Schmidt, Herta squads threaten Honda hierarchy in Barber

Honda got its groove back Friday at Barber Motorsports Park and leading the charge besides its flagship Chip Ganassi Racing squad were the efforts from Sam Schmidt’s and Bryan Herta’s teams.

Schmidt Peterson Motorsports rookie Tristan Vautier paced Friday’s first practice, then ended the day third fastest with Schmidt Hamilton teammate Simon Pagenaud in fourth. An off for Vautier at the end of practice one interrupted what had been a good day.

“It was disappointing at the end of the first practice to cause a red because of a mistake, but no, I’m very happy with the car that the team has given me today,” Vautier said. “I think that I still have some room to keep improving, and we need to carry the momentum from today into tomorrow.”

Pagenaud estimated there were still gains to be made as the car struggled in some portions of the track.

“We still have quite a bit to do, as we are losing a lot in very important sectors; otherwise the car would be golden,” said Pagenaud. “There’s still a little bit of work to do but overall whether it’s Honda, whether it’s the team, and working with Tristan, this weekend has all been quite enjoyable.”

Schmidt told IndyCar Radio he hoped Honda had done its homework after both cars suffered exhaust problems at St. Petersburg, but remained cautious until the race concluded on Sunday.

Meanwhile at Herta’s Barracuda Racing, driver Alex Tagliani ended Friday in second place and put in an early candidate for quote of the year given his position on the timesheets.

“I am really proud of what the team accomplished here this weekend,” he said. “Obviously we are accustomed to being in the Firestone Fast 6 last year. I really didn’t like using the Port-a-Potty in the back of the grid. It feels good and hopefully we can have a good qualifying and it’s a tough race to pace here, so qualifying will be key.”