Palou takes “phenomenal” pole position in Mid-Ohio qualifying

Alex Palou and Chip Ganassi Racing will begin on pole place for the Indy 200 Mid-Ohio race on Sunday July 6 after setting a lightning-fast lap of 1:05.021 to beat Christian Lundgaard in his Arrow McLaren to first.

Lundgaard, who will begin second, was over two-tenths slower than Palou however was the one driver who might get close to the present championship chief on tempo with third place Kyffin Simpson over seven tenths slower than his teammate.

Delighted with the end result, Palou stated: “Ever since I began with Chip Ganassi Racing, we have had nice vehicles however I’d say we have at all times struggled qualifying up entrance, so this 12 months it has been phenomenal.

“The velocity we now have within the vehicles, in each single race observe we present up, it has been wonderful.”

Palou shared that he believed he might have saved the final of the comfortable tires to “attempt to have a bonus tomorrow” however recognised that beginning on pole ought to “profit us extra.”

He stated: “We all know that there’s going to be some vehicles that save these tires so they are going to be an enormous menace for tomorrow. However, yeah, pleased with our automobile, blissful clearly with our beginning place and may’t wait.”

Whereas Simpson had nowhere close to the tempo to take pole, he walked away blissful from qualifying along with his profession finest qualifying place in IndyCar.

By no means earlier than qualifying within the Quick Six, Simpson confirmed that he would get this when he knocked out the one different race winner bar Palou in 2025, Kyle Kirkwood in his Andretti, in spherical two.

Setting a lap time within the last moments, Simpson pipped Kirkwood to take the ultimate spot in spherical two.

Following qualifying, Simpson shared: “It was unbelievable. It was a tricky qualifying and it was very shut, particularly in these first couple of segments.

“So simply barely slipping by means of in sixth place in each of them was slightly nerve-wracking after which being P3 in that session, I used to be very shocked about however very fortunately shocked.

Simpson is without doubt one of the drivers Palou talked about might be a menace tomorrow resulting from a saved set of purple tires. 

Requested on his ideas on this, Simpson shared that this provides him additional confidence going into tomorrow’s race.

He defined: “We are the highest ones beginning with an additional set of reds, so I feel that is fairly good for us. I feel we have lots of tempo. We felt good and now we will simply concentrate on the race and do our greatest there.”

Kirkwood was unable to share Simpson’s elation after the session and was visibly upset along with his end result.

He believed that he had been hindered by being behind one in all Ed Carpenter drivers which led to him being unable to place a ok lap time in.

Kirkwood will begin seventh and on row 4 for tomorrow’s race.

Kirkwood lamented: “One of many Carpenter vehicles was in entrance of us and we bought too near them. They had been simply backing up.

“I do not know what lap they had been on or what they had been doing however we had been in all probability simply outdoors of a second away, which I do not assume is technically impeding, however that is sufficient in a high-speed nook to value you a handful of lots of.”

“I misplaced in all probability a tenth and a half within the again sector, so actually upset about that, I am not gonna lie.”

“We had been on for like a two or a 3 and that may have simply transferred us and we might have had a shot on the pole as soon as once more however that simply ruined our session there.”

“We’re seventh, we bought an additional set of reds, so take the positives the place we will.”

Kirkwood was not the one driver to have a foul day within the workplace with the 2024 Mid-Ohio race winner Pato O’Ward unable to make it previous Q1 Group One and completed eighth inside the group.

O’Ward was joined by Penske driver Scott McLaughlin within the knockout zone in Group One who completed eleventh. Palou will begin tomorrow in fifteenth and McLaughlin twenty first.

In Group Two, Penske suffered one other loss when Will Energy was additionally knocked out early and located himself eleventh to safe himself to start out twenty second in tomorrow’s race behind McLaughlin.

Energy had earlier confronted and swore a number of occasions at Palou after observe two after he believed the Spaniard had blocked him a number of occasions through the session. 

He made feedback following the confrontation that Palou’s actions had been stopping him and group from “attempting to get an concept of what our automobile is doing”.

Alongside Energy, Felix Rosenqvist in his Ozzy Osbourne/Black Sabbath livery Meyer Shank automobile and David Malukas had been additionally knocked out in Group Two and can begin sixteenth and 14th respectively.

Alongside Simpson, Nolan Siegel additionally celebrated his best-ever qualifying place and can begin fourth for tomorrow’s race.

The second highest Arrow McLaren driver, Siegel was pleased with the end result however believed if he was given recent purple tyres, he might have challenged Lundgaard and even been the quickest McLaren.

He stated: “’I’m blissful. I feel we might have given Christian a run for the entrance row on new reds so that may have been enjoyable.

However [for] now [I’m] actually blissful to be beginning fourth, finest Indy automobile beginning place, and good to be within the Quick Six once more.

“We have had a tough few weekends and issues are actually turning round. The group’s doing a terrific job. Bought some new faces on the quantity six NTT Information Arrow McLaren Chevrolet. It is all working properly.”

Josef Newgarden joined his Penske brothers with a poor end result because the group continued to go from unhealthy to worse following the Indy 500. The previous world champion will begin 18th in tomorrow’s race.