Marco Andretti kicked to LCQ, Alex Palou quickest in Indy 500 Saturday qualifying

Persevering with the theme of the 2025 season, Alex Palou was the quickest man on Saturday, hitting 233.043mph for a median over the course of 4 laps. He would be the final driver on observe tomorrow when the highest 12 qualifiers attempt to make their manner into the Quick 6.

Becoming a member of Palou might be Scott McLaughlin, Josef Newgarden, Pato O’Ward, Scott Dixon, Robert Schwartzman, David Malukas, Felix Rosenqvist, Takuma Sato, Will Energy, Marcus Ericsson, and Christian Lundgaard.

Nonetheless, the largest story is on the different finish of the grid. Avoiding one other Bump Day expertise, Graham Rahal narrowly escaped being a part of the last-chance qualifier by simply 0.004mph. The driving force on the opposite facet of that was Marco Andretti, who ran out of time in his efforts to exit once more on the very finish.

Andretti might be joined within the last-chance-qualifier by Marcus Armstrong, Jacob Abel, and Rinus VeeKay.

“Two of the fellows that ran there on the very finish — Rinus and Marco — are two of the fellows I respect probably the most round right here,” mentioned Rahal. “These are guys who’ve been exceptionally quick and very proficient at this place. And so, you by no means know. I believe we improved our automobile. A tip of a cap to the No. 15 group as a result of at the present time did not begin off nicely. You guys knew that. The final couple days have been robust. However we discovered loads and we improved loads as at the present time went on.

“Had we gotten one other shot at it, I believe, actually, we might have gone sooner. However the actuality of the state of affairs is that our guys saved their cool right this moment, their heads down. Actually pleased with everyone. That beer is gonna style good tonight. I used to be simply praying that one way or the other this might occur. Thanks a lot to the group for making it occur.”

Graham Rahal, Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing

Picture by: Penske Leisure

Qualifying rundown

Ericsson was the primary driver on observe, reaching 232.132mph over the course of a four-lap run, but it surely was  O’Ward who set the early benchmark at 232.820mph.

There have been a number of nervous race automobiles as they battled excessive winds, however most had been capable of hold onto it — the key phrase being most. Colton Herta was not as lucky. The Andretti International driver spun out in Flip 1 on his first flying lap, going fully the other way up in a daunting wreck. Fortunately, he was okay, however the group was pressured to convey out the backup automobile. Impressively, this was not the final time we noticed him on observe right this moment. 

Whereas Rahal was respiration a sigh of reduction on the finish of the day, that was not the case after his first run. He radioed to the group: “I simply received no grip. The grip is completely nothing. I am struggling like hell. The automobile is far and wide.”

Felix Rosenqvist went sooner than anybody on each Lap 1 and Lap 2, however he was pressured to elevate fairly a bit on the third lap. If he had been capable of preserve, he would have simply been the quickest man at IMS.

O’Ward remained on high till the twenty fifth driver within the qualifying order pulled out on observe — championship chief Palou. He rocketed to the highest with the primary 233mph run and remained there for the remainder of the day.

Conor Daly, who put down a strong lap of 231.596mph, truly had his first run disallowed after failing post-qualifying inspection.

Each Helio Castroneves and Josef Newgarden moved out of line, opting out of their first run. After everybody had the chance to exit, Jacob Abel, Graham Rahal, and Rinus VeeKay had been the slowest automobiles that had truly put down instances. Rahal later dragged himself simply above the hazard zone, but it surely wasn’t a lot of a buffer.

Alexander Rossi was the primary driver to make a second run, making an attempt to punch up into the highest 12 however to no avail. After Energy pulled out of line, the observe sat empty for a bit of bit as there was a lull within the motion. As issues picked again up, a type of who made an enormous enchancment was Kyle Larson, who jumped from twenty seventh to sixteenth, reaching 231.326mph. 

The ultimate hour

Conor Daly, Juncos Hollinger Racing

Picture by: Penske Leisure

The session moved into the ultimate hour with temperatures dropping and drivers rising extra determined. Ed Carpenter got here inside just a few inches of the wall as he pushed his automobile up into the highest 15, provisionally.

However the driver on observe after him was fairly the comeback story: inside 5 hours of flipping the other way up, Herta returned to the observe in his backup automobile.

Herta received dangerously near the wall throughout his late run, however he managed a 230.192mph run, placing himself twenty ninth, simply inside the sector. He bumped his teammate Marco Andretti out, and apparently did your entire run with out with the ability to use the burden jacker to assist the automobile’s stability.

Because the clock ticked right down to underneath an hour, Christian Lundgaard was the ultimate driver inside the highest 12 as Rahal was now on the bubble in thirtieth.

One other spectacular comeback concerned Marcus Armstrong, who needed to endure concussion protocols after a large crash in Saturday morning observe. He was cleared and after modifying a street course automobile from the Indy GP, Armstrong made his first qualifying run with simply 45 minutes left within the day. Sadly, the run was referred to as off because the pace merely was not there.

Rossi remained the primary driver outdoors the highest 12 and the one hope Ed Carpenter Racing had in making the highest 12, however he failed to enhance on his earlier time. In the meantime, Sato and Malukas had been capable of make slight enhancements, additional strengthening their place inside the highest 12.

Ferrucci had his run referred to as off after a large elevate on his second lap by means of Flip 2, however fortunately, he saved the automobile out of the wall.

Andretti misses out and Daly goes for it

Making an attempt to pull himself out of the drop zone, Andretti got here again out, however simply missed out by solely 0.004mph. VeeKay and Armstrong each had their runs referred to as off as Andretti’s group scrambled to have one other go. 

Sadly for them, they by no means received the prospect as Daly beat them out onto the observe. Daly was trying to struggle his manner into the highest 12 for Juncos Hollinger Racing, bettering from twenty first to thirteenth and simply lacking out on development.

“I actually needed to get that Quick 12,” mentioned Daly. “I investigated holding sixth gear by means of Flip 1 and a couple of and it labored for these center two laps. However, did not get the burden jacker again in time for Flip 1 on the final lap. Actually, the group deserves to be within the Quick 12, however I made the error of simply making an attempt to push it an excessive amount of and never getting the burden jacker again in time. Simply received a bit of bit tight in Flip 1 and a couple of.”

For these following Larson’s try and lastly full the Indy 500/Coke 600 ‘Double,’ he certified 21ST and can begin from the surface of Row 7 for the 109th working of the Indianapolis 500.

On Sunday, Quick 12 qualifying will start at 4pm EST, adopted by the LCQ at 5:15pm EST, and the Quick 6 shootout for the pole at 6:25pm EST.

Photographs from Indianapolis 500 – Qualifying 1