It’s huge. A great way to start the month of May. I think we’ve been pushing ourselves, looking to get this opportunity. When we saw that there was a great opportunity, we took it. So very proud. – Sebastian Saavedra
When qualifying officially completed and it was determined that Sebastian Saavedra had won the pole, shock was the only word to describe most fans as nobody expected a driver that hasn’t finished on the podium or won a pole in 41 career starts to win the pole.
However, as Saavedra noted – Grand Prix of Indianapolis qualifying was the perfect opportunity. The rain is the great equalizer and sometimes can play right into the favor of some drivers over others. This was the case on Friday with Saavedra.
Saavedra also notes that he has been working towards this goal and looking over the previous two seasons, this plays true. Last year with Dragon Racing, Saavedra six crashes over the course of the 19 races with plenty of finishes outside of the top 15. This year with KVAFS Racing, Saavedra has completed all the laps each week with finishes of 11th, eighth and 18th.
“I think everybody on the team has been non-stop,” Saavedra commented. “We’ve been taking a couple away from us. Something we are close to deserving more. This is a way to start that. It’s a good strike. Better here in Indianapolis. Hopefully keep it up. It’s a long month ahead.”
Perhaps one of the things that has helped Saavedra is working with new teammate Sebastien Bourdais, who has shown speed also in the first three races. Bourdais qualified 7th for the GP of Indianapolis.
“We definitely were slightly different when it was the wet conditions this morning, trying different combinations. At the end, we were pretty close,” Saavedra commented. “I think we made different aero configurations just trying to see who was going to take the right one. I think that was the main difference.”
The success of the team, though, isn’t a huge surprise as Tony Kanaan won the Indianapolis 500 last year with the same group that Bourdais has around him. Without a doubt, the confidence is there.
“It’s huge,” Saavedra said of the confidence. “Everybody wants to keep it the same way this year, of course. With Sebastien Bourdais, we’re trying to keep the same mentality, trying not to push ourselves too much. We need to try to keep doing the same work that T.K. and Simona did last year. So far everything has been smooth, great merge with AFS Racing. Everything seems to be going in the right direction. Just need to keep it up.”
While Saavedra has the pole, some people are wondering how he will handle it tomorrow as this marks only his third full season in the series. However, Saavedra notes that that at the age of 23, he feels old.
“They do have a lot more experience, but it’s a matter of keep doing what you’ve been learning for the last 15 years of your racing career,” he commented. “Every day you’re learning something different, every corner you’re learning something different. But at this time it’s not the time to try different things. It’s time to keep things the same way, focus on the start. It’s going to be huge, whoever gets a good jump or not. It’s a long straight. Whatever happens with the weather conditions and the wind direction, it’s going to be huge as well.”
Still, regardless of how the race on Saturday turns out, there’s one thing for sure – this is a huge career moment for Saavedra.
“It’s the top level, the top spot for sure,” he commented. “We’ve been getting closer to a couple things. We’ve been leading laps and stuff like that. Strategies or things like that haven’t worked out. But definitely this is a point that makes you get addicted to more. You just want more. I think this is a great start for that to happen. I think we have something. We’re building something from scratch. The long relationship that we’re building, it’s hopefully soon to be shown.”
