It was Alex Palou versus Alex Palou in qualifying for the Sonsio Grand Prix on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway highway course.
The four-time and reigning IndyCar Collection champion, who has received the final three consecutive years on the IMS highway course, dished out an electrifying run of 1m09.748s to take pole on the 2.439-mile, 14-turn highway course. It additionally marks his third straight pole within the occasion.
“It’s powerful to get the automotive in good home windows like these guys have been doing,” mentioned Palou, of his #10 Chip Ganassi Racing Honda crew members. “It’s a whole lot of work that everyone is placing behind at Chip Ganassi Racing. Very joyful to be in that #10 on the pole as soon as once more right here. It feels actually good. The automotive was wonderful. I feel not everybody was working on new alternates, so I do know we’re going to be in a small drawback on the race, however nonetheless, joyful that we’re beginning on the entrance row and see if we will win with the #10.”
Behind the Spaniard was Arrow McLaren’s Pato O’Ward, who certified a distant second by 0.5475s again. Meyer Shank Racing’s Felix Rosenqvist took third, 0.7061s off the highest mark.
Arrow McLaren’s Christian Lundgaard ended up fourth, forward of Workforce Penske’s David Malukas in fifth, and Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing’s Louis Foster in sixth.
Quick Six
Alex Palou, Chip Ganassi Racing
Photograph by: Geoff Miller / Lumen by way of Getty Photographs
Malukas and Foster have been the primary to exit and do a buildup lap earlier than diving again to pit lane.
The primary contested time on tempo got here courtesy of Rosenqvist with a 1m10.547s lap with slightly below a minute to go. Nevertheless, he was relegated after Palou nailed a 1m10.011s lap a second later.
Malukas wheeled a 1m10.566s lap on a set of used softer alternates, which slotted him fifth after O’Ward jumped as much as second with a 1m10.296s lap, with Lundgaard fourth at 1m10.566s.
Foster quietly delivered a 1m10.940s lap to take sixth, his greatest qualifying efficiency of the season.
Spherical of 12
Josef Newgarden, Workforce Penske, Jonathan Diuguid
Photograph by: Geoff Miller / Lumen by way of Getty Photographs
Palou dished out a 1m09.780s with lower than a minute to go within the session, which was sufficient to carry the highest switch spot. O’Ward put down a 1m10.053s lap to take second, immediately forward of teammate Lundgaard.
Rosenqvist took fourth, with Foster fifth and Malukas in sixth.
Graham Rahal (Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing) was the primary driver to overlook out on transferring within the Quick Six, doing so by a slender 0.0521s. Six-time IndyCar Collection champion Scott Dixon was eighth within the #9 Chip Ganassi Racing Honda.
Andretti International’s Kyle Kirkwood, who’s presently second within the general championship standings, got here throughout ninth. Josef Newgarden, a two-time Indianapolis 500 winner and two-time collection champion, was tenth within the #2 Workforce Penske Chevrolet. Dale Coyne Racing’s Romain Grosjean took eleventh, with AJ Foyt Racing rookie Caio Collet placing his greatest qualifying efficiency of the season in twelfth.
Teams
Will Energy, Andretti International
Photograph by: Gavin Baker / Lumen by way of Getty Photographs
Reside timing for the primary group was a thriller for the opening six minutes and alter, at the least publicly, however as soon as it confirmed up there was a frantic run to the end. Kirkwood dished out a 1m10.2179s flyer, adopted by Dixon, O’Ward, Rahal, Newgarden, and Collet.
ECR’s Alexander Rossi made a last-gasp effort, however ultimately fell 0.0011s in need of transferring.
“It’s annoying that it wasn’t three wonderful laps from my aspect,” Rossi mentioned. “I’ve been struggling lots getting the steadiness within the window to what we’d like. I feel we’ve made a whole lot of enhancements from yesterday. I simply didn’t put all of it collectively there, which is annoying.
“I don’t know that we had a automotive for pole, however I feel we might have simply been within the prime 12. It’s unlucky that’s not the case.”
The 2016 Indianapolis 500 winner was adopted by AJ Foyt Racing’s Santino Ferrucci and Workforce Penske’s Scott McLaughlin. Christian Rasmussen (ECR) wrapped up tenth within the group, forward of Juncos Hollinger Racing’s duo of Rinus VeeKay and Sting Ray Robb.
The second group was led by Arrow McLaren’s Nolan Siegel for almost all of the session, however he was bumped by Grosjean with a 1m10.299s with 1m to go. Nevertheless, the rotation on the prime continued and ended with Palou delivering a 1m09.912s flyer to tempo the group.
Malukas elevated to second, adopted by Rosenqvist, Foster, Grosjean, and Lundgaard. Andretti International’s Marcus Ericsson was the primary driver on the skin wanting in, lacking the minimize by 0.0498s.
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Siegel ended up eighth, adopted by Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing rookie Mick Schumacher in ninth. Meyer Shank Racing’s Marcus Armstrong was tenth, forward of Chip Ganassi Racing’s Kyffin Simpson and Dale Coyne Racing rookie Dennis Hauger.
Will Energy, a six-time pole winner across the IMS highway course, ended up final (thirteenth) among the many second group within the #26 Andretti International Honda.
1
10
4
125.886
2
5
3
0.5475
124.906
3
60
4
0.1586
124.625
4
7
3
0.0203
124.589
5
12
4
0.0909
124.428
6
L. Foster Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing
45
4
0.3744
123.772
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