Alex Palou took his first pole position of the season and the seventh of his career in qualifying for the Alabama Grand Prix.
Despite Penske having the advantage of two cars in the Firestone Fast Six and the pace of Andretti’s Colton Herta, Palou managed to take pole by 0.146 seconds from Penske’s Scott McLaughlin.
Thoughts on balance and speed of the car
Speaking in the post-qualifying press conference, Palou praised his car and revealed his satisfaction at taking pole position.
“The car has been really good all weekend, honestly. Especially at the Fast Six, I got the balance I wanted, the balance we’re looking for.
“Really happy with the lap, as well. Got a pole that we don’t really get many, many poles. Feels good to start up front.”
Palou’s love of the Barber Motorsports Park
When asked about why he was so quick around the Barber Motorsports Park, Palou gave a very glowing review of the track which he won around in 2021 on debut for Ganassi.
“I love the track. It’s so much fun. Every lap you do is so much fun. We were speaking on the van coming here it’s amazing how the car feels and how the track feels. Ton of grip. Lots of ups and downs. High braking zones, high speeds. Has a little bit of everything. I like it.”
Track position just as important regardless of track
Despite this, Palou insists that this track is no different to any other in that track position is very important due to a number of different factors.
“I think every track is important to have track position. It’s getting tough nowadays to keep your position, especially with the difference on tires, the different deploy numerous times per lap. Hopefully that plays a role on overtaking during the race.”
Mixed weather conditions
Palou was asked about the changeable weather seen during the weekend. On Friday, the track was dry for practice one, but in practice two, the rain caused several drivers to make mistakes. The circuit had dried up by qualifying, but the conditions were colder than on Friday.
“We were. We were planning on two different strategies and setups for qualifying. We’re not thinking that it’s going to rain tomorrow, but I could be wrong.
“But the setup for the wet is ready anyway. Yeah, anyway I think it’s going to be tough for the race, even if it’s dry. Got to see how the car behaves on long runs. I think with the rain this morning, we couldn’t really feel how the car was behaving on, like, more than, I don’t know, 10 or 15 lap tires. It will be interesting.”
