A dire week off-track for Penske took a turn for the better as two of their drivers claimed the front row of the grid for the Grand Prix of Alabama.
Scott McLaughlin, who fell to 29th and last in the championship after his retroactive disqualification from the season-opener, snatched pole position by a tenth of a second. But team mate Will Power was left to rue an error on his final lap which could have kept him ahead of McLaughlin.
The third Penske of Josef Newgarden, who was disqualified along with McLaughlin, failed to make the cut for the Fast Six and will start from eighth on the grid.
Christian Lundgaard looked like a strong bet for pole position after consistently setting the pace in the Fast 12 round. He fell shy of the Penske duo by a tenth of a second and will share the second row of the grid with McLaren’s Pato O’Ward. Felix Rosenqvist took fifth ahead of Marcus Armstrong, the sole Ganassi driver to reach the final round after all five of their cars were drawn together in the first phase.
Alex Palou set a rapid pace in that opening session but surprisingly went no further than the fast 12. Nether did last year’s pole-winner Romain Grosjean, who was quickest on the primary tyre compound but couldn’t make a big enough step forward on the softer alternates. Graham Rahal was frustrated to by the last driver eliminated at this stage, as he had enough fuel for another lap but his team neglected to tell him.
Scott Dixon, who was elevated to the championship lead by the double Penske disqualification, didn’t make it beyond the first round, missing the cut by a tenth of a second. Colton Herta also fell in the first group stage.
O’Ward was the only McLaren driver to continue beyond the opening round. Theo Pourchaire will start his second IndyCar race from 24th on the grid, three places behind newcomer Luci Ghiotto, who only drove his car for the first time yesterday.
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