Qualifying from Laguna Seca was a difficult affair, as nearly the entire field struggled to get a handle on the softer red walled tires in the hotter-than-expected conditions.
The one driver that mastered the conditions best was Alex Palou, with the Spaniard setting a quick time of 1:07.1465. He reported that the heat did not affect his setup too much, even if he did have to adjust to the changing grip levels.
Kyle Kirkwood and Felix Rosenqvist locked in the second and third starting spots, making up part of the Honda-powered contingent that filled five of the top six starting positions.
READ MORE: IndyCar Laguna Seca – Full Qualifying Report
Two Team Penske drivers had a worse day than they were expecting, with both Josef Newgarden and Will Power failing to advance out of the first round.
Sunday’s race will start with a bit of a mixed up grid, which should prove interesting as drivers attempt to find places to pass on a track where there are few. Green flags wave at 3:30 PM eastern time.
| # | Driver | Time | Gap | Avg. Speed (MPH) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Alex Palou | 01:07.1465 | – | 119.988 |
| 2 | Kyle Kirkwood | 01:07.2204 | 0.0739 | 119.856 |
| 3 | Felix Rosenqvist | 01:07.2917 | 0.1452 | 119.729 |
| 4 | Colton Herta | 01:07.2972 | 0.1507 | 119.720 |
| 5 | Alexander Rossi | 01:07.3594 | 0.2129 | 119.609 |
| 6 | Christian Lundgaard | 01:07.5112 | 0.3647 | 119.340 |
| 7 | Scott McLaughlin | 01:07.3994 | – | 119.538 |
| 8 | Romain Grosjean | 01:07.4286 | – | 119.486 |
| 9 | Pato O’Ward | 01:07.4900 | – | 119.378 |
| 10 | Scott Dixon | 01:07.5874 | – | 119.206 |
| 11 | Marcus Armstrong | 01:07.6143 | – | 119.158 |
| 12 | David Malukas | 01:07.8422 | – | 118.758 |
| 13 | Agustin Canapino | 01:07.8976 | – | 118.661 |
| 14 | Josef Newgarden | 01:07.7246 | – | 118.964 |
| 15 | Will Power | 01:08.0178 | – | 118.451 |
| 16 | Linus Lundqvist | 01:07.8056 | – | 118.822 |
| 17 | Santino Ferrucci | 01:08.0344 | – | 118.422 |
| 18 | Marcus Ericsson | 01:07.9233 | – | 118.616 |
| 19 | Graham Rahal | 01:08.0922 | – | 118.322 |
| 20 | Rinus VeeKay | 01:07.9897 | – | 118.500 |
| 21 | Christian Rasmussen | 01:08.3711 | – | 117.839 |
| 22 | Kyffin Simpson | 01:08.1571 | – | 118.209 |
| 23 | Nolan Siegel | 01:08.6785 | – | 117.312 |
| 24 | Pietro Fittipaldi | 01:08.1824 | – | 118.165 |
| 25 | Sting Ray Robb | 01:09.1304 | – | 116.545 |
| 26 | Jack Harvey | 01:08.4730 | – | 117.664 |
| 27 | Luca Ghiotto | 01:08.5078 | – | 117.604 |
