Alex Palou delivered a blistering lap time of 1m09.748s to claim pole position for Sunday’s IndyCar Sonsio Grand Prix at the Indianapolis road course.
The remarkable achievement marks Palou’s third consecutive pole at this prestigious event, underscoring his unparalleled mastery of the 14-turn, 2.439-mile circuit that serves as the traditional opener to the Month of May at IMS.
Arrow McLaren’s Pato O’Ward, who had languished in 15th and 19th during practices, orchestrated a stunning turnaround to nab second, 0.5475 seconds off Palou, while Meyer Shank Racing’s Felix Rosenqvist locked in third overall, 0.7061s adrift.
Christian Lundgaard slotted the sister No. 7 Arrow McLaren Chevy into fourth, while Team Penske’s David Malukas continued his breakout campaign with a fifth-place.
Further back, Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing’s Louis Foster marked his best qualifying result in sixth, just ahead of teammate Graham Rahal in seventh. Scott Dixon, Kyle Kirkwood and Josef Newgarden wrapped up the top ten.
2026 IndyCar Indianapolis road course Qualifying Results
| Pos | Car | Driver | Time | Gap | Speed (MPH) | Round |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 10 | Alex Palou | 01:09.7487 | — | 125.886 | Fast Six |
| 2 | 5 | Pato O’Ward | 01:10.2962 | 0.5475 | 124.906 | Fast Six |
| 3 | 60 | Felix Rosenqvist | 01:10.4548 | 0.7061 | 124.625 | Fast Six |
| 4 | 7 | Christian Lundgaard | 01:10.4751 | 0.7264 | 124.589 | Fast Six |
| 5 | 12 | David Malukas | 01:10.5660 | 0.8173 | 124.428 | Fast Six |
| 6 | 45 | Louis Foster | 01:10.9404 | 1.1917 | 123.772 | Fast Six |
| 7 | 15 | Graham Rahal | 01:10.4042 | 0.6236 | 124.714 | Top 12 |
| 8 | 9 | Scott Dixon | 01:10.4142 | 0.6336 | 124.696 | Top 12 |
| 9 | 27 | Kyle Kirkwood | 01:10.4189 | 0.6383 | 124.688 | Top 12 |
| 10 | 2 | Josef Newgarden | 01:10.4938 | 0.7132 | 124.556 | Top 12 |
| 11 | 18 | Romain Grosjean | 01:10.4981 | 0.7175 | 124.548 | Top 12 |
| 12 | 4 | Caio Collet | 01:10.6299 | 0.8493 | 124.316 | Top 12 |
| 13 | 20 | Alexander Rossi | 01:10.7736 | 0.5558 | 124.063 | First Round |
| 14 | 28 | Marcus Ericsson | 01:10.3765 | 0.4640 | 124.763 | First Round |
| 15 | 14 | Santino Ferrucci | 01:10.8113 | 0.5935 | 123.997 | First Round |
| 16 | 6 | Nolan Siegel | 01:10.4288 | 0.5163 | 124.671 | First Round |
| 17 | 3 | Scott McLaughlin | 01:10.8281 | 0.6103 | 123.968 | First Round |
| 18 | 47 | Mick Schumacher | 01:10.4487 | 0.5362 | 124.635 | First Round |
| 19 | 21 | Christian Rasmussen | 01:10.8877 | 0.6699 | 123.864 | First Round |
| 20 | 66 | Marcus Armstrong | 01:10.4742 | 0.5617 | 124.590 | First Round |
| 21 | 76 | Rinus VeeKay | 01:11.0611 | 0.8433 | 123.561 | First Round |
| 22 | 8 | Kyffin Simpson | 01:10.4751 | 0.5626 | 124.589 | First Round |
| 23 | 77 | Sting Ray Robb | 01:11.2029 | 0.9851 | 123.315 | First Round |
| 24 | 19 | Dennis Hauger | 01:10.5163 | 0.6038 | 124.516 | First Round |
| 25 | 26 | Will Power | 01:10.5701 | 0.6576 | 124.421 | First Round |
