Felix Rosenqvist delivered an impressive performance to set the fastest time in the opening qualifying segment for the Indy 500. The Meyer Shank Racing driver was the only competitor to break the 232 mph barrier over a four-lap run. David Malukas posted the second-fastest average, ahead of Conor Daly in third. Defending champion Alex Palou only narrowly advanced to the Top 12 Qualifying session.

The format for the opening qualifying segment was significantly altered following Saturday’s rain delays. All drivers were limited to a single qualifying attempt, with the qualifying order determined during Friday’s draw remaining unchanged. This favored the drivers running earlier in the session, as they benefited from cooler and therefore faster track conditions.

Scott Dixon was the first driver to make a qualifying attempt, posting what appeared to be a fairly conservative four-lap average of 231.411 mph. Running fifth in the order, VeeKay went nearly two-tenths of a mile per hour quicker. Notably, the Dutchman used and recharged his hybrid system during the run, while several others chose not to recharge mid-run.

VeeKay did not remain on top for long, as Scott McLaughlin immediately claimed the fastest time in the very next run, edging ahead by just 0.032 mph. McLaughlin’s pace also appeared to confirm that the track was slower than it had been a year ago, when the top sixteen drivers in the opening qualifying segment all recorded faster averages than McLaughlin’s run.

As one driver after another failed to challenge McLaughlin’s benchmark, the question became whether anyone would be able to break the 232 mph barrier. The answer came from Rosenqvist, who produced a sensational four-lap average of 232.599 mph, nearly a full mile per hour faster than the rest of the field.

Malukas and Daly later moved between Rosenqvist and McLaughlin in the standings. One of the final drivers to make an attempt was defending Indy 500 winner Palou, but his lap speeds were far from impressive. In the end, he narrowly advanced to the Top 12 Qualifying session in eleventh place.

Once again, the session ran without any major incidents. There were, however, several notable surprises. While Penske teammates Malukas and McLaughlin comfortably advanced into the Top 12, Josef Newgarden could do no better than 24th. Drivers such as Takuma Sato (13th), Christian Rasmussen (16th) and Marcus Armstrong (17th) were also expected to contend for the Top 12 but failed to advance.

At 4:32PM ET, qualifying will continue with the Top 12 Qualifying session, in which the twelve fastest drivers from the opening segment will each make another qualifying attempt to secure a place in the Firestone Fast Six — the final battle for the prestigious pole position. Drivers who finished between 13th and 33rd in the opening segment will start next week’s race from those positions.

Full results of the qualifying session at Indianapolis