Felix Rosenqvist has advanced to the final day of qualifying for the 109th running of the Indianapolis 500, remaining in contention for pole position in “The Greatest Spectacle in Racing”.
Rosenqvist produced a four-lap average of 232.449 mph (374,1 km/h) around Indianapolis Motor Speedway on the opening day of qualifying on Saturday, good enough for eighth place among the 34 entries.
It means the Swede moves on to Sunday’s Top 12 shootout for the fourth consecutive year at INDYCAR’s blue-riband event.
Rosenqvist’s Saturday attempt included the fastest two opening laps of the entire field, before a moment in Turn 2 on lap three caused the Meyer Shank Racing driver to shed speed and compromise the four-lap average.
Rosenqvist also topped the morning practice session with the fastest single lap seen so far this month at 234.176 mph.
On a day of challenging conditions and gusty, treacherous winds, Rosenqvist is the sole Meyer Shank Racing driver to progress on to Sunday’s Top 12 segment, where the front four rows for next weekend’s race will be disputed.
”It was a long day, but it went pretty good for us and I’m happy to advance into the Top 12,” says Felix Rosenqvist. “It was a tough day for the team and extra nerve-racking with the tricky conditions, but we made a good job and got through. I think the car is quite a bit quicker than P8 – my run wasn’t that great – so I’m pretty excited to get back out tomorrow and do another attempt.”
Sunday’s decisive qualifying showdown will feature a two-stage format, starting with the Top 12 knockout round and culminating in the Fast 6 pole position shootout.
Top 12 qualifying begins at 4:05 pm ET.
RESULTS
NTT INDYCAR SERIES | Rd. 6
109th Indianapolis 500 – Qualifying Day 1
Indianapolis Motor Speedway (USA)
1: Alex Palou (ESP), Ganassi, 233.043 mph
2: Scott McLaughlin (NZL), Penske, 233.013 mph
3: Josef Newgarden (USA), Penske, 233.004 mph
4: Pato O’Ward (MEX), Arrow McLaren, 232.820 mph
5: Scott Dixon (NZL), Ganassi, 232.659 mph
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8: Felix Rosenqvist (SWE), Meyer Shank Racing, 232.449 mph