The weekend’s IndyCar qualifying session at The Thermal Club was no walk in the park, with all 27 drivers battling against the lack of grip their soft Firestone tires were offering. Despite the challenging conditions, it was Pato O’Ward who eventually stole the show, delivering the fastest lap time when it mattered the most.
O’Ward, with an impressive display of skill, broke under the 100-second barrier, completing a circuit of the 3.067-mile course in just 1:39.9567. This achievement was even more notable due to the Mexican driver’s previous performance in St. Petersburg, where he qualified a mediocre 23rd.
Joining O’Ward on the starting grid for Sunday’s race was Christian Lundgaard, his teammate from Arrow McLaren. This marked the first instance of the team securing both front row positions in IndyCar. Lundgaard, who had been a strong contender throughout the weekend, fell short by 0.168 seconds in the final Firestone Fast 6 round.
Alex Palou, despite being suspected of blocking O’Ward in the second round, was able to progress to the final round. However, he couldn’t quite get his used Firestone tires to perform as well as his counterparts, securing the third starting position. Representing Andretti Global in the final round were Colton Herta and Marcus Ericsson, who earned the fourth and fifth grid positions respectively.
Alexander Rossi managed to make it to the final round, albeit with a single run. Although this strategy did not pay off as expected, he was able to secure a sixth position start for his ECR crew. Louis Foster, the only rookie to make it past the first round, secured the 10th grid position for his Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing Honda.
However, it wasn’t all smooth sailing. A disappointing performance was seen from Team Penske, with all three drivers starting near the rear of the field. Despite their exceptional skills, Josef Newgarden, Will Power, and Scott McLaughlin were eliminated in the first round, securing 17th, 21st, and 25th positions respectively. The television footage clearly showed the team’s cars struggling with the track surface, indicating a mismatch between the softer alternate tire compound and the driver’s setup philosophy.
Robert Shwartzman, who had been plagued with issues over the weekend, was relegated to the rear of the starting grid. His first, and only four flying laps of the weekend during qualifying were over 1.5 seconds slower than every other driver. Shwartzman will start the race in 27th position for his PREMA Racing #83 entry, hoping to stay out of trouble and complete the laps.
His teammate Callum Ilott, who has more experience, will start from the 22nd position, aiming to make up positions during the race. The 65-lap race is set to kick off at noon local time, 3:00 PM eastern. This fascinating mix of triumphs and tribulations sets the stage for an exciting race.