2013 Honda Indy Grand Prix of Alabama

The Honda Indy Grand Prix of Alabama 2013 was held on 7 April at Barber Motorsports Park in Birmingham, Alabama, United States place and was the second race of the IndyCar Series season 2013.

3.1 qualifying
3.2 race 3.2.1 guiding portions
3.2.2 yellow phase

4.1 Drivers' Championship

Reports

Background

After the Honda Grand Prix of St. Petersburg James Hinchcliffe led in the drivers' standings with 8 points on Hélio Castroneves and Marco Andretti on 16 points.

When Honda Indy Grand Prix of Alabama drivers were a total of 170 seconds to use the push-to -pass button. The overtaking was allowed to be activated ten times in the race.

Ana Beatriz kept her cockpit at Dale Coyne Racing for this and the next three races. So she sat by in contract negotiations with Stefan Wilson, who had also been working around the cockpit.

AJ Allmendinger was at this Grand Prix his comeback in Formula racing and his debut in the IndyCar Series. He had last been active in the Champ Car series in 2006 and then went on only in the NASCAR series and the 24 - hour race at Daytona. Allmendinger was the third vehicle from Team Penske, which had not been used in the season opener.

With Will Power (twice) and Castroneves (once) were all previous winners of this Grand Prix.

Training

In the first exercise, Tristan Vautier set the fastest time ahead of Scott Dixon and Ryan Hunter -Reay. Vautier slipped just before the end of the exit of the second corner in the gravel and dissolved the only interruption of this training. His vehicle was not damaged. The training was extended by five minutes due to the interruption. In the second session Castroneves undercutting the best time and set the fastest lap ahead of Alex Tagliani and Vautier. The only interruption triggered EJ Viso with a slip-up from the gravel. In the third training Simona de Silvestro scored the then fastest time of the weekend ahead of Simon Pagenaud and Dixon. Sébastien Bourdais replaced with a spin of the only interruption. He took the training but again a little later on.

Qualifying

The first part of the session was held in two groups. The six fastest drivers in each group came to the second segment. The remaining starting positions were determined from the result of the first Qualifyingabschnitts, where the drivers of the first group, the odd positions from 13, and the drivers of the second group were assigned to the even positions from 14. In the first group, Dixon recorded the fastest lap in the second group Vautier was the fastest pilot.

In the second segment of qualifying, the six fastest riders qualified for the final section. Dixon scored the fastest lap time. Next to him made it Hunter-Reay, Charlie Kimball, Power, Castroneves and Vautier in the third part of qualifying, the so-called Firestone Fast Six. Originally Vautier was in seventh place and thus outside the Firestone Fast Six, but Takuma Satō were canceled due to blocking of the fastest times, so that he fell back to twelfth place.

Hunter -Reay eventually set the fastest time and achieved the pole position with power and Vautier.

Final training

In the final training Kimball was the fastest driver of Josef Newgarden and Tony Kanaan.

Race

While Hunter -Reay safely kept the lead at the start, Power started from second place not look good and needed to select the winger in the first corner. This pushed their way past the inside line Vautier and Kimball. In the first round, it came close to the museum complex to collisions in which no vehicle failed or stopped, but parts were distributed on the track. For the reason, there was a yellow phase to clean the route. In the yellow phase, a wheel broke on Hinchcliffe's vehicle. He was pushed off the track and his vehicle should be returned at the next caution period to the box. For this reason, Hinchcliffe remained seated in the vehicle. However, there were no more yellow phase, so that the Hinchcliffe finally 72 laps sat in the car and waited until he finally gave up.

At the restart came again Power on the outer layer, and finally fell back to ninth place. Hunter -Reay settled out in the following rounds from the rest of the field. Vautier and Kimball dueled for second place. Behind Dixon showed some overtaking, and finally unlocked the Top 3.

At the first pit stops gave way to some of the pilots actually optimal strategy, a three-stop strategy with balanced racing sections. Castroneves, Dario Franchitti and Pagenaud were more responsive to the pits, so they had to economize end of the race with their tires. Power opted for a change to a two-stop strategy and, therefore, took over after Hunter reays pit stop the lead for a few laps.

In the 43rd round Castroneves, Franchitti and Pagenaud went for the second time to the box. This Franchitti gave up with technical defect. One lap later came Hunter -Reay and Dixon on the box that had both opted for a short middle stint on the harder tire. Kimball took the lead for two laps before he made it to power. Behind Power were Hunter-Reay and Castroneves. While Castroneves initially walked past Hunter -Reay and then to power and took the lead, Power Hunter -Reay held behind closed on several drivers. Castroneves built from a projection at the top. In the 60th round of Power made its second and final stop. He fell back to ninth place. A little later the other pilots went to their last pit stop. This Allmendinger stalled his car and fell back to the rear. Up to this problem he was in a promising position on a top 10 ranking.

In the 75th round attacked Hunter -Reay Castroneves and took the lead. Castroneves was one lap later also overtaken by Dixon. Castroneves tried to reach the third place on the harder tire compound. Dixon put Hunter-Reay to the end of the race under pressure, but did not come in direct slipstream.

Hunter -Reay eventually won the race ahead of Dixon and Castroneves. It was the fourth time in a row that the Honda Indy Dixon Second Grand Prix of Alabama was. It was Hunter reays Tenth IndyCar victory. Kimball reached fourth place for the second time in his career, the top fifth The top 10 was completed by Power, Pagenaud, Andretti, Justin Wilson, Newgarden and Vautier. It was the first Top 10 rankings for Newgarden and Vautier.

In the overall standings Castroneves took the lead before Dixon and Hunter -Reay.

A total of 83 564 spectators came this weekend at the track.

Message list

All teams and drivers used the chassis Dallara DW12 with an aero kit from Dallara and a Firestone tire.

Source:

Classifications

Qualifying

Sources:

Race

Sources:

Guide sections

Sources:

Yellow phases

Sources:

Points standings after the race

Drivers' championship

The scoring is explained here.

397915