Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing
Honda Indy Grand Prix of Alabama
Round 3 of 17 in the 2019 NTT IndyCar Series
PRACTICE NOTES/QUOTES – Friday, April 5, 2019
SATO AND RAHAL WERE 14TH AND 17TH FASTEST IN PRACTICE FOR THE HONDA INDY GRAND PRIX OF ALABAMA
1st: James Hinchcliffe 1:08.9994 / 120.001 mph
14th: Takuma Sato 1:09.4532 / 119.217 mph
17th: Graham Rahal 1:09.5660 / 119.024 mph
GRAHAM RAHAL, No. 15 One Cure Dallara/Honda/Firestone: “No one went quicker on the red (alternate) tires other than maybe Hinch (Hinchcliffe) which was unusual. They are going to be a major challenge; the balance shift is massive. For us, really we were close. The first run was solid which was when we went our quickest. I lifted because of traffic to start what could have potentially been the optimal lap, timing wise, right when the tires were sweet, because I thought I had an extra lap of fuel afterward and I didn’t so I wasted the blacks at the start. We’re not quickest but we’re only half of a second out. It’s so close. It looks like there is only one sector where we are losing most of our time. We will work hard to resolve that.”
TAKUMA SATO, No. 30 Mi-Jack / Panasonic Dallara/Honda/Firestone: “It was a tough day with mixed feelings. Initially I felt the car was quite position while the track was still green. The session was cut short by red flags but we felt good under those conditions. As the track started getting more rubber down and faster, we started losing the balance and grip. In the end we struggled to find the speed. I was in traffic when I was on the red tire and never got a clear lap but I didn’t really feel we could gain any time. Hopefully we can develop the car tonight and have a productive day because today was tough.”
RLL AT BARBER: The 2019 Honda Indy Grand Prix of Alabama will mark the eighth IndyCar Series race for the team at Barber Motorsports Park (BMP). The best finishes for the team came in 2015 and 2016 where RLL and Graham Rahal played a major role in the most exciting races of those seasons and earned second place finishes each year. The team’s best start is sixth by Rahal in 2016.
NEXT UP: Final practice will take place tomorrow from 10:45 – 11:30 a.m. CT and qualifying will be 3:00-4:15 PM CT. NBCSN will broadcast qualifying beginning at 4 PM ET. The Honda Grand Prix of Alabama will be televised live on NBCSN from 3:00-6:00 PM ET Sunday, April 7.
PHOTO AND VIDEO AVAILABLE: Media members who register on the IndyCar Series media site have access to photography as well as video. Register for access to photos at: http://www.indycarmedia.com/pages/ApplyforAccess