INDYCAR: Slick tire move boosts Filippi

Luca Filippi praised the decision to use a set of new red tires during the opening stint of qualifying at Barber – a move that helped the Coyne driver to finish the session as one of only three Honda-powered entries in the top 12.

The Italian drew a slot in the difficult second qualifying group, but his 1m07.2243s on stickered reds was enough to earn him the final ticket into the second qualifying round. He finished that second session 12th fastest, and said that merely getting that far was a good result.

"It wasn't so much a gamble as a strategy," he told RACER. "You know that you have an advantage in order to qualify for the Fast 12. You know what you have, and once we were in the Fast 12 it was going to be difficult to fight for a better position. So from that point of view we knew that getting into the top 10 or the top 12 was already a good result for us, in terms of what our speed was and our general potential compared to all of the other Honda cars. So it was a wise thing to do.

"And also, my group was so tough. So getting into the Fast 12 with such a competitive group was not easy. We had to push."

With overtaking having been at a premium during the opening races of the season and a winding Barber layout that forces drivers to dig deep to make moves, Filippi is optimistic that he can convert his starting position into a decent result in the race.

"Yesterday we had a few runs on very old tires so we pretty much know which direction we have to go for the race tomorrow," he said. "The circuit is quite hard on rear tires because there is so much lateral loading, and for quite a long time. You're always in a corner. So we think we know what to do, and if we can have good consistency, we can do well. We're looking good compared to the other Hondas, but we're also not so far off some of the other competitors.

"Hopefully the fast cars [in front] will create a good rhythm and I can find a good pace and defend my position, and maybe have an opportunity to get some other guys through consistency and strategy."

Filippi entered Barber 21st in the points, with a best result of 17th last weekend at Long Beach.

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