Pilots gathered on the private club track to participate in the qualifying for Sunday’s races. After two days of open test sessions, the IndyCar field took to the Thermal Club track to determine their starting positions.
The pilots were divided into two groups through a random draw, resulting in a significant difference in the outcome of their qualifying laps. The first group consisted of pilots with a combined total of 142 wins, while the second group had only 31 wins among them.
Despite the different levels of experience, each pilot aimed to set the fastest time in an eight-minute session, using the Push to Pass feature and a new set of tires to secure a favorable starting position.
In the first qualifying session, Felix Rosenqvist stood out, surpassing the other 13 pilots who were pushing the limits of the track. He completed a lap in 1 minute and 38.5831 in his Meyer Shank Racing Honda, slightly slower than the fastest times recorded during the previous test sessions.
Scott McLaughlin and Rinus VeeKay secured the second and third positions in the group, respectively, thus earning front-row starting positions for their Sunday races.
In the second qualifying round, Alex Palou achieved the fastest time of 1 minute and 38.5675. Despite not using all of his Push to Pass allocation, he took advantage of a moment of reduced wind to surpass the rest of the field.
His teammate, Marcus Armstrong, secured the second fastest time, while Graham Rahal and Linus Lundqvist earned positions on the second row of their qualifying races.
During the qualifying session of group two, Marcus Ericsson spun out after hitting a bump on the track during his fast lap. His Andretti Global team’s Honda collided with the tire barriers, resulting in the most significant impact of the entire weekend.
Ericsson’s team will face a substantial amount of work overnight to repair the damage, and Ericsson himself will have the difficult task of making up ground from the back of the pack in the second qualifying race.
With the starting orders now established, the drivers will prepare for the upcoming races, where they will compete directly against their opponents on Sunday. The first qualifying race will feature the drivers from group one, while the second qualifying race will involve the drivers from group two. The top six finishers from each qualifying race will advance to the final round.
The final round will consist of 20 laps, and the driver who crosses the finish line first will receive a generous prize of $500,000.
