Josef Newgarden complains, Will Power confused after Team Penske's debacle at Long Beach GP qualifying

Will Power and Josef Newgarden were eliminated in the first qualifying session at the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach as Team Penske suffered a double blow. The poor qualifying form follows Roger Penske's team to Long Beach after the disappointing qualifying at the last race in Thermal Club.

All three Team Penske drivers failed to make it to the second qualifying session at the Thermal Club and the disappointment continues at this weekend's race. Power and Newgarden looked strong during the practice, finishing inside the Top 10 in both the sessions.

Power was P1 and P4 in Practice 1 and Practice 2 respectively, whereas Newgarden ended up in P6 in both sessions. However, when it came to qualifying, the duo failed to deliver.

Josef Newgarden was frustrated at Felix Rosenqvist for ruining his final run as he slowed down at the hairpin, i.e. the final corner, which ruined his penultimate lap and compromised the start of his final lap. Complaining about the same on the radio, the #2 Team Penske driver said:

“He's (Felix Rosenqvist) sitting in the hairpin as I'm finishing the lap and then I don't get to do my second lap either.”

However, the replay suggested that while Newgarden lifted the throttle, Rosenqvist wasn't close enough to cause an obstruction. Will Power, on the other hand, ran the hard tires on the first run and failed to deliver in the second run on the softer alternate tires. Explaining the same, Power said (via IndyCar on FOX):

“Man, it was just, It was kind of difficult to get a clear lap. People backing up a lot, but don't know how much I missed out by. Yeah, it's kind of, almost needed to go on the first lap, I guess, but then just, it's hard to have a good outlap. Then you got a gap and let people go, and then people stop at the hairpin.”

“But no excuses, man. I mean, we're quick in every single practice this year, we've been fast, every single one, and we haven't gotten the top 12 yet. You make as many excuses you want. We've just got to get it done when it counts,” he added.

Power suggested that the team should've opted to run two alternate tires rather than trying to save one for the later sessions. Despite having the pace in the car, Power has failed to make it out of the first qualifying session so far this season.

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Josef Newgarden detailed Team Penske’s car performance around street circuits

Josef Newgarden had one of the quickest cars around St. Pete but it all went away from Team Penske at Thermal Club. Coming into Long Beach, a reporter questioned the #2 Chevrolet driver about the performance of his car around street circuits, and whether the circuit characteristics will suit it.

“I think our street course car has been in a really good window, felt really solid today, and happy about where we're at and coming into the weekend. I think we can really put something good together if we stay on it,” Josef Newgarden replied (via Speedway Digest).

Josef Newgarden - INDYCAR Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg - Source: Getty

Power and Newgarden just missed out on the second session as they finished P7 and P8 in the Group 1 IndyCar qualifying session. The duo will start P13 and P15 respectively for the race.