Rookies showing they belong in Verizon IndyCar Series

ST. PETERSBURG, Florida – A rookie starting from pole in the Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg after battling for top spot with another two newcomers in the Firestone Fast Six qualifying session shows the strength of the young talent attracted to the Verizon IndyCar Series.

That’s the verdict of 2014 champion Will Power, who was outdueled by rookie Robert Wickens for the Verizon P1 Award on Saturday and will start alongside Wickens in today’s race to open the 2018 season.

“There are a lot of fast, young drivers and you want to have a very deep field, and that’s what we have right now,” said Power, driver of the No. 12 Verizon Team Penske Chevrolet. “You don’t really see anyone struggling. Pretty impressive, though, all those guys (rookies) up in front there, first time out. Three of them in the Fast Six is very impressive.”

Along with Wickens in the No. 6 Lucas Oil Schmidt Peterson Motorsports Honda, rookies Matheus “Matt” Leist (No. 4 ABC Supply AJ Foyt Racing Chevrolet) and Jordan King (No. 20 Ed Carpenter Racing Fuzzy’s Vodka Chevrolet) made it through to the Firestone Fast Six to vie for pole in St. Petersburg.

They may be classified rookies in INDYCAR, but these three young drivers have some well-rounded resumes. Wickens arrived from German touring cars after winning junior formula open-wheel championships in North America and Europe, while Leist and King each won a British Formula 3 title.

“We’ve all been racing a long time, and I think Robert has achieved a lot more than your average person in motorsport, and he’s a very talented driver, so there’s no coincidence that he’s come in and done a good job,” said King (shown above).

“We have got a lot of experience in driving cars, new tires, changing conditions and that sort of thing. We still have to learn (with) the new car, but there’s still a lot of experience in the past. Look at a lot of the young drivers coming through, they are actually very experienced and well-rounded.”

For his part, Wickens feels that having drivers like Leist and King in the Verizon IndyCar Series mix only underlines the talent level of the rookie drivers. And while the changing conditions due to light rain played a role in the outcome of qualifying, the performance for both drivers in earlier practice sessions hinted that a good performance in qualifying was there for the taking.

“Matheus Leist has been in the top five in every single session this weekend,” Wickens said. “It doesn’t mean everyone else sucks, it just means he’s doing a fantastic job. And then if you look at Jordan King and his group in qualifying, he was first overall, beating (Alexander) Rossi, beating everyone.

“I think the fact that there are so many rookies, if anything, should promote the series and the fact that it’s drawing interest. (Two-time Formula 1 Fernando) Alonso loved it. I’m here because I love INDYCAR. The series is on the rise, and anyone who tries it put it down, it’s because they’re probably worried about us succeeding more than them.”

Part of the rookies’ run into the Firestone Fast Six may have been aided by the 2018 aero package, which is new to all the drivers. Leist wasn’t sure it helped level the field for the first-year drivers, but he thought his new car was closer to the Indy Lights racer he drove last season than the 2017 Indy car with the competitive aero kits.

“I had a half a day in the old (2017) car, and it was quite a big step from the Indy Lights, but this car now, it’s not that much,” he said.

“For me, it’s just like I felt better in all the turns from the Indy Lights. The car brakes very well, we have quite a lot of power, and with the new tires quite a lot of grip. For me, it’s a pretty nice car to drive and I don’t have any complaints.”

Whether it was the new aero package or something else, 2012 Verizon IndyCar Series champion and 2014 Indianapolis 500 winner Ryan Hunter-Reay, who starts sixth in today’s race, wasn’t surprised that rookies were top performers in qualifying.

“These guys have been quick in testing, so it’s not totally shocking they did a good job overall,” said the No. 28 DHL Honda driver.

“It’s funny because there’s so much talent in the series, you have a slight misstep and everybody is there to pick up on it. But good job for those guys, for sure. Trying conditions and a new car on the track, it’s impressive.”

The 110-lap Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg airs live today on ABC (12:30 p.m. ET) and the Advance Auto Parts INDYCAR Radio Network (noon).