2016 Honda Indy Grand Prix of Alabama

The 2016 Honda Indy Grand Prix of Alabama was the 4th round of the 2016 IndyCar Series. The race was contested over 90 laps at Barber Motorsports Park in Birmingham, Alabama. It was the 7th time that the IndyCar Series had raced on the circuit. In qualifying, Simon Pagenaud took pole position with a time of 1:06.7762, beating out his teammate Will Power. Sébastien Bourdais set a new track record during the second round of qualifications with a time of 1:06.6001, but was unable to match that pace in the third round of qualifying, relegating him to a fifth place start. Championship contender Juan Pablo Montoya struggled heavily in qualifying, placing 21st and last.[1]

2016 Alabama
Race details
4th round of the 2016 IndyCar Series season
DateApril 24, 2016
Official nameHonda Indy Grand Prix of Alabama
LocationBarber Motorsports Park
CoursePermanent racing facility
2.38 mi / 3.83 km
Distance90 laps
214.2 mi / 344.7 km
Pole position
DriverSimon Pagenaud (Team Penske)
Time1:06.7262
Fastest lap
DriverScott Dixon (Chip Ganassi Racing)
Time1:08.4533 (on lap 66 of 90)
Podium
FirstSimon Pagenaud (Team Penske)
SecondGraham Rahal (Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing)
ThirdJosef Newgarden (Ed Carpenter Racing)

The race opened with an incident before it even started. As the field came off the final turn to prepare to take the green flag, Carlos Muñoz tipped Mikhail Aleshin into a spin, sending Aleshin and Jack Hawksworth off into the outside grass. All involved escaped major damage, while the rest of the field ran an extra lap under yellow before the start. It would be the only caution flag of the day. Simon Pagenaud held the lead when the race started, with Power slotting in behind him. Further back in the field, Sébastien Bourdais and Scott Dixon made contact in turn five, sending Dixon into a spin and causing front wing damage to Bourdais' car. Both would continue, but their races were both greatly hampered due to the incident.[2]

Pagenaud dominated the majority of the race. However, in the closing laps, Pagenaud was held up in lap traffic, allowing Graham Rahal to catch up and set a thrilling duel for the lead. On lap 82, Rahal and Pagenaud made contact entering turn seven, sending Pagenaud off course and handing Rahal the lead. The lead would be short lived, as four laps later, Pagenaud caught back up and attempted to make a pass at the exit of turn six. In the middle of the move, Rahal made contact with back-marker Jack Hawksworth, damaging Rahal's front wing and ending any chance of holding off Pagenaud. Pagenaud would extend his lead and take victory by 13.7 seconds. It was Pagenaud second consecutive victory of the season. Despite his damaged wing, Rahal managed to hang on and finish second. Josef Newgarden finished third. Despite his terrible starting position, Juan Pablo Montoya was able to charge through the field and finish in a respectable fifth place.[2] The highest finishing rookie was Alexander Rossi, who came across the line in 15th, the last car on the lead lap.

Report

Key Meaning
R Rookie
W Past winner

Qualifying

Pos No. Name Grp. Round 1 Round 2 Round 3
1 22 Simon Pagenaud 2 1:06.7630 1:06.8665 1:06.7262
2 12 Will Power W 2 1:06.7274 1:06.7742 1:06.9421
3 21 Josef Newgarden W 2 1:06.7668 1:06.9900 1:07.0283
4 9 Scott Dixon 1 1:06.8810 1:06.6522 1:07.2083
5 11 Sébastien Bourdais 1 1:06.9427 1:06.6001 1:07.2965
6 15 Graham Rahal 1 1:07.1635 1:06.8166 1:07.6388
7 3 Hélio Castroneves W 1 1:07.0125 1:07.0129
8 5 James Hinchcliffe 2 1:07.2048 1:07.0955
9 10 Tony Kanaan 2 1:07.1972 1:07.1715
10 83 Charlie Kimball 1 1:07.1954 1:07.3020
11 8 Max Chilton R 1 1:07.2408 1:08.0728
12 19 Luca Filippi 2 1:07.2243 1:08.3655
13 7 Mikhail Aleshin 1 1:07.2417
14 41 Jack Hawksworth 2 1:07.2360
15 26 Carlos Muñoz 1 1:07.2435
16 14 Takuma Sato 2 1:07.2385
17 18 Conor Daly R 1 1:07.2974
18 28 Ryan Hunter-Reay W 2 1:07.4449
19 27 Marco Andretti 1 1:07.6570
20 98 Alexander Rossi R 2 1:07.5612
21 2 Juan Pablo Montoya 2 1:07.5627
OFFICIAL BOX SCORE

Source for individual rounds:[3]


Race Results

Pos No. Driver Team Engine Laps Time/Retired Pit Stops Grid Laps Led Pts.1
1 22 Simon Pagenaud Team Penske Chevrolet 90 1:48:42.3334 3 1 84 54
2 15 Graham Rahal Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing Honda 90 +13.7476 3 6 6 41
3 21 Josef Newgarden W Ed Carpenter Racing Chevrolet 90 +15.8039 3 3 35
4 12 Will Power W Team Penske Chevrolet 90 +16.7315 3 2 32
5 2 Juan Pablo Montoya Team Penske Chevrolet 90 +21.1160 3 21 30
6 5 James Hinchcliffe Schmidt Peterson Motorsports Honda 90 +23.6222 3 8 28
7 3 Hélio Castroneves W Team Penske Chevrolet 90 +25.5391 3 7 26
8 10 Tony Kanaan Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet 90 +27.9007 3 9 24
9 83 Charlie Kimball Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet 90 +31.8726 3 10 22
10 9 Scott Dixon Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet 90 +39.0603 3 4 20
11 28 Ryan Hunter-Reay W Andretti Autosport Honda 90 +40.7485 3 18 19
12 27 Marco Andretti Andretti Autosport Honda 90 +53.3648 3 19 18
13 14 Takuma Sato A. J. Foyt Enterprises Honda 90 +55.2122 3 16 17
14 26 Carlos Muñoz Andretti Autosport Honda 90 +1:03.5214 3 15 16
15 98 Alexander Rossi R Andretti Herta Autosport Honda 90 +1:04.8861 3 20 15
16 11 Sébastien Bourdais KVSH Racing Chevrolet 89 +1 Lap 5 5 14
17 7 Mikhail Aleshin Schmidt Peterson Motorsports Honda 89 +1 Lap 3 13 13
18 19 Luca Filippi Dale Coyne Racing Honda 89 +1 Lap 3 12 12
19 41 Jack Hawksworth A. J. Foyt Enterprises Honda 89 +1 Lap 3 14 11
20 18 Conor Daly R Dale Coyne Racing Honda 89 +1 Lap 3 17 10
21 8 Max Chilton R Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet 89 +1 Lap 3 11 9
OFFICIAL BOX SCORE
Notes

1 Points include 1 point for leading at least 1 lap during a race, an additional 2 points for leading the most race laps, and 1 point for Pole Position.

Source for time gaps:[4]

Championship standings after the race

  • Note: Only the top five positions are included.

References

  1. Malsher, David (April 23, 2016). "Pagenuad beats Power to pole at Barber". Motorsport.com. Birmingham, Alabama: Motorsport Network, LLC. Retrieved July 19, 2016.
  2. Pruett, Marshall (April 24, 2016). "INDYCAR: Pagenaud holds off Rahal at Barber". Racer.com. Birmingham, Alabama: Racer Media & Marketing, Inc. Archived from the original on July 3, 2016. Retrieved July 19, 2016.
  3. "Race Report: 2016 Honda Indy Grand Prix of Alabama". theapexracing.co. TheApex.racing LLC. April 19, 2016. Retrieved July 19, 2016.
  4. Malsher, David (April 24, 2016). ""Pagenaud survives Rahal bump-'n'-run to win at Barber"". Motorsport.com. Birmingham, Alabama: Motorsport Network, LLC. Retrieved July 19, 2016.

Official Pit Stop Data

Official Race Broadcast

Previous race:
2016 Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach
IndyCar Series
2016 season
Next race:
2016 Angie's List Grand Prix of Indianapolis
Previous race:
2015 Honda Indy Grand Prix of Alabama
Indy Grand Prix of Alabama Next race:
2017 Honda Indy Grand Prix of Alabama
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