BIRMINGHAM, Alabama – After James Hinchcliffe and Tony Kanaan ended up driving together Friday on the outskirts of Turn 5 during a practice session (shown at bottom), both drivers tweeted comical reactions to their shared experience.
“It was sweet of @TonyKanaan to keep me company in T5 today! Thanks brother!” Hinchcliffe tweeted with a photo of the two drivers sliding through the grass to get back on track.
For most Verizon IndyCar drivers, the usually reliable Turn 5 at Barber Motorsports Park has become an adventure in the lead-up to Sunday’s Honda Indy Grand Prix of Alabama presented by America’s First. At least eight drivers went off course there during three practice sessions before today’s qualifying session.
HONDA INDY GRAND PRIX OF ALABAMA: Qualifying groups
As unexpected as the difficulty of the turn was the suspected cause – wind.
“The wind is strong,” said Kanaan, driver of the No. 14 ABC Supply AJ Foyt Racing Chevrolet. “And with the combination of the track going downhill and no downforce, any gust will upset the car and catch us by surprise. If you’re driving at the limit and you miss the braking zone by just a little bit, you don’t have the downforce to support you. The wind feels like somebody comes up behind you and slaps you in the head.”
A tight left-hander after a long, fast straightaway, the Turn 5-6 hairpin typically offers one of the best passing opportunities on the 17-turn, 2.3-mile Barber layout. But the wind and the lessened downforce of INDYCAR’s new universal aero kit made the turn even trickier than usual this year.
“It depends on the wind.” said Will Power, who in the No. 12 Verizon Team Penske Chevrolet had the fastest lap during this morning’s practice. “It’s a little better today. Yesterday, you had a tail wind, so it was kind of pushing the car on. But, yeah, it’s still difficult.”
In Friday’s opening practice session, defending race winner Josef Newgarden went off course in the Turn 5-6 combination. Hinchcliffe and Kanaan had their incident during the second session, as did Simon Pagenaud and Zach Veach. The issues were fewer during this morning’s 45-minute session, with only Ed Jones finding the gravel trap there.
“It’s loose on entry there,” said Graham Rahal, in the No. 15 Mi-Jack Honda for Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing. “The rear is always wanting to come around there.”
Wind could be the least of drivers’ concerns for Sunday’s race. Rain is expected, with the possibility of thunderstorms and brief downpours.
“We can’t predict that,” Kanaan said. “We’re struggling big time, really.”
Verizon P1 Award qualifying airs live at 4 p.m. ET on CNBC with a same-day replay at 6:30 p.m. on NBCSN.
he Honda Indy Grand Prix of Alabama is the fourth of 17 races on the 2018 Verizon IndyCar Series schedule. Coverage of the 90-lap race begins at 3 p.m. ET Sunday on NBCSN and the Advance Auto Parts INDYCAR Radio Network.
