PALOU TAKES THIRD CONSECUTIVE POLE IN DETROIT
Alex Palou continued his strong season by taking pole position for the Detroit Grand Prix. It was his third pole in a row this season and the 16th pole of his IndyCar career.
Palou was the only driver to reach the 1:01s on the 1.7-mile street circuit. His lap of 1:01.901 put him at the front of the grid and gave him one more point in the championship.
After qualifying, Palou said he felt very good with the lap and believed there was not much more time to find. He also said the most important day would be the race.
Will Power qualified second with a 1:02.124, making it a strong front row. Scott McLaughlin took third after a solid run, even though he said his car felt loose.
Scott Dixon looked fast early in his final lap, but oversteer cost him time and he finished fourth. Christian Lundgaard qualified fifth, while Kyle Kirkwood ended up sixth after a messy lap hurt his pole chances.
Further back, Marcus Armstrong qualified eighth, Christian Rasmussen took ninth, and Louis Foster finished 11th. Nolan Siegel continued his good form by qualifying 13th.
Felix Rosenqvist, the recent Indianapolis 500 winner, was disappointed with 16th place. Josef Newgarden, still dealing with a foot injury, pushed through the pain and qualified 21st.
The session also had two big crashes. Mick Schumacher hit the wall and qualified 23rd. David Malukas crashed hard later and ended up 25th. Both drivers were unhurt, but Malukas will need a fresh car for the race.
In the first qualifying group, Schumacher’s crash brought out a red flag with two and a half minutes left. When the session restarted, most drivers did not have enough time to warm their tires properly.
Armstrong, Pato O’Ward, Dixon, Lundgaard, Foster and Marcus Ericsson moved into the next round. Siegel, Dennis Hauger, Kyffin Simpson, Caio Collet, Newgarden and Schumacher were knocked out.
In the second group, Malukas was on a fast lap and looked ready to move forward, but he crashed before completing it. Kirkwood, Palou, McLaughlin, Power, Graham Rahal and Rasmussen advanced.
The next round decided the six drivers who would fight for pole. McLaughlin, Power, Kirkwood, Palou, Lundgaard and Dixon moved on to the final shootout.
In the final run, McLaughlin set the early mark before Power went faster. Kirkwood then had a rough lap with several slides, which cost him a chance at pole.
Palou went next and delivered the winning lap. His 1:01.901 was clean and fast enough to beat everyone.
Lundgaard and Dixon could not match him, leaving Palou on pole once again. Three straight poles, another championship point, and the best starting spot made it another strong Saturday for the championship leader.
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