INDIANAPOLIS — Ganassi, Ganassi, Ganassi. It was virtually the one identify talked about because the four-car group returned to Indianapolis Motor Speedway poised to defend final yr’s Indianapolis 500 victory.
Arrow McLaren Racing pushed it apart on the primary day of Indy 500 qualifying.
Felix Rosenqvist, a former Chip Ganassi Racing driver, no much less, led the McLaren cost Saturday by posting the quickest four-lap common. His late afternoon run of 233.947 mph was the third-fastest four-lap qualifying effort in race historical past.
He bumped new teammate Alexander Rossi from the highest spot — a place he’d held practically six hours.
“It was fairly mind-blowing how we discovered a lot pace,” Rosenqvist stated. “What a run. Only a enjoyable time to be in an Arrow McLaren. We’re undoubtedly wanting good proper now.”
When the gun fired to sign the top of the day, all 4 McLaren drivers had been inside the highest 12 and superior into Sunday’s shootout for the pole. Ganassi additionally landed all 4 of its drivers inside the highest 12, however because the clock ticked down, defending race winner Marcus Ericsson stood on pit lane uncertain if he ought to make one other qualifying try.
He was tenth on the time however caught in an extended line of site visitors as drivers not inside the highest 12 debated pulling their occasions and taking one other shot at logging 4 quick laps across the historic 2.5-mile oval.
Conversely, Staff Penske struggled mightily and solely reigning IndyCar champion Will Energy superior into the highest 12. Josef Newgarden and Scott McLaughlin by no means put collectively a robust sufficient four-lap common run to maneuver them up by means of the sphere. McLaughlin will begin the Indy 500 from 14th, three spots forward of Newgarden, who did pull his time late in a last-ditch try to crack the highest 12.
Newgarden is 0-for-11 within the greatest race on this planet.
“Sadly that is simply what we had,” Newgarden stated. “We actually went aggressive, as aggressive as you’ll be able to go, and it simply wasn’t there. We appear to have the ability to work out most conditions, however for no matter motive,