winner, Alexander Rossi. Chip Ganassi Racing teammates – and previous “500” winners – Tony Kanaan and Scott Dixon round out the top 12 for Honda.
First-round qualifying on Saturday will determine the contenders for the pole in Sunday’s “Fast Nine” shootout, with final qualifying then setting the field for the 101st running of the Indianapolis 500 on Sunday, May 28.
Sebastien Bourdais (#18 Dale Coyne Racing Honda) fastest in Indianapolis 500 practice: “Yeah, there’s never a bad day when you’re at the front. Definitely happy with the way things turned out for us this week. The car felt good. We tried a couple of [changes] and finished the session really happy with the speed and the car balance. Hopefully, it stays that way. Indianapolis is a tricky place. When you get any sense of consistency through different conditions – sunny, shade, different track temps, humidity, wind – it always gives you confidence. You never know what’s going to come at you the next day. I think tomorrow’s [qualifying] is going to be another example of that. We’ll just hopefully be able to deal with those conditions very well and, you know, make it happen when it matters, ’cause this is obviously awesome.”
Indianapolis 500 Day 5 “Fast Friday” Practice
Circuit: Indianapolis Motor Speedway (2.5-mile oval), Indianapolis, IN
2016 Winner: Alexander Rossi (Andretti Autosport Honda) 166.634 mph average
Weather: Mostly cloudy, mid-afternoon rain, mild, humid, 78 degrees F
Indianapolis 500 Practice Results (Combined Monday-Friday):
| Ps. | Driver | Team | Manufacturer | Best Speed | Day Set |
| 1. | Sebastien Bourdais | Dale Coyne Racing | Honda | 233.116 | Friday |
| 2. | Ryan Hunter-Reay | Andretti Autosport | Honda | 232.132 | Friday |
| 3. | Takuma Sato | Andretti Autosport | Honda | 231.969 | Friday |
| 4. | Fernando Alonso-R | McLaren Honda-Andretti | Honda | 231.827 | Friday |
| 5. | Juan Pablo Montoya | Team Penske | Chevrolet | 231.682 | Friday |
| 6. | James Hinchcliffe | Schmidt Peterson Motorsports | Honda | 231.517 | Friday |
| 7. | Mikhail Aleshin | Schmidt Peterson Motorsports | Honda | 231.446 | Friday |
| 8. | Jay Howard | Schmidt Peterson Motorsports | Honda | 231.255 | Friday |
| 9. | Ed Jones-R | Dale Coyne Racing | Honda | 231.252 | Friday |
| 10. | Alexander Rossi | Andretti Autosport | Honda | 231.191 | Friday |
| 11. | Tony Kanaan | Chip Ganassi Racing | Honda | 231.054 | Friday |
| 12. | Scott Dixon | Chip Ganassi Racing | Honda | 231.016 | Friday |
| 13. | Helio Castroneves | Team Penske | Chevrolet | 230.982 | Friday |
| 14. | Oriol Servia | Rahal Letterman Lanigan | Honda | 230.887 | Friday |
| 15. | Marco Andretti | Andretti Autosport | Honda | 230.769 | Friday |
| 16. | Will Power | Team Penske | Chevrolet | 230.717 | Friday |
| 17. | Ed Carpenter | Ed Carpenter Racing | Chevrolet | 230.712 | Friday |
| 18. | Max Chilton | Chip Ganassi Racing | Honda | 230.636 | Friday |
| 19. | JR Hildebrand | Ed Carpenter Racing | Chevrolet | 230.627 | Friday |
| 20. | Charlie Kimball | Chip Ganassi Racing | Honda | 230.335 | Friday |
| 21. | Pippa Mann | Dale Coyne Racing | Honda | 230.103 | Friday |
| 22. | Graham Rahal | Rahal Letterman Lanigan | Honda | 230.007 | Friday |
| 23. | Simon Pagenaud | Team Penske | Chevrolet | 229.973 | Friday |
| 24. | Josef Newgarden | Team Penske | Chevrolet | 228.624 | Friday |
| 25. | Jack Harvey-R | Michael Shank-Andretti | Honda | 228.426 | Friday |
| 26. | Sage Karem | Dryer & Reinbold Racing | Chevrolet | 228.159 | Friday |
| 27. | Carlos Munoz | A.J. Foyt Racing | Chevrolet | 227.956 | Friday |
| 28. | Conor Daly | A.J. Foyt Racing | Chevrolet | 227.225 | Friday |
| 29. | Gabby Chaves | Harding Racing | Chevrolet | 227.168 | Friday |
| 30. | Zach Veach-R | A.J. Foyt Racing | Chevrolet | 227.082 | Friday |
| 31. | Sebastian Saavedra | Juncos Racing | Chevrolet | 226.224 | Friday |
| 32. | Spencer Pigot | Juncos Racing | Chevrolet | 226.170 | Friday |
| 33. | Buddy Lazier | Lazier Racing | Chevrolet | 219.640 | Friday |