Indy 500 – Fast Friday: After the rain, Rosenqvist at the top of the standings

As every year, Fast Friday is the first opportunity for drivers and teams to acclimate to the higher turbo pressure, reserved for the Indy 500 qualifying weekend. There's no question of running in packs this Friday, but rather of making their car as fast as possible on its own, as qualifying sees drivers take to the track one by one. In this game of strategy, Felix Rosenqvist (Meyer Shank Racing) proved the fastest, but Scott McLaughlin (Team Penske) was particularly impressive.

Third on the timesheets, the New Zealander achieved his performance without any drafting, unlike the first two, Rosenqvist and Alexander. Rossi (ECR). A pole-sitter in 2024, McLaughlin should once again be in contention this year, after having to start twelfth in 2025 following a crash during practice on the morning of Pole Day. Already fast earlier in the week in race pace, last year's winner, Álex Palou (Chip Ganassi Racing), set the second-fastest time without a tow, ahead of Rinus VeeKay (Juncos Hollinger Racing).

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The other strong performer from the start of the week, Conor Daly (Dreyer & Reinbold Racing), set the 13th fastest time in the session, but is seventh without a tow.IndyCar A lap is considered to be without a tow when it is completed without a car within seven seconds of the driver. The Andretti Global drivers benefited most from tows on Friday, which was reflected in the tow-free lap times. Fifth at the end of the day, Marcus Ericsson only managed the 22nd fastest time without a tow, Will Power was 28th, and Kyle Kirkwood 31st. Dan Towriss's team might have reason to be pleased, considering there are only 33 cars entered this year…

For Romain Grosjean (Dale Coyne Racing), the day proved less impressive in terms of results than the start of the week, which saw him regularly in the top 10. The Frenchman posted the thirtieth fastest time, behind his teammate Dennis Hauger, while on the slipstream list, he sits 24th. However, a good number of teams were likely focused on race pace, as no one risks being eliminated from the Indy 500 during this weekend's qualifying session, which begins this Saturday at 17 p.m. Paris time.

IndyCar 2026 – Indianapolis 500
The "Fast Friday" rankings

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