Alex Palou dominated the timesheets in Indy 500 qualifying Day 1 ahead of Scott McLaughlin and Josef Newgarden as Colton Herta suffered a nightmare crash at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
Saturday’s opening day of qualifying for the 2025 Indianapolis 500 delivered a dramatic, high-stakes spectacle marked by fierce competition, unpredictable weather conditions and standout performances that set the tone for one of the most anticipated races in motorsport.
At the heart of the action was reigning three-time IndyCar Series champion Alex Palou who asserted his dominance by topping the Indy 500 qualifying Day 1 timesheets with a blistering four-lap average speed of 233.043 mph in his No. 10 DHL Chip Ganassi Racing Honda.
This performance not only underscored Palou’s formidable form this season-having already secured four wins in the first five races-but also positioned him as the favorite to claim his second career Indy 500 pole, a feat that would further cement his status as the series’ benchmark driver.
Palou’s qualifying run was a masterclass in precision and composure. Taking to the track as the 23rd competitor in the order he delivered his four-lap qualifying attempt just after 1 p.m. two hours into a session that had already seen fluctuating conditions.
Air temperatures hovered around 70 degrees Fahrenheit while track temperatures reached 100 degrees-both notably cooler than those experienced during Fast Friday practice.
However, it was the wind that became the day’s chief adversary with gusts reaching over 30 mph and shifting directions, adding an extra layer of complexity for every driver on the 2.5-mile oval.
Colton Herta crashes early
It wasn’t long before the tricky conditions caught out Colton Herta who crashed violently in Turn 1 around 12:05 p.m. His car flipped on its side and came to rest with the cockpit facing the concrete wall.
Despite the severity of the crash, Herta was uninjured and showed remarkable resilience by returning to the track later in a completely rebuilt backup car powered only by the original engine. His recovery effort allowed him to qualify 29th, significantly impacting his starting position.
Despite these challenges, Palou’s car remained stable and his average speed was enough to hold off a late charge from Team Penske’s Scott McLaughlin who narrowly missed out on the top spot by just 0.030 mph.
McLaughlin’s performance was equally impressive as he piloted his No. 3 Penske entry to a four-lap average of 233.013 mph demonstrating the strength and consistency of the Penske operation.
His teammate, two-time Indianapolis 500 winner Josef Newgarden, slotted into third with a 233.004 mph average, just 0.039 mph shy of Palou’s benchmark. The razor-thin margins at the front highlighted the intensity of competition and set up a tantalizing prospect for Sunday’s Fast 12 session, where the pole position would be decided among the quickest twelve drivers.
Pato O’Ward delivered a strong showing to secure fourth place for Arrow McLaren with a 232.820 mph average. His Chip Ganassi Racing teammate Scott Dixon rounded out the top five with a 232.659 mph run, continuing his tradition of excellence at the Brickyard.
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Robert Shwartzman stuns the grid with a flyer for Prema
Perhaps the biggest surprise of the day came from Robert Shwartzman driving for Prema Racing. The rookie’s sixth-place effort clocking in at 232.584 mph stunned the paddock and fans alike.
Prema, a new entrant to the IndyCar grid, had shown flashes of speed in practice but few expected them to challenge the established powerhouses so convincingly in qualifying.
Shwartzman’s achievement was the result of a well-executed strategy and a car setup that seemed to unlock performance others could not find, earning him widespread praise and marking him as a rising star in the series.
Further down the order, David Malukas (AJ Foyt Racing) impressed with a seventh-place finish outpacing Felix Rosenqvist (Meyer Shank Racing) who took eighth, leveraging his team’s technical partnership with Ganassi to deliver a strong qualifying run.
Takuma Sato, a two-time Indy 500 winner, overcame a pre-event crash to secure ninth place for Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing, a testament to both his skill and the team’s rapid repair work.
Rounding out the Fast 12 were Will Power (Team Penske) in tenth, Marcus Ericsson (Andretti Global) in eleventh and Christian Lundgaard (Arrow McLaren) in twelfth.
Ericsson’s run was particularly noteworthy given that he had been forced into last chance qualifying a year prior while Lundgaard achieved his best-ever starting position for the Indy 500, having previously never started higher than 28th.
The drama in Indy 500 qualifying Day 1 was not limited to the fight for pole. The battle to secure a place in the race was equally intense, with positions 13 through 30 locking in their grid spots for the 109th running of the Indianapolis 500.
Conor Daly, a local favorite, made a last-ditch attempt late in the session to break into the Fast 12, driving his No. 76 Juncos Hollinger Racing Chevrolet. Daly was on pace after three laps but lost crucial speed on his final circuit, ultimately missing out by a mere 0.0564 seconds and settling for 13th place.
