Drivers gathered at the private club track to participate in qualifying for Sunday’s heat races. After two days of open test sessions, the IndyCar field took to the Thermal Club track to determine their starting positions.
The drivers were divided into two groups through a random draw, resulting in a significant difference in the outcome of their qualifying runs. The first group consisted of drivers with a combined total of 142 wins, while the second group had only 31 wins among them.
Despite the varying levels of experience, each driver aimed to set the fastest time in an eight-minute session, utilizing the Push to Pass feature and a fresh set of tires to secure a favorable starting position.
In the first qualifying session, Felix Rosenqvist emerged as the frontrunner, surpassing the other 13 drivers who were pushing the limits on the track. He completed a lap in 1 minute 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 second and third place in the group, respectively, earning them starting positions at the front of their heat race on Sunday.
In the second qualifying round, Alex Palou achieved the fastest time of 1 minute 38.5675. Despite not utilizing his full allocation of Push to Pass, he capitalized on a moment of reduced wind to outperform 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 heat race.
During group two’s qualifying session, Marcus Ericsson spun out after encountering a bump on the track during his fast lap attempt. His Andretti Global Honda collided with the tire barriers, resulting in the most significant impact of the entire weekend.
Ericsson’s crew will face a substantial amount of work overnight to repair the damage, and Ericsson himself will have a challenging task of making up ground from the back of the field in the second heat race.
With the starting orders now established, the drivers will prepare for the upcoming races where they will directly compete against their opponents on Sunday. The first heat race will feature the drivers from group one, while the second heat race will involve the drivers from group two. The top six finishers from each heat 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 be awarded a generous prize of $500,000.