Palou edges out McLaughlin to claim first pole of 2025

Alex Palou’s dominance this season shows no signs of slowing down. After two victories and a second-place finish, the Chip Ganassi Racing driver has now secured pole position for the Alabama Indy Grand Prix at Barber Motorsports Park. Palou was in the Firestone Fast 6 over a tenth of a second quicker than Scott McLaughlin, while Colton Herta and Will Power will share the second row.

Following heavy overnight rain from Friday into Saturday in Birmingham, Alabama and a rain-affected second practice session, qualifying was held in dry conditions. Although the track had dried, the grass and curbs remained potentially slippery and treacherous.

A few mistakes were made in the first qualifying segment. Christian Rasmussen spun and came sideways on the track, while Will Power also spun exiting the Charlotte’s Web hairpin. Power had already been handed a drive-through penalty for speeding in the pit lane and narrowly managed to advance to the Fast 12.

The same couldn’t be said for Scott Dixon, who spun off during his flying lap and will start the race from second-to-last. It was also a tough session for Andretti Global, with two of its three drivers failing to progress beyond the first segment. Kyle Kirkwood will start 18th, while Marcus Ericsson — Friday’s fastest man — was stuck in 23rd, three-tenths slower than the day before.

Alex Palou topped Group 1 in qualifying, while Colton Herta set the fastest time in Group 2. The second group featured some surprising names advancing to the Fast 12, including Kyffin Simpson, Rinus VeeKay and Louis Foster.

Will Power bounced back strongly from his early troubles and set the fastest time in the second segment. Palou, Herta, and Scott McLaughlin followed in positions two through four, while VeeKay impressed by driving his Dale Coyne Racing car into the Fast 6. Nolan Siegel also turned heads by being the only McLaren driver to qualify for the final pole shootout.

In the Firestone Fast 6, the battle for pole turned into a four-car fight rather than six. VeeKay and Siegel had no fresh sets of the softer, alternative Firestone tires left and had to run on used rubber. Palou delivered a blistering timed lap that no one else could match, allowing the Spaniard to further enhance his impressive season by claiming his first pole position of the year.

Full results of the 1st qualifying session on Barber Motorsports Park