Reigning IndyCar champion Will Power of Australia led a Team Penske sweep of the top four qualifying spots for Sunday's season-opening Grand Prix of St. Petersburg.
Power posted a lap of 1min 0.6931sec in the "Fast Six" final round of qualifying on the 1.8 mile (2.9 Km), 14-turn St. Petersburg temporary street circuit.
Saturday's qualifying marked the competitive debut of the new aerodynamic package adopted this season by IndyCar as it bids to boost performance and improve safety.
In the first two rounds of qualifying, Power -- who opened his championship campaign with a win in St. Petersburg last year -- twice lowered the  track record that France's Sebastien Bourdais had held since the inaugural St. Pete Indy car race in 2003.
Power lowered the standard to 1:00.8344 in round one, then bettered it with a 1:00.6509.
He couldn't quite make it three records in a row in the "Fast Six" session, but was quick enough to claim his 37th career pole.
First-year Team Penske driver Simon Pagenaud of France was 0.0321 of a second behind Power in the "Fast Six" to put himself second on the starting grid.
Brazil's Helio Castroneves, the only three-time race winner at St. Petersburg, qualified third (1:00.8356) and Colombia's Juan Pablo Montoya was fourth (1:00.8532).
"It was tight. Full credit to the team. I'm stoked to get pole," Power said. "It just shows the work we've done over the winter."
Source: AFP