IndyCar Laguna Seca: Rosenqvist takes pole by 0.01s in closing McLaren race

The speedy Swede, who’s becoming a member of Meyer Shank Racing in 2024, drove “a gorilla lap” flyer of 1m06.6416s lap on the 11-turn, 2.238-mile pure terrain street course.

Quick Six qualifying

The tense showdown proper on the finish of the Quick Six session edged out Staff Penske’s Scott McLaughlin by a slim 0.0097s.

Rosenqvist’s displaying was 4.9s sooner than Will Energy’s pole from final yr on the repaved observe.

Chip Ganassi Racing’s Scott Dixon was the one one to exit on a set of the more durable major tires, which took a number of laps to construct up. With simply over two minutes to go within the session, the 43-year-old New Zealander delivered a 1m07.0171s lap to go quickest.

It was short-lived, although, as he was knocked off by Staff Penske’s Josef Newgarden, who hit a 1m06.7937s lap on the softer alternate compounds.

Christian Lundgaard flexed the muscle of his #45 Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing Honda all through the whole thing of qualifying, together with his Quick Six best-lap coming in at 1m06.7478s to say a third-place beginning spot.

Newgarden dropped to fourth when the mud settled, forward of Dixon.

Chip Ganassi Racing’s Alex Palou, who captured his second IndyCar championship in three seasons final week in Portland, certified sixth.

High 12 qualifying

Palou set the primary aggressive benchmark lap at 1m07.4701s at three minutes into the session. Lundgaard rose to first a minute later with a 1m07.2786s lap.

With 4 minutes remaining, Lundgaard led Newgarden, Palou, Pato O’Ward (Arrow McLaren), McLaughlin and Romain Grosjean (Andretti Autosport) within the switch spots.

Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing rookie Juri Vips, in solely his second IndyCar weekend, was on a flyer and up by practically 0.5s midway via the lap with lower than two minutes remaining and vaulted to the highest with a 1m06.8300s. It wouldn’t final lengthy as Palou jumped to the highest, however was dethroned by Lundgaard’s 1m06.4610s efficiency on a set of alternates.

McLaughlin sealed second, forward of Palou. Rosenqvist ended the session fourth to advance, forward of Dixon and Newgarden.

Vips’ quickest lap was sufficient to be the quickest driver to not switch via. Though the Estonian was seventh, he’ll drop six beginning spots for the race resulting from an unapproved engine change. Ed Carpenter Racing’s Rinus VeeKay, Staff Penske’s Energy, and Grosjean additionally didn’t advance.

AJ Foyt Racing’s Santino Ferrucci was eleventh within the group, however a grid penalty for an unapproved engine change forward of qualifying will see him drop six beginning spots for tomorrow’s race. O’Ward closed out in twelfth after spinning out throughout his late try.

Group stage qualifying

In Group 1, Dixon – on a set of major tires – put up the primary aggressive lap at 1m07.6931s to go prime of the group with six minutes remaining, changing into the primary driver to formally break the qualifying file of 1m07.722s held by Helio Castroneves from 2000.

Rosenqvist ended up bumping Dixon down together with his run of 1m07.6509s. Vips, in solely his second IndyCar weekend, vaulted to first with a lap at 1m07.1305s on a set of the alternates.

Mere seconds later, a pink flag got here out with a minute-and-a-half remaining after Ed Carpenter Racing’s Ryan Hunter-Reay, who misplaced the backend popping out of Flip 11, spinning round and stalling on the frontstretch.

Upon resumption with the restricted time, each driver was allowed one flying lap try. Dixon, switching to the softer alternates, went quickest with a 1m07.0002s lap, adopted by Grosjean after which Vips. Ferrucci, Rosenqvist and VeeKay accomplished the highest six to advance.

The primary driver outdoors wanting in was Juncos Hollinger Racing rookie Agustin Canapino, who will begin thirteenth after a run of 1m07.4009s. Two-time Monterey winner Colton Herta (Andretti Autosport), Alexander Rossi (Arrow McLaren) and Chip Ganassi Racing’s Marcus Ericsson additionally missed the minimize.

Rookies Tom Blomqvist (Meyer Shank Racing) and Benjamin Pedersen (AJ Foyt Racing) got here up quick, adopted by Hunter-Reay.

In Group 2, Energy began off the session with the engine cowl off with an engine management unit situation, which delayed his likelihood to exit on observe by one minute within the 10-minute contest.

Palou went prime of the charts with a 1m07.9442s run on a set of primaries proper earlier than the pink flag got here out with seven minutes, 23 seconds remaining after Helio Castroneves (Meyer Shank Racing) spun off in Flip 3.

After the session resumed, Palou’s crew swapped him to alternates as he waited within the pits. In the meantime, McLaughlin went quickest earlier than dropping to second after Lundgaard delivered a 1m07.1921s lap to go quickest on a set of alternates. Lundgaard went even sooner the next lap, hanging on to hit a brand new observe file of 1m06.8777s.

With lower than a minute to go, O’Ward knocked out a flyer at 1m06.8459s on alternates to reset the observe file.

The jockeying to make the highest six continued, with McLaughlin leaping to second, bumping Lundgaard to 3rd. Newgarden made a dramatic late push to go fourth, which knocked Graham Rahal out of a shot to advance. Palou and Energy ended up fifth and sixth the group.

Rahal was the perfect of the remaining, straight forward of Chip Ganassi Racing rookie Marcus Ericsson. Kyle Kirkwood (Andretti Autosport) wound up eighth.

Callum Ilott couldn’t replicate his magical qualifying bout from final yr at Laguna Seca, when he began second. The Briton’s Juncos Hollinger Racing Chevrolet got here throughout ninth quickest. David Malukas additionally missed the minimize, and he’ll make his closing begin for Dale Coyne Racing with HMD in twenty second earlier than shifting to Arrow McLaren subsequent yr.

Devlin DeFrancesco (Andretti Steinbrenner Autosport) was thirteenth within the group, forward of Castroneves, who will begin twenty seventh (final) in Sunday’s 95-lap race.

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