Qualifying for round 5 of the 2026 IndyCar season has been completed at Long Beach. Andretti headed into it as favourites with Will Power fastest in Practice 1, and Kyle Kirkwood in Practice 2.
IndyCar Long Beach qualifying groups
Round 1, Group 1
Aside from Foster and Schumacher, everyone kicked off the session on blacks in IndyCar qualifying at Long Beach.
Christian Lundgaard logged a 1:09.375 to set the first competitive lap time in the session, before teammate Pato O’Ward did a 1:09.319 seconds later.
A 1:08.487 from the Dane saw him reclaim P1 before everyone fitted the reds. VeeKay, Rosenqvist, O’Ward, Malukas and McLaughlin completed the top 6 as 0.12s covered them.
Ericsson, Foster, Schumacher, Armstrong, Hauger and Grosjean needed to improve.
Team Penske’s David Malukas smashed in a 1:07.693 on the softs to go fastest with a minute left. However, it was MSR’s Felix Rosenqvist who ended up P1 as a tremendous 1:07.469 put him almost 0.2s clear of O’Ward. The #12 was P3 as Lundgaard, McLaughlin and VeeKay also booked their place in the next round.
Marcus Armstrong was only 7th, 0.3s slower than his session leading teammate; he was 0.03s away from the Dutchman in P6. Andretti’s Marcus Ericsson also had a disappointing Round 1 to be P8. Foster, Hauger, Schumacher and Grosjean were also knocked out.
Round 1, Group 2
The two ECRs, AJ Foyts, Robb and Simpson all started on reds as the main pole contenders went for the blacks.
A 1:08.797 from Alex Palou was the first competitive time in Group 2. He then clocked a 1:08.246 to go half a second faster.
Before everyone switched to reds, Kyffin Simpson smashed in a 1:07.908 to lead the way from fellow soft runners Rasmussen and Rossi. Palou and Power were P4 and P5 on the primary compound. Collet rounded out the top 6 as 0.3s covered them.
Kirkwood, Ferrucci, Newgarden, Robb, Dixon, Siegel and Rahal needed to improve.
After Palou clocked a 1:07.546 to go top, teammate Scott Dixon put in a tremendous 1:07.523 to end up fastest in Group 2. Power and Kirkwood were also in the 1:07.5s as they completed the top 4. Simpson and Rahal also did terrific laps to make their way through.
Newgarden missed out by less than two hundredths in P7. Rasmussen, Rossi, Collet, Ferrucci, Robb and Siegel also dropped out here.
Round 2
Palou, Kirkwood, McLaughlin, O’Ward, Power and Simpson started on used blacks, with Dixon, Rosenqvist, Lundgaard, Malukas, VeeKay and Rahal on used reds.
Rosenqvist led the way after run 1, logging a 1:07.732, half a tenth clear of Malukas. Lundgaard was the only other driver below 68s. Dixon, VeeKay and Rahal rounded out the top 6 before everyone switched to new reds. Half a second covered them.
Kirkwood, McLaughlin, Palou, O’Ward, Power and Simpson needed to improve.
The defending champion was the first to make a huge gain as he pumped in a 1:07.256 to put half a second into the field at that point. Nonetheless, he would be beaten. A brilliant 1:07.244 from David Malukas saw the Penske driver end up fastest.
Rosenqvist, Kirkwood, O’Ward and Dixon also advanced to the Fast 6. A late, late and great lap from the New Zealander saw him pip his old rival Will Power to take the final spot.
The Aussie, McLaughlin, Simpson, Rahal, Lundgaard and VeeKay will fill positions 7-12 tomorrow.
Fast 6
Single-car qualifying will be used on street circuits for the rest of 2026. Unsurprisingly, David Malukas went first after what happened in Arlington with Marcus Ericsson going first and taking pole. This time around, the driver who was fastest got to choose when to go, and so on from the top 6 in Round 2.
Palou, Rosenqvist, Kirkwood, Dixon and O’Ward was how the rest of the list looked in order after their picks.
A 1:07.650 from David Malukas kicked things off in the Fast 6. On the exit of turn 6, he had a small slide, with a perfect wall graze at turn 8 also.
Title contender Alex Palou did a brilliant lap for 99% of it, until he locked the left front in the last corner. Despite getting wide, he did a 1:07.528 to beat the #12.
Down throughout the lap, an excellent last corner from Felix Rosenqvist saw the Swede log a 1:07.463 to knock the #10 from 1st.
Championship leader Kyle Kirkwood did a 1:07.619 to go 3rd. A slide out of turn 4, under the limit at turn 8 and a slightly messy turn 10 ultimately cost him dearly.
Six-time champion Scott Dixon slotted into P5 on his run, posting a 1:07.856.
Despite a brilliant effort, a 1:07.507 from Pato O’Ward saw him fall less than half a tenth from pole. His good friend Felix Rosenqvist ultimately held on as he took his second pole with the team, two years on from the first at the same venue.
