INDIANAPOLIS — Felix Rosenqvist took advantage of favorable weather conditions in the late afternoon to reach the top of the Indianapolis 500 practice speed charts on Fast Friday.
Scott McLaughlin needed just seven laps in the middle of the afternoon to send his message on Indianapolis Motor Speedway’s iconic 2.5-mile oval: Team Penske intends to reclaim the pole position for “The Greatest Spectacle in Racing.”
Rosenqvist, who drives for Meyer Shank Racing, posted the fastest lap of the day at 233.372 mph, though it came with a tow, and the fastest four-lap average at 232.828 in the final practice before qualifying begins Saturday. It was McLaughlin, though, who waited through the two-hour rain delay and two more hours of inactivity before turning heads with the fastest no-tow lap of the week at 232.674 mph and the second fastest four-lap average at 232.572 mph.
It sets up a potentially dramatic qualifying weekend between the 32-year-old New Zealander who won the pole for the 2024 Indianapolis 500 and Rosenqvist, the 34-year-old Swede who has started fourth twice in the iconic race but never on the front row.
“It was better than going upside down — that was the last time I was here on this boost level,” McLaughlin said after finishing his day with three hours of practice time still left. “I think we got a really good test point for the team, and we’ll go back, scratch our heads a little bit more. But it’s just going to get harder as the weekend goes on.”
The only other driver with a faster lap than McLaughlin on Friday was Ed Carpenter Racing’s Alexander Rossi at 232.93 mph. Rossi and McLaughlin both changed engines earlier this week because of mechanical problems.
Penske’s cars were so dialed in that McLaughlin and his teammates — two-time Indy 500 winner Josef Newgarden and David Malukas, last year’s runner-up to Chip Ganassi Racing’s Alex Palou — logged the fewest laps of any team after IndyCar officials gave each driver an additional boost of about 100 horsepower.
Still, most of the 33 drivers attempting to make the traditional starting grid for the May 24 race recognize things could change quickly Saturday.
Rain is in the forecast for the first four scheduled hours of qualifying. If it stays dry for the final three hours, the weather conditions could be quite similar to what they had Friday. Then it’s expected to heat up substantially Sunday, causing even more changes.
“It’s going to get hotter, a bit of rain coming in as well, so we’ve just got to make every run count,” McLaughlin said, who got a boost by drawing the No. 6 spot in the qualifying line — ahead of Rosenqvist at No. 11, Rossi at No. 20 and points leader Palou at No. 31. “I felt like that was my best run of the weekend, so really happy to do that at that (increased) boost level.”
New strategies to comply with the revised qualifying format could also be a factor.
Race organizers have eliminated the last-row shootout because there are only enough driver-car combinations to fill the traditional 33-car starting grid, meaning none will be bumped.
Instead, there’s a new wrinkle in pole qualifying. The fastest 15 cars will advance to Sunday’s round, with the top nine locked into the 12-car pole shootout and the other six vying for the final three spots. The six fastest cars in the second round will compete to determine the pole winner.
“Our goal is to be solidified in the top nine, to be honest. I think that’s probably everyone’s goal,” said Andretti Global driver Kyle Kirkwood, who is second in the season points standings with 210 and 27 behind Palou, who is chasing his fourth straight series title and fifth in six years.
“You know, in the past couple of years, we’ve had chances to be at the front,” Kirkwood added, “and it just kind of hasn’t materialized when Saturday comes along, but I think this year feels a little bit different.”
Kirkwood struggled to stay with the Fast Friday leads, but Palou, who has won three of this season’s first six races, had the second fastest no-tow lap at 232.532 mph. Palou’s Indy 500 victory last year was also the first oval win of his career, and the 29-year-old Spaniard has no illusions about all the challenges that this track and this race bring even before the green flag drops on Memorial Day weekend.
“Qualifying sims on yesterday’s boost, I don’t want to say it’s easy, but you feel like there’s a ton of grip, like the car is not on the limit,” Palou said. “Today or this weekend, it’s going to feel like the car doesn’t like it, it’s not as happy, you start sliding, need to work more with your tools. You cannot go aggressive with the amount of trim you are doing.”
And it will set up a memorable qualifying weekend for one lucky driver.
“I’ve kind of gone through every emotion possible in the last two weeks,” Rosenqvist said, reflecting on the recent birth of his first child. “It’s cool, it’s kind of hard to explain, and it becomes like the No. 1 coolest thing you’ve ever done. But I feel like as a driver, it kind of makes you a bit calmer, a bit more confident or a little less worried about things. You just kind of go out and drive.”