Schmidt Peterson Motorsports’ James Hinchcliffe labelled missing out on a spot at the Indianapolis 500 as “devastating” as he was bumped from the field during qualifying.
This year’s entry list featured 35 cars – meaning two were not going to make it through to the final qualifying sessions, with Saturday’s first part determining the 33 participants.
Hinchcliffe was thwarted by a vibration that scuppered his prospects and time expired before he could return to the circuit to make a last-gasp attempt at improving.
Hinchcliffe, the 2016 pole sitter, was thus left in 34th place, with Pippa Mann the other driver to fall at the first hurdle.
“It's devastating in every way possible,” said Hinchcliffe. “We got in line there and then we had a tyre vibration. I'm not exactly sure what the problem was… Indy is a cruel mistress sometimes.
“The highest of highs and the lowest of lows, but SPM worked their tails off to get these cars ready.
“We have three cars in the show, unfortunately the fourth one didn't make it, but we win as a team and we lose as a team.
“It's crazy to be here after where we were two years ago, but we will put our heads down and we will take a look at it and definitely learn from this experience. It's a character builder for sure, but yeah, I'm just disappointed.”
The returning Helio Castroneves was quickest on a strong day for Team Penske, with Simon Pagenaud third, Will Power fourth and Josef Newgarden seventh – all therefore making the Fast Nine.
Castroneves’ four-lap average speed of 228.919 mph left him comfortable ahead of Ed Carpenter, the eponymous team owner clocking a 228.692 mph.
Dale Coyne Racing’s Sebastien Bourdais was fifth, ahead of Spencer Pigot, the aforementioned Newgarden and Ganassi’s Scott Dixon.
Danica Patrick, contesting her last event as a racer, was the final driver to qualify for the Fast Nine – the session that will determine the first three rows on the grid.
Andretti, the victorious team across the past two years, had no cars make it through to the Fast Nine.
Alexander Rossi was its quickest driver in 10th, having narrowly missed out on a spot to Patrick; last year’s victor, Takuma Sato, who has switched to Rahal Letterman Lanigan for 2018, was a lowly 29th.
Rossi, Sato, and the remaining qualifiers will compete for grid positions 10 through 33 on Sunday, prior to the Fast Nine.
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