After this morning’s practice session the Indy 500 Fast 12 was reduced to the Fast 11, as Scott McLaughlin crashed heavily. This rendered him unable to participate. In the Fast 12 starting positions 7 to 12 are set, with the fastest 6 slugging it out for pole later on.
No Penske in Fast 12
First one to hit the track was yesterday’s number 12, Christian Lundgaard. The Dane had a very consistent run, resulting in a four-lap average of 231.360 mph.
Next up was former winner Marcus Ericsson, but already after the first two laps it became clear he wouldn’t be able to match Lundgaard’s time. Eventually he would reach a 231.014 mph average.
The following car on track is Takuma Sato, another former winner, and not Will Power who was tenth after yesterday’s session. Apparently both remaining Penske’s have failed the inspection, which means he and Josef Newgarden are out of the Indy 500 Fast 12. Sato has a very consistent run and goes to the top with 231.686 mph.
Felix Rosenqvist is next. The Meyer Shank Racing driver will have to do it for the team, as team mate Marcus Armstrong is set for a Last Chance Qualifying appearance. The Swede is the first to make the 232 mph in his first lap, and with great consistency he manages a 232.523 mph average that puts him on top.
David Malukas’ run denotes the halfway point of this session, which is reduced to the Fast 9 with all three Penskes out. The A.J. Foyt Enterprises driver puts a 231.599 mph average on the scoreboard, which puts him in provisional third. With only four drivers left that means Rosenqvist and Sato are certain of progressing to the Fast 6.
Shwartzman continues surprising run
Perhaps yesterday’s biggest surprise, Robert Shwartzman, is next. The rookie has the least consistent run thus far. This means that despite a 233 mph opening lap, he “only” manages a 232.008 mph average. It is good enough to progress to the Fast 6, a huge achievement for the new Prema team.
Five-time polesitter Scott Dixon is next, and a 231.971 mph average puts him in third, and pushes Ericsson out of Fast 6 contention.
Pato O’Ward is the second-to-last runner. The McLaren driver aims at his first Indy 500 pole, and despite a scrappy run his 232.186 mph average is enough to go through.
Championship leader Álex Palou rounds up the Fast 12 session. A 231.800 puts him in the Fast 6, meaning Malukas, Lundgaard and Ericsson are eliminated, together with the Penske drivers.
Indy 500 Fast 12 results
- Felix Rosenqvist
- Pato O’Ward
- Robert Shwartzman (R)
- Scott Dixon
- Álex Palou
- Takuma Sato
- David Malukas
- Christian Lundgaard
- Marcus Ericsson
- Scott McLaughlin (No time)
- Josef Newgarden (DSQ)
- Will Power (DSQ)
Fast 6
The battle for pole for the Indy 500 starts with Takuma Sato kicking off the Fast 6 qualifying. His run ends up in an average of 232.478 mph, setting the bar for the remaining five drivers.
Former pole sitter Álex Palou is next. It started off as a consistent run, but a big lift in the last lap resulted in 231.378 mph on average, putting him behind Sato.
Palou’s team mate Scott Dixon manages to slot in between Palou and Sato with 232.052 mph.
The fairytale of Shwartzman continues with a 232.790 mph average. This puts him on provisional pole, and thus on the first row for next weekend’s race.
And while the Israeli driver receives the applause from his crew, Pato O’Ward is starting his attempt. However, after the first two laps it seems his speed will not be sufficient to threaten Shwartzman. The run ends in a 232.098 mph average, putting him in provisional third.
The last run of the day is for Felix Rosenqvist. The one-time race winner was untouchable in the Fast 12, but in this session he only manages 231.987 mph on average. This means rookie Robert Shwartzman and the new Prema team complete their fairytale qualifying story! Rosenqvist eventually ends up in fifth, just ahead of Palou.
Indy 500 Fast 6 results
- Robert Shwartzman
- Takuma Sato
- Pato O’Ward
- Scott Dixon
- Felix Rosenqvist
- Álex Palou
