Pato O’Ward Surprises with Pole Position at The Thermal Club

Not favorite Alex Palou, but rather Pato O’Ward, will start the The Thermal Club IndyCar Grand Prix from pole position. The Mexican driver surprised in the Firestone Fast 6 with an impressive lap on used tires, while teammate Christian Lundgaard completed the front row for McLaren. Palou was the fastest in the first two segments of qualifying but ultimately had to settle for P3.

As usual, the first segment of qualifying was split into two groups. Notably, the first group was significantly stronger, featuring drivers such as Alex Palou, Scott Dixon, Kyle Kirkwood, both Meyer Shank Racing drivers, and all three Penske drivers. However, a major surprise followed: all three Penske drivers made mistakes during their single run on the softer, alternate tires and failed to qualify for the Fast 12! Alex Palou clocked the fastest time in the first group, ahead of Felix Rosenqvist and Scott Dixon.

In the second qualifying group, another unique situation unfolded: Robert Shwartzman completed his first full laps of the race weekend. The Prema Racing driver suffered a fire during the first lap of the opening practice session, forcing his team to assemble the backup car. As a result, Shwartzman also missed the second practice session. To make matters worse, the 25-year-old driver was caught speeding in the pit lane, earning him a drive-through penalty. In the end, he qualified 27th.

Christian Lundgaard surprisingly set the fastest time in the second group, ahead of Colton Herta and Pato O’Ward. The biggest surprise was found in fifth place: Louis Foster qualified for the Fast 12 session in just his second IndyCar race.

The second segment also went to Palou, though he was nearly eliminated. Earlier in the session, he impeded another car but did not receive a penalty. McLaren drivers Pato O’Ward and Christian Lundgaard posted the second and third fastest times, while Alexander Rossi secured fifth place, giving Ed Carpenter Racing its first Firestone Fast 6 appearance since Laguna Seca in 2023.

For the Firestone Fast 6, no driver had a fresh set of the softer, alternate tires left, making it a battle of who could be the fastest on used tires. O’Ward ultimately performed best, being the only driver to dip below the 1:40 mark. Palou only managed the third-fastest time and attempted another lap to improve, but he was unable to go faster and eventually abandoned the attempt, securing McLaren a front-row lockout.

Full results of the 1st qualifying session on The Termal Club