After a tight battle for pole position at the IndyCar Thermal GP Qualifying, Pato O’Ward and Christian Lundgaard will start at the front row, after qualifying 1-2. Alex Palou will start in third.
Following the second practice session, Christian Lundgaard dominated, bouncing back from previous issues to top the timesheets with a lap in the 1:40s. The McLaren driver outpaced reigning champion Alex Palou by half a second, while Prema’s troubles continued with Robert Shwartzman unable to set a time despite overnight repairs.
Group 1
The initial 13 drivers commenced Qualifying by immediately engaging with the circuit, as Team Penske competitor Scott McLaughlin experienced a spin during his banker lap and incurred a penalty for inducing a yellow flag.
Concurrently, his colleague Josef Newgarden swiftly ascended to the leading position on the time sheets, ahead of the only novice driver participating in Group 1, Dale Coyne Racing’s Jacob Abel.
Utilising the softer tyre compound, David Malukas established the weekend’s quickest lap thus far with his time of 1:40.330. With five minutes remaining in the first segment of Qualifying, he was followed by Conor Daly, Palou, Will Power, Scott Dixon and Marcus Armstrong.
Power emerged as the sole Team Penske driver (with all three qualifying in Group 1 this weekend) positioned within the top six set to progress, whilst Newgarden hovered in seventh position and McLaughlin remained firmly at the bottom of the rankings following his unfortunate early spin.
As the drivers completed their final circuit lap for this session, it was unsurprisingly Palou who recorded the fastest lap with a time of 1:39.593, securing his position in the top twelve.
Meyer Shank Racing’s Felix Rosenqvist advanced to second place, where Scott Dixon separated him from his teammate Armstrong. Malukas and Kyle Kirkwood completed the top six drivers advancing to the subsequent round.
Group 1 Results
- Palou
- Rosenqvist
- Dixon
- Armstrong
- Malukas
- Kirkwood
Group 2
The second qualifying group featuring the remaining 14 competitors commenced their battle for advancement. Initially, A.J. Foyt Racing’s Santino Ferucci briefly dominated the timing screens before newcomer Louis Foster from Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing claimed superiority.
By the session’s midpoint, Mexican talent Pato O’Ward had established himself atop the leaderboard, whilst his Arrow McLaren colleague Nolan Siegal occupied third position behind Foster. Christian Lundgaard, completing the Arrow McLaren triumvirate, struggled in eighth and faced mounting pressure to deliver improvement before the chequered flag.
Andretti harboured ambitions of complete team progression after Kirkwood’s earlier success in Group 1. As the crucial final minutes approached, Colton Herta and Marcus Ericsson maintained fourth and fifth places respectively, both anxious to continue their teammate’s winning momentum into the Fast 12.
A determined Ericsson subsequently outpaced Herta, claiming fourth position and temporarily relegating his teammate beyond qualifying contention as rival drivers enhanced their performances. In a dramatic late surge, Herta clocked an impressive 1:40.062 to briefly command the session before Lundgaard snatched supremacy with a marginally quicker effort, just exceeding a tenth of a second advantage.
The session concluded with O’Ward securing third, ahead of former teammate and current Ed Carpenter Racing representative Alexander Rossi. Impressive debutant Foster finished fifth as the sole rookie qualifier for the Fast 12, whilst Ericsson’s sixth-place finish ensured Andretti achieved their objective of complete team advancement.
Ferrucci headed the list of disappointed non-qualifiers, alongside Siegel who became the unfortunate Arrow McLaren outcast. The remaining eliminations comprised Graham Rahal, Kyffin Simpson, Callum Ilott, Sting Ray Robb, Devlin Defrancesco and luckless newcomer Robert Shwartzman.
Continuing his challenging introduction to the series, Shwartzman’s misfortunes were compounded by a pit lane speeding infringement that critically undermined his qualifying aspirations.
Group 2 Results
- Lundgaard
- Herta
- O’Ward
- Rossi
- Foster
- Ericsson
Fast 12
The Fast 12 commenced with an additional ten minutes on the clock, allowing the top six drivers from the preceding sessions to vie for pole position on the circuit.
Lundgaard seized an early advantage whilst Foster continued his impressive debut performance, occupying second position ahead of Malukas. At the session’s midpoint, these three competitors led Ericsson, Palou and Kirkwood as the provisional top six contenders.
The first challenge for defending champion Palou emerged when officials placed him under investigation for allegedly impeding O’Ward. Undeterred by this potential sanction, Palou proceeded to record another blistering lap time that propelled him to the summit of the timing screens. Amidst a wave of rapid circuits, Rossi, Armstrong and Rosenqvist all registered notable improvements.
In a determined final effort, O’Ward surged to second position behind Palou, with Lundgaard completing the top three. Ericsson, Rossi and Herta followed in fourth, fifth, and sixth respectively, ensuring two Andretti and two Arrow McLaren representatives advanced to the ultimate battle for pole position.
Armstrong headed the list of eliminated drivers in seventh, followed by Kirkwood, Rosenqvist, Foster, Dixon and Malukas. The initial results remained unchanged as officials determined no further action was warranted regarding Palou’s incident with O’Ward.
Fast 12 Results
- Palou
- O’Ward
- Lundgaard
- Ericsson
- Rossi
- Herta
Fast 6
Herta delivered the initial benchmark with a 1:40.842, establishing himself ahead of Lundgaard and Ericsson. O’Ward positioned himself fourth in the hierarchy, leaving Palou and Rossi as the final competitors yet to complete their flying laps.
With the session’s conclusion rapidly approaching, Palou executed a lap that placed him fifth, whilst Rossi continued to bide his time. O’Ward subsequently surpassed Herta to claim provisional pole position, with all other competitors maintaining their established positions.
Palou’s second attempt elevated him to second place, inserting himself between O’Ward and Herta, before hastening to prepare for a final pole position assault.
Herta failed to enhance his performance, ultimately slipping to fourth as Lundgaard secured second position behind his teammate. Ericsson and Rossi concluded their final attempts in fifth and sixth respectively, whilst Palou’s ultimate effort yielded no improvement.
The session concluded with Arrow McLaren securing a commanding 1-2 finish through O’Ward and Lundgaard. The typically dominant Palou must settle for third position for tomorrow’s Grand Prix, followed by Herta, Ericsson and Rossi completing the first three rows of the starting grid.
IndyCar Thermal Club GP Qualifying Results
- O’Ward
- Lundgaard
- Palou
- Herta
- Ericsson
- Rossi
- Armstrong
- Kirkwood
- Rosenqvist
- Foster
- Dixon
- Malukas
- VeeKay
- Daly
- Ferrucci
- Newgarden
- Siegel
- Rahal
- Rasmussen
- Power
- Abel
- Simpson
- Ilott
- Robb
- DeFrancesco
- McLaughlin
- Shwartzman
