Indy 500 – Q1: Palou fastest, Herta rolls but qualifies

500 Indy 2023 poleman Alex Palou (Chip Ganassi Racing) set the fastest time on the first day of qualifying and will now compete in Sunday's Fast 12.

Palou needed just one run to put his Dallara-Honda at the top of the order on this first day of qualifying for the Indy 500. The Catalan beat two Team Penske drivers, Scott McLaughlin (poleman in 2024) and Josef Newgarden, the two-time reigning winner of the event. While Pato O'Ward (Arrow McLaren) occupies fourth place after this first day, the pole is likely to be played out between the two mastodons of theIndyCar, Ganassi and Penske.

The biggest surprise of the day undoubtedly came from Prema Racing and its rookie Robert Shwartzman. The driver from Tel Aviv simply set the sixth fastest time this Saturday. While Prema had started its week of testing with difficulty, the car The No. 83 car of the Russian-Israeli driver was very fast in qualifying conditions on Friday's Fast Friday. Shwartzman could qualify for the Fast 6 in his first attempt at the Indy 500.

After suffering an accident during April testing and being forced to use a reserve car, Takuma Sato (Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing) managed to make it into the twelve drivers who will be vying for pole position this Sunday. The Japanese driver fared better than his teammate Graham Rahal, who finished 30th on the grid. The American was still able to breathe a sigh of relief, as this time he will not have to take part in the last-minute qualifying round, unlike the past two years.

Armstrong and Herta, intertwined destinies

Two drivers experienced mixed fortunes, but they all started from the same point: the wall outside the first corner of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. During the morning practice session, Marcus Armstrong (Meyer Shank Racing) lost control before hitting the wall from behind. Unharmed and cleared to return to the track, the New Zealander had to wait until the end of the day to have a spare car ready to take to the track. He will therefore have to go through the last-chance session, alongside Marco Andretti (Andretti) and Dale Coyne Racing teammates Jacob Abel and Rinus VeeKay.

Colton Herta (Andretti) will therefore not be part of this quartet battling for three places. The American, however, had a very impressive outing in his first run of the day. He also spun at the exit of Turn 1, Herta rolled before hitting again in Turn 2. A few hours later, he was able to take the wheel of his reserve car to qualify in 29th position.

The final day of qualifying will begin at 22:05 p.m. this Sunday, with the Top 12, followed by the last-chance session, and then the Top 6 battling for pole position.

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