{"id":276015,"date":"2025-05-09T23:20:15","date_gmt":"2025-05-09T23:20:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/michigandigitalnews.com\/index.php\/2025\/05\/09\/graham-rahal-revels-in-rlls-qualifying-success-at-indycars-sonsio-gp\/"},"modified":"2025-06-25T17:08:32","modified_gmt":"2025-06-25T17:08:32","slug":"graham-rahal-revels-in-rlls-qualifying-success-at-indycars-sonsio-gp","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/michigandigitalnews.com\/index.php\/2025\/05\/09\/graham-rahal-revels-in-rlls-qualifying-success-at-indycars-sonsio-gp\/","title":{"rendered":"Graham Rahal revels in RLL&#8217;s qualifying success at IndyCar&#8217;s Sonsio GP"},"content":{"rendered":"<p> [ad_1]<br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div id=\"article-content\" data-postid=\"4910995\" data-slug-id=\"2511683\">\n<div class=\"vidazoo-player-container\">\n<span class=\"vidazoo-close-btn  hidden \"><br \/>\n<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/staticg.sportskeeda.com\/cmc-predictor\/v2\/cross-icon.png?w=40\" width=\"20\" height=\"20\" alt=\"close\"\/><br \/>\n<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>RLL star Graham Rahal qualified P2 for the 2025 Sonsio GP at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and will start the race on 10 May from the front row of the grid alongside <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sportskeeda.com\/player\/alex-palou\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" data-is-sponsored=\"false\">Alex Palou<\/a>. The IndyCar veteran came out and revealed the secret behind Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing&#8217;s qualifying success at the IMS Road Course.<\/p>\n<p>The three <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sportskeeda.com\/team\/rahal-letterman-lanigan\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" data-is-sponsored=\"false\">Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing<\/a> cars finished the second practice session in the top three. While most teams saved a set of alternates for the qualifying during practice, RLL went out on the softer tires to gather data and get a feel for what the tire would be like.<\/p>\n<p>The same gave the three RLL drivers, Graham Rahal, Devlin DeFrancesco, and Louis Foster an upper hand in the qualifying. Where all three Andretti failed to get out of the first qualifying session, all three RLLs made it into the Fast Six session.<\/p>\n<p><template id=\"also-read-articles-template\"><\/p>\n<p><\/template><\/p>\n<p>Graham Rahal spoke with FOX Sports after the qualifying session and revealed how the run on alternate tires in practice helped the team.<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>\u201cIt feels so good because as I said to you after the last session, as to why we ran the reds (alternate). I knew Palou was going to have a new set of red to run into Fast Six,\u201d said Rahal via X.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>Speaking about his final lap in the Fast Six and the efforts made by his teammates, Graham Rahal suggested that RLL really needed a good result after a slow start to the season. He said:<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>\u201cIn fast six, like, just a great lap, put it together, the balance was really consistent and matched my best of the whole day. And it feels great for this entire #15, #30 and #45 team.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<blockquote><p>\u201cI mean, you guys know this. Everybody watching knows this, we needed this. We expect to be good at Indy Road course. But to see it come together and actually have three cars in the top five is amazing. So it feels awesome for our team,\u201d added Graham Rahal.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>Graham Rahal will start P2 with his rookie teammate Louis Foster starting behind him in P3. Devlin DeFrancesco will start P5 and was just half a tenth away from getting into the second row or grid.<\/p>\n<h2><strong>\u201cNeeded to get a good taste\u201d: Graham Rahal on RLL\u2019s decision to use alternate tires in second practice at Sonsio GP <\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>The top six drivers in the second practice session used a set of soft alternate tires in the final 10 minutes of the session. Although the tire is considered the better race tire, grid position is crucial at the IMS road course, and hence Graham Rahal prioritized getting a feel for the track on soft tires rather than saving them for the race.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"image\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"sk-app-thumbnail\" alt=\"AUTO: MAY 9 INDYCAR Sonsio Grand Prix - Source: Getty\" src=\"https:\/\/staticg.sportskeeda.com\/editor\/2025\/05\/f831c-17468305544610-1920.jpg\"\/><img fetchpriority=\"high\" class=\"lazy-img\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1289\" data-img=\"https:\/\/staticg.sportskeeda.com\/editor\/2025\/05\/f831c-17468305544610-1920.jpg\" srcset=\"https:\/\/staticg.sportskeeda.com\/editor\/2025\/05\/f831c-17468305544610-1920.jpg?w=190 190w, https:\/\/staticg.sportskeeda.com\/editor\/2025\/05\/f831c-17468305544610-1920.jpg?w=720 720w, https:\/\/staticg.sportskeeda.com\/editor\/2025\/05\/f831c-17468305544610-1920.jpg?w=640 640w, https:\/\/staticg.sportskeeda.com\/editor\/2025\/05\/f831c-17468305544610-1920.jpg?w=1045 1045w, https:\/\/staticg.sportskeeda.com\/editor\/2025\/05\/f831c-17468305544610-1920.jpg?w=1200 1200w, https:\/\/staticg.sportskeeda.com\/editor\/2025\/05\/f831c-17468305544610-1920.jpg?w=1460 1460w, https:\/\/staticg.sportskeeda.com\/editor\/2025\/05\/f831c-17468305544610-1920.jpg?w=1600 1600w, https:\/\/staticg.sportskeeda.com\/editor\/2025\/05\/f831c-17468305544610-1920.jpg 1920w\" alt=\"AUTO: MAY 9 INDYCAR Sonsio Grand Prix - Source: Getty\" data-img-low=\"https:\/\/staticg.sportskeeda.com\/editor\/2025\/05\/f831c-17468305544610-1920.jpg?w=640\" bad-src=\"data:image\/svg+xml,&lt;svg%20xmlns=%22http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg%22%20viewBox=%220%200%201920%201289%22&gt;&lt;\/svg&gt;\"\/><figcaption>AUTO: MAY 9 INDYCAR Sonsio Grand Prix &#8211; Source: Getty<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Rahal detailed how not running an extra set of soft tires in qualifying hurt them at Barber, and hence, they opted for the move. He further explained that the pace in practice 1 at IMS wasn&#8217;t great either, and therefore, RLL made the alternate decision.<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>\u201cThis one really came down to first session. If we thought we were good in the first session, we were not going to do it (use alternate tires in second session). But we weren\u2019t that good, so we had to. We needed to get a good taste to understand what we need for qualifying,\u201d said Rahal (via IndyCar).<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.sportskeeda.com\/indycar\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" data-is-sponsored=\"false\">IndyCar<\/a> introduced new tire rules for the Sonsio GP, where the drivers are mandated to use two sets of alternate and primary tires each during the race, which will further change the dynamic.<\/p>\n<div class=\"article-post-rating-widget\">\n<p><template id=\"post-rating-feedback-modal-template\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"post-rating-feedback-feedback-box\">\n<div class=\"post-rating-feedback-content\">\n<div class=\"post-rating-feedback-data\">\n<p>Why did you not like this content?<\/p>\n<p><textarea id=\"dislike-feedback-text\" rows=\"4\" placeholder=\"Please type your feedback...\"\/>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>\n<button class=\"close\">Cancel<\/button><br \/>\n<button class=\"submit\">Submit<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><\/template><\/p>\n<div class=\"post-rating-widget-parent hidden\">\n<div class=\"rating-parent-container\">\n<div class=\"rating-content-holder\">\n<p>Was this article helpful?<\/p>\n<div class=\"post-rating-action-container\">\n<div class=\"like-container\">\n<button class=\"post-rating-like-button post-rating-button\" data-action=\"like\"><br \/>\n<img decoding=\"async\" class=\"post-like-image post-rating-image\" src=\"https:\/\/staticg.sportskeeda.com\/like-articles\/upvote-icon-grey.svg\" height=\"20\" width=\"20\" alt=\"like selected\"\/><br \/>\n<\/button>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"dislike-container\">\n<button class=\"post-rating-dislike-button post-rating-button\" data-action=\"dislike\"><br \/>\n<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"post-dis-like-image post-rating-image\" src=\"https:\/\/staticg.sportskeeda.com\/like-articles\/upvote-icon-grey.svg\" height=\"20\" width=\"20\" alt=\"avatar selected\"\/><br \/>\n<\/button>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>\nThank You for feedback\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"post-author-info-parent\">\n<span class=\"about-the-author\">About the author<\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"author-info-holder\">\n<div class=\"author-pic-holder\">\n<img decoding=\"async\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"author-pic\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml;charset=utf-8,&lt;svg width=\" height=\"100\"\/><rect width=\"100\" height=\"100\" style=\"fill:rgb(128, 128, 128);\"\/>&#8221; data-lazy=&#8221;https:\/\/keedag.sportskeeda.com\/user-pic\/4512202-1732263092-200.jpg?w=200&#8243;<br \/>\nalt=&#8221;Pranay Bhagi&#8221; height=&#8221;72&#8243; width=&#8221;72&#8243;&gt;\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"author-bio-detail-holder\">\n<div class=\"author-bio\">\n<p class=\"author-bio\" id=\"author-bio-text\">\nPranay Bhagi is a motorsports journalist at Sportskeeda with over two years of experience in the industry. Having worked with respected platforms such as EssentiallySports and SportsRush, he has written nearly 2,000 articles covering the thrilling worlds of Formula 1 and NASCAR. Pranay\u2019s knack for presenting unique angles and breaking down complex developments has established him as a reliable voice in the motorsports community.<\/p>\n<p>Armed with a B.Sc. in Hospitality and Hotel Administration, Pranay\u2019s professional journey reflects his dedication to accuracy and storytelling. His deep knowledge of motorsports allows him to anticipate trends, find engaging storylines, and mentor budding writers. He has also spearheaded initiatives to improve content efficiency, including leading workshops and presentations for fellow writers.<\/p>\n<p>When not writing or analyzing motorsport races, Pranay enjoys traveling across India on his motorcycle, watching football, and indulging his curiosity by researching various interests. 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