After two practice sessions to learn the track, it was time for the IndyCar grid to do the first qualifying session in Arlington. With a new final format facing them, drivers were aiming to take the inaugural NTT P1 Pole Position at the new track. Once again, the Honda engine shone on the Texan streets, with five cars in the Firestone Fast Six. But it was Marcus Ericsson for Andretti Global who took the accolade.
McLaughlin Red Flags The Group Session
The group sessions started qualifying, and for the first 12 to hit the track, most chose the hard tyre to set a banker lap time on. The ECR’s of Alexander Rossi and Christian Rasmussen went for an alternate strategy, however, going out on the soft tyres immediately. This strategy worked for the pair, and both advanced to the Fast 12 session.
Rossi was the first to set a banker lap time, a 1:34.939. However, Álex Palou wasn’t far behind him, and on the harder compound, took P1 with a 1:34.653. Eventually, the drivers all swapped to the soft tyres and were trying to make it to the next stage. Palou went quickest with a 1:33.739. He advanced to the Fast 12 with Felix Rosenqvist, Rossi, Josef Newgarden, Rasmussen, and Marcus Ericsson.
Similar to Group 1, the drivers in Group 2 chose to run the hard tyres first. Throughout the session, Kyle Kirkwood stayed P1 with a 1:33.947, which he set on the harder compound. Before drivers could set a representative lap, the red flag came out with two minutes to spare. Scott McLaughlin had hit the barrier coming out of Turn 8. Whilst he was up in P3, this incident saw him lose his fastest lap time, relegating him to P13. He’ll start P25 for the race.
The field went green again, and instead of a time limit, drivers were given one final lap. Kirkwood remained at the top, and he advanced alongside David Malukas, Santino Ferrucci, Marcus Armstrong, Will Power, and Marcus Ericsson.
Honda Dominated The Fast 12
Next up came the Fast 12. The strategy for this session was more split between the drivers, with an even distribution of the two tyre compounds. The Andretti Global duo of Kirkwood and Ericsson were initially trading the top spot between them. Just after changing his tyres, Kirkwood brushed the wall, and whilst the car was okay, he was unable to improve on his time. This saw the leader of Practice 2 not advance.
After early speed this weekend, the Team Penske drivers, Malukas and Newgarden, seemed unable to find the perfect spot for their tyres. Unable to get them up to temperature, both were out. The Honda-powered cars were taking charge of the session, and Palou was leading the way. With a time of 1:33.404, he was untouchable.
The sole Chevrolet driver to advance was Arrow McLaren’s Pato O’Ward. His best time was a 1:33.574, putting him just behind Palou. Both Meyer Shank Racing drivers were able to reach the 1:33s and advanced, as did Will Power. With Kirkwood down in sixth place, his teammate Ericsson went four hundredths quicker and took the final spot in the Firestone Fast Six.
A Maiden Pole for Marcus Ericsson
The Firestone Fast Six saw a brand new format in Arlington. The six drivers, in reverse order, each got the track to themselves. A single-lap attempt would be their only chance to secure the inaugural Arlington pole position for tomorrow’s race.
Ericsson was first to go out. Despite starting his lap wide at Turn 1, his attempt was clean and controlled. A 1:34.356 saw him take provisional pole position. No one else who followed could match the Swedish driver, with Armstrong, Power, and Rosenqvist all posting laps in the 1:35s. O’Ward got close, but a weaker Sector 1 saw him five tenths down.
It came down to Palou to try to take the accolade away. After having done the second-best lap time of the weekend, Palou was giving everything he could. Ultimately, he lost out in the final sector, and Ericsson achieved his maiden pole position.
This is not only Ericsson’s first pole in IndyCar, but his first since he raced in GP2 in 2013. He will lead the grid to green for the first time, and will hope to convert it into his first win since 2023.
“I waited long enough, I can tell you that. To finally get the pole, it means a ton”, Ericsson shared with Georgia Henneberry after the achievement. He went on to explain that there was “a lot of pressure in this format, but I love it”.
A Last Minute Change
As qualifying ended, IndyCar announced a change to tomorrow’s race. Due to the heavy wind predicted in the afternoon, they have brought forward the race. It will now begin an hour earlier, at 4.30 pm CET.
Ericsson is on pole for the first time, but he has Palou right next to him. Will it be a battle between Andretti Global and Chip Ganassi Racing, or can another driver join the mix, too? With plenty of moves seen throughout the sessions so far, Arlington is promising an exciting race. Who will take the first win?