It’s qualifying time in Detroit, and the grid is stacked on the streets of the Motor City. Andretti closed out the second practice with a 1-2, led by Kyle Kirkwood, but other teams weren’t far behind. And it’s a stacked field in Detroit.
Who will come out on top for Sunday’s race at the Detroit GP?
IndyCar Detroit GP qualifying groups
Group 1: O’Ward, Lundgaard, Foster, Dixon, Newgarden, Collet, Ericsson, Siegel, Schumacher, Armstrong, Simpson, Hauger
Group 2: Palou, Rosenqvist, Malukas, Rahal, Kirkwood, Grosjean, Rossi, Ferrucci, McLaughlin, Rasmussen, VeeKay, Robb, Power
Round 1, Group 1
Everyone in Group 1 hits the track on the black-walled tyres for qualifying at the Detroit GP, except Schumacher and Siegel, who opted for the red-walled tyres.
The first driver to set a competitive time in the session was Christian Lundgaard, who clocked a 1:07.11. Quickly after, Scott Dixon logged a 1:06.15.
The best driver around the Motor City streets, Scott Dixon, trimmed his time and clocked a 1:03.53. He was pipped from P1 by Kiwi Marcus Armstrong, who went 0.13 seconds faster with a 1:03.39.
Ericsson, Simpson, Newgarden, Lundgaard, Foster, and Collet need to improve.
Mick Schumacher quickly put in a time good enough to advance. However, shortly after, Nolan Siegel takes P1 with a 1:02.76. Arrow McLaren teammate Pato O’Ward rockets past, with a rapid 1:0.26. He goes half a second faster then his teammate.
The No.47 of Schumacher finds himself against the walls of the Detroit GP circuit, as he clips the inside wall. The red flag falls with two and a half minutes left for Group 1.
Collet, Armstrong, Newgarden, Hauger, and Simpson need to improve with Schumacher out. O’Ward is the only driver still on black-walled hard tyres, while the rest of the grid has swapped to red-walled softs.
It’s a mad dash for the transfer to the top 12 as green-flag running resumes with 2.5 minutes left on the clock. The time needed to transfer is sub-1:03, with the top 6 in the session separated by 8-tenths.
Armstrong, O’Ward, Dixon, Lundgaard, Foster, and Ericsson transfer, with the Kiwi finding half a second in his final lap, clocking a 1:0.23. Siegel, Hauger, Simpson, Collet, an injured Newgarden, and Schumacher are out. It’s a disappointing session for the No.2 Penske and No.47 RLL.
Round 1, Group 2
The grid for Group 2 hits the track all on the black-walled hard tyres, except for the No.77 of Sting Ray Robb who goes out on soft reds.
Series champion Alex Palou puts in the first lap for Group 2, logging a 1:05.74. He’s followed quickly after by Indy500 winner Rosenqvist, who clocks a 1:06.21.
Palou quickly drops a much faster 1:03.35, knocking almost 3 seconds off his initial time. He’s the only driver with a 1:03 time with 7 minutes left.
The drivers begin to pit and swap to soft tyres, rapidly setting much faster times. Additionally, Rasmussen, Kirkwood, Rossi, and VeeKay remain on the harder black tyres.
Palou sits 5-tenths ahead of the field, having logged a 1:02.23 with Rasmussen behind on a 1:02.72. Times continue to tumble. As a result, David Malukas slots in behind Paou with a rapid 1:02.38. Power, McLaughlin, Ferrucci, VeeKay, Robb, Rahal, and Grosjean need to improve.
In spite of the field all being on softer, quicker tyres, Alex Palou holds a firm hand on P1 with an absolutely stunning 1:01.58.
Rossi, Roesenqvist, VeeKay, Grosjean, Ferrucci, Malukas, and Robb are out as David Malukas clobbers the inside wall of Turn 6 and then smacks the outside one at Turn 7, bringing out a late red flag. Kirkwood, Palou, McLaughlin, Power, Rahal, and Rasmussen advance, with Kirkwood finding a tenth over Palou taking P1 at the flag.
Top 12
Alex Palou gets straight on it for the top 12 session, clocking a 1:04.72 and getting heat into the tyres. Lundgaard slots into P2, almost a second behind the Spaniard with a 1:03.57.
It’s a quick CGR 1-2, with Dixon logging a 1:03.14. However, Pato O’Ward quickly knocks Palou from P1 with a flying 1:02.21. Furthermore, the Mexican driver continues to build his confidence, knocking more time off his lap with a 1:01.98.
O’Ward, Plaou, Rasmussen, Dixon, Kirkwood, and Armstrong are set to advance with 4.5 minutes left in the session. The entire field now hits the track on the red-walled tyres, trying to make an advance to the Firstone Fast 6.
The drivers shave tenths off their times, as Palou regains P1 setting a rapid 1:01.64. However, it’s short-lived as Scott McLaughlin and Power trade P1, with Power coming out on top at 1:01.38. 30 seoncds remain as drivers take theri last laps.
The Firestone Fast 6 will run with McLaughlin, Power, Kirkwood, Palou, Lundgaard, and Dixon.
Firestone Fast 6
Finally, the Firestone Fast 6 will be run with the new one-driver, one-lap setup that was decided for street circuits earlier this season. Consequently, this gives the driver more space to find time on track but gives them only one chance.
Scott McLaughlin will head out first, followed by Power, Kirkwood, Palou, Lundgaard, and Dixon. All drivers will use their most recent set of soft red-walled tyres, keeping the tyres as warm as possible.
McLaughlin heads out for his one-lap chance at pole, setting the marker for the other 5 drivers in the fast 6. He has a huge slide heading onto the longest straight of the Detroit track, losing time out of Turn 2. He clocks a 1:02.45, setting the pace for the other drivers.
Power takes his turn on track, looking to take his first pole since Gateway last year. A little slide through Turn 8, but the No.27 stays out of the wall. He logs a 1:02.12, 3-tenths ahead of McLaughlin for a tentative P1.
Defending race winner Kirkwood heads out for his one-lap run. He goes wide through the Turn 3 hairpin, losing heat in his tyres. A massive lockup had put his lap in peril at turn 1 already. After an issue-speckled lap, the No.27 Andretti slots into 3rd behind Power and McLaughlin on a 1:03.03.
Alex Palou is looking for his third consecutive pole position as he heads onto the streets of Detroit. In spite of multiple slides, Palou sits 2-tenths ahead of Power with a 1:01.90, now in P1.
Arrow McLaren’s Christian Lundgaard heads out for his lap, with cooler tyres but more track knowledge. He goes wide in the hairpin of Turn 3, and slots into 4th ahead of Kyle Kirkwood, with a slower but very tidy 1:02.78.
Scott Dixon heads out as the driver with the most wins on the Detroit race tracks. He is unable to deny his teammate Pole as he sits in 4th with a 1:02.60, following small but consequntial mistakes.
Alex Palou makes personal history on the streets of Detroit with 3 pole positions in a row in the series.
