IndyCar adopts single-car Fast 6 qualifying for remaining street races
The IndyCar Series is taking the single-car qualifying process it trialed during the Arlington Grand Prix’s Firestone Fast Six and making it a season-long feature at the remaining street races.
Continuing with Saturday’s run for pole position at the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach, and returning later in the year at Detroit, Markham, and Washington D.C., IndyCar’s six fastest drivers will get a single flying lap to set their best times in the closing Fast Six segment.
The qualifying order will be chosen by the six as they move on from the Firestone Fast 12 session, with the quickest making the first pick, the second choosing next, and so on. With the running order in place, teams will select the tires for the upcoming runs and dispatch the six cars to pit-out where the drivers will be released by IndyCar for their solo runs.
Despite receiving suggestions to speed up the process by having the next qualifier sent out for their warm-up lap once the current qualifier starts their flying lap, the series has chosen to hold drivers on pit lane until the active qualifier crosses the alternate start/finish line.
As noted by current championship leader Kyle Kirkwood prior to the Arlington debut of single-car Fast Six qualifying, the driver who goes first is expected to have an advantage due to their car being the warmest – having the least amount of time to cool down after the Fast 12, which transfers more heat from the brakes into the tires.
With drivers having described Firestone’s new street course alternate compound as needing more time than their predecessors to build the necessary temperature to reach peak performance, it would be a surprise if the quickest driver transferring into the Fast Six does anything other than take the first run and use the that heat to their benefit.
At Arlington, Kirkwood’s Andretti Global teammate Marcus Ericsson was sixth and slowest of those who transferred, but was sent out first by IndyCar, and set the fastest lap and earned his first pole position. With the new selection process, the slowest drivers within the six should receive the smallest heat-related benefit.
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