Alex Palou – Honda Indy 200 at Mid-Ohio – Photo by Paul Hurley

By John Sturbin, Raceday San Antonio

Alex Palou pipped Pato O’Ward for pole position by a miniscule 24-ten-thousandths-of-a-second Saturday during qualifying for The Honda Indy 200 at Mid-Ohio Presented by the 2024 Civic Hybrid.

Alex Palou – Honda Indy 200 at Mid-Ohio – Photo by James Black

It was an historic debut for INDYCAR’s high-tech Hybrid Power Unit Era, and a mathematical difference O’Ward coyly sussed-out when asked…what does 0.0024-of-a-second mean to you?

“It means he (Palou) went to the bathroom before going to qualifying,” O’Ward joked during a post-qualifying presser shared with the Spaniard. “We’re obviously the ones chasing both Alex and Ganassi. We’re all out there pushing, pushing, pushing. That’s the beauty of it. That’s what makes it exciting and fun. Yeah, looking forward to (Sunday’s race).”

The two-time/reigning NTT IndyCar Series champion, Palou continued his relentless pursuit of a third title by securing his second consecutive pole and third NTT P1 Award in the last six races. Palou did so via a top lap of 1-minute, 5.3511-seconds/124.387 mph in the No. 10 Ridgeline Lubricants Chip Ganassi Racing Honda.

It was the sixth career series pole for Palou, whose two race victories this season have come from P1 _ on May 11 on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Road-Course and June 23 at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca in Monterey, Calif. He also won the non-point exhibition event from pole in March at The Thermal Club in Palm Springs, Calif.

Alex Palou – Honda Indy 200 at Mid-Ohio – Photo by Paul Hurley

“It was huge,” Palou said of his hot lap. “We knew we had a really fast car. We also knew we were at a disadvantage with the No. 5 (O’Ward) with the (Firestone Firehawk) tires because he did one lap less in the Fast 12, and we didn’t want to risk it. The car has been awesome.”

O’Ward settled for second and a Row 1 start opposite Palou after a top lap of 1:05.3535/124.382 mph in the No. 5 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet. It was O’Ward’s best qualifying effort of the season, shortly after leading Practice 2 Saturday morning.

Historically, Palou’s pole-winning margin of 0.0024-seconds is the closest between the top two drivers in the Firestone Fast Six since INDYCAR introduced the format for road and street-course qualifying in 2005.

“There’s always more, right?” said O’Ward, a native of Mexico with family ties to San Antonio. “That was a really clean lap, though. I thought we had it, but when I came over the line and I heard (pole) was a 35 and I saw 36 on the dash, I was like, ‘Urrgh!’ The car has been really strong from the start. I told the guys this is the strongest car that we’ve had all year in a race weekend.”

Pato O’Ward – Honda Indy 200 at Mid-Ohio – Photo by Chris Owens

Live coverage of the 80-lap/180.64-mile race will start at 1:30 p.m. (EDT) Sunday on NBC, Peacock, the INDYCAR Radio Network and SiriusXM Channel 218. A 30-minute warmup will precede the race at 10:25 a.m. on Peacock and the INDYCAR Radio Network.

This event marks the launch of INDYCAR’s long-awaited Hybrid Power Unit Era, a first-of-its-kind collaboration between the Indianapolis-based sanctioning body and OEM partners Honda and Chevrolet. The unit pairs the existing 2.2-liter twin-turbocharged V-6 internal combustion engine with ground-breaking supercapacitor hybrid technology.

A low-voltage (48V) motor generator unit (MGU) is paired to an energy storage system (ESS), both of which fit into the bellhousing between the engine and the gearbox. The MGU builds power that is stored in the ESS’ 20 supercapacitors. The additional horsepower is deployed through the same motor generator on drivers’ demand.

The hybrid power unit (280 kilojoules per lap at Mid-Ohio) will be available in addition to traditional push-to-pass on road and street circuits (200 seconds at a maximum of 20 seconds per push at Mid-Ohio). Used simultaneously, the package will provide an additional 120-plus horsepower on driver demand.

Pato O’Ward – Honda Indy 200 at Mid-Ohio – Photo by James Black

“Super, super-tight,” said O’Ward, summing up the result of all that engineering. “From watching Group 1 in Q1, it was as tight as you would imagine it being, to be honest. But yeah, it’s irritating, annoying to miss it by just that little bit.

“Yeah, we didn’t roll off maybe perfect, but we rolled off somewhere where we were like, ‘OK, this is exactly what I need.’ For some reason the last few road-courses for us, which have been a very strong area at least in 2023, this year has been the complete opposite. The tire has changed and in some of them it’s definitely been a bit of a learning curve for us, I would say. It’s taken a bit to kind of really _ we’re talking about tenths. You miss it by one-tenth and you’re out in Q1. You just need that little bit to really kind of make those steps forward.

“I was really happy to see that we did that this weekend and after every session, even with all the traffic, I knew exactly what I needed from the car.”

David Malukas – Honda Indy 200 at Mid-Ohio – Photo by James Black

David Malukas continued his rebound from preseason wrist surgery to qualify third at 1:05.6509/123.819 mph in the No. 66 AutoNation/Arctic Wolf Honda fielded by Meyer Shank Racing. Malukas tied his career-best qualifying effort in just his second start this season. It also was his best-ever performance in road and street-course qualifying.

“Talk about a turn-around,” said Malukas, who took over the No. 66 Honda two weeks ago at Laguna Seca following his release by Arrow McLaren. “This year has been an emotional roller-coaster and just looking back on everything, I’ve been allowed to reach my max potential. At Laguna there was so much pace there but with the (recuperating) hand, I had to break it in and get it back to where it needs to be.

“I knew coming into here the guys have done an incredible job prepping the car, and Honda as well. I knew that the setup was there and the car was there and we just had to put it together. It was a perfect situation for me and I couldn’t be happier.”

Colton Herta – Honda Indy 200 at Mid-Ohio – Photo by Travis Hinkle | IMS Photo

Colton Herta will join Malukas on Row 2 after qualifying fourth at 1:05.7653/123.603 mph in the No. 26 Gainbridge Honda fielded by Andretti Global with Curb-Agajanian. Marcus Armstrong of New Zealand qualified fifth at 1:05.9402/123.275 mph in the No. 11 Root Insurance Chip Ganassi Racing Honda but will start six positions lower Sunday due to an INDYCAR penalty for an unapproved engine change after the team test June 27 at Iowa Speedway.

Marcus Ericsson of Sweden completed the Firestone Fast Six qualifiers at 1:05.9592/123.240 mph in the No. 28 Delaware Life Honda of Andretti Global.

Christian Rasmussen was the top rookie qualifier, ninth at 1:05.6911/123.743 mph in the No. 20 Guy Care Chevrolet of Ed Carpenter Racing. That stands as a career-best, as the Dane’s previous top spot was 13th in early June on the Streets of Detroit.

Christian Rasmussen – Honda Indy 200 at Mid-Ohio – Photo by Chris Owens

“This is great! We executed well,” Rasmussen said. “We made good changes from practice; we really absorbed what we learned and set ourselves up well for qualifying. I’m very happy for everyone, not only myself for making my first Fast 12 but also for the team. It really shows that we’re moving in the right direction. We’ve had great pace at multiple locations but haven’t had too much to show for it. It’s nice to get a good qualifying result. Now we just look forward to see what we can do in the race.”

While the debut of the new hybrid unit on all engines is a major storyline, a pair of heavy-hitters starting from mid-pack or further back also is noteworthy. Every team not only worked to understand the change in balance to its cars due to the additional weight (100 pounds) from the hybrid unit, but also the repaving of the 2.258-mile/13-turn natural-terrain course in Lexington, Ohio, created setup challenges due to increased grip.

Series champions Will Power and Scott Dixon _ Palou’s closest pursuers in points _ have a long way to travel to reach the front Sunday. Native New Zealander Dixon, a six-time series champ and six-time Mid-Ohio winner, qualified 14th in the No. 9 PNC Bank Chip Ganassi Racing Honda at 123.433 mph. Native Australian Power, the 2020 Mid-Ohio winner, qualified 16th in the No. 12 Verizon Business Team Penske Chevrolet at 123.288 mph.

Rookie Caio Collet is poised for a breakthrough moment in INDY NXT by Firestone after earning his first career series pole with a track-record lap during qualifying Saturday for the Grand Prix at Mid-Ohio.

Caio Collet – INDY NXT By Firestone Grand Prix at Mid-Ohio – Photo by Travis Hinkle | IMS Photo

Collet, a 22-year-old native of Sau Paulo, Brazil, secured P1 with a lap of 1-minute, 10.2879-seconds/115.650 mph in the No. 18 HMD Motorsports car. That lap on the repaved, 2.258-mile/13-turn Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course easily scaled the INDY NXT track record of 1:10.8079 set by Oliver Askew in July 2019.

Collet’s previous-best start was second, four times this season. He now will aim for his first career win in INDYCAR’s developmental series during the 35-lap/55-minute race Sunday at 11:15 a.m. EDT, with coverage on Peacock and the INDYCAR Radio Network. Collet, in fact, is looking for a sweep after pacing both practices and securing pole.

“I was a little nervous at the beginning of this session,” Collet said. “I’ve had a really good car since Friday, and I knew if I put together a lap we would be up there. In the beginning, I just struggled a little bit. I think I was over-pushing a bit. I took a step back and down and did a lap. Big thanks to HMD. The car has been on fire since Friday.”

Championship leader Louis Foster, the Englishman who has won four of the last five races, qualified second at 1:10.3072/115.618 mph in the No. 26 Copart/Novara Technologies car of Andretti Global.

Jacob Abel, second in points, qualified third at 1:10.3890/115.484 mph in the No. 51 Abel Construction machine fielded by Abel Motorsports. Rookie Callum Hedge will join him on the second row after qualifying fourth at 1:10.6302/115.090 mph in the No. 17 HMD Motorsports entry.

“We made a lot of changes to the car in the two practice sessions, and we’ve made a lot of progress,” Abel said. “The track changed a lot through those sessions and then again in qualifying, it kind of came to us. We missed pole, just barely, but it’s super-close, super-competitive in this series.

“I know we could have gotten pole, I just had to work pretty hard to do it and unfortunately, I just didn’t put everything together there in the end. But we’ll be in a good spot at the start, on the inside, and I’m looking forward to that. It’s always a quick start here, so it’s going to be interesting.”

Reece Gold qualified fifth at 1:10.4608/115.366 mph in the No. 10 HMD Motorsports car. Christian Brooks continued the strong start to his INDY NXT by Firestone career by qualifying sixth at 1:10.6760/115.015 mph for just his third career race in the No. 39 HMD Motorsports entry.

The smooth pavement and ideal weather helped times plummet after Friday’s soggy conditions. The top nine qualifiers each dipped under Askew’s track record.

Collet, third in the standings, is aware that a breakthrough win Sunday will do more than boost his resume. It also would close the gap to Foster and Abel. Collet trails leader Foster by 84 points and Abel by 49 with six races to go.

“Louis has been quite quick,” Collet said. “We know that he’s quite strong. But I think this weekend we’ve been a little step ahead. Let’s see if we can win the race. I’m really looking forward. We have such a great car.”

Qualifying results for The Honda Indy 200 at Mid-Ohio Presented by the 2025 Civic Hybrid NTT IndyCar Series event on the 2.258-mile/13-turn Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course in Lexington, Ohio, with qualifying position, car number in parentheses, driver, chassis-engine, time and speed in parentheses:

1.(10) Alex Palou, Honda, 01:05.3511 (124.387 mph)
2. (5) Pato O’Ward, Chevrolet, 01:05.3535 (124.382)
3. (66) David Malukas, Honda, 01:05.6509 (123.819)
4. (26) Colton Herta, Honda, 01:05.7653 (123.603)
5. (11) Marcus Armstrong, Honda, 01:05.9402 (123.275)
6. (28) Marcus Ericsson, Honda, 01:05.9592 (123.240)
7. (3) Scott McLaughlin, Chevrolet, 01:05.6178 (123.881)
8. (7) Alexander Rossi, Chevrolet, 01:05.6427 (123.834)
9. (20) Christian Rasmussen, Chevrolet, 01:05.6911 (123.743)
10. (45) Christian Lundgaard, Honda, 01:05.7705 (123.593)
11. (8) Linus Lundqvist, Honda, 01:05.7805 (123.575)
12. (77) Romain Grosjean, Chevrolet, 01:05.7822 (123.571)
13. (60) Felix Rosenqvist, Honda, 01:05.6921 (123.741)
14. (9) Scott Dixon, Honda, 01:05.8562 (123.433)
15. (27) Kyle Kirkwood, Honda, 01:05.7147 (123.698)
16. (12) Will Power, Chevrolet, 01:05.9654 (123.228)
17. (6) Nolan Siegel, Chevrolet, 01:05.7679 (123.598)
18. (2) Josef Newgarden, Chevrolet, 01:05.9857 (123.190)
19. (15) Graham Rahal, Honda, 01:05.8508 (123.443)
20. (21) Rinus VeeKay, Chevrolet, 01:06.0252 (123.117)
21. (14) Santino Ferrucci, Chevrolet, 01:05.9414 (123.273)
22. (78) Agustin Canapino, Chevrolet, 01:06.0550 (123.061)
23. (30) Pietro Fittipaldi, Honda, 01:06.0973 (122.982)
24. (4) Kyffin Simpson, Honda, 01:06.1034 (122.971)
25. (51) Toby Sowery, Honda, 01:08.2499 (119.103)
26. (41) Sting Ray Robb, Chevrolet, 01:06.6894 (121.890)
27. (18) Jack Harvey, Honda, 01:06.9614 (121.395)

NTT IndyCar Series point standings _ 1, Alex Palou, Chip Ganassi Racing, 285; 2, Will Power, Team Penske, 262; 3, Scott Dixon, Chip Ganassi Racing, 253; 4, Colton Herta, Andretti Global, 217; 5, Kyle Kirkwood, Andretti Global, 210; 6, Pato O’Ward, Arrow McLaren, 208; 7, Alexander Rossi, Arrow McLaren, 198; 8, Scott McLaughlin, Team Penske, 188; 9, Josef Newgarden, Team Penske, 181; 10, Felix Rosenqvist, Meyer Shank Racing, 176;

11, Christian Lundgaard, Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing, 156; 12, Santino Ferrucci, A.J. Foyt Racing, 154; 13, Marcus Ericsson, Andretti Global, 150; 14, Romain Grosjean, Juncos Hollinger Racing, 144; 15, Marcus Armstrong, Chip Ganassi Racing, 129; 16, Graham Rahal, Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing, 127; 17, Rinus VeeKay, Ed Carpenter Racing, 114; 18, Linus Lundqvist, Chip Ganassi Racing, 113; 19, Pietro Fittipaldi, Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing, 97; 20, Kyffin Simpson, Chip Ganassi Racing, 88;

21, Augustin Canapino, Juncos Hollinger Racing, 86; 22, Christian Rasmussen, Ed Carpenter Racing, 82; 23, Sting Ray Robb, A.J. Foyt Racing, 78; 24, Theo Pourchaire, Arrow McLaren, 75; 25, Jack Harvey, Dale Coyne Racing, 70; 26, Tom Blomqvist, Meyer Shank Racing, 46; 27, Callum Ilott, Arrow McLaren, 39; Nolan Siegel, Arrow McLaren, 35; 28, Luca Ghiotto, Dale Coyne Racing, 27; 29, Helio Castroneves, Meyer Shank Racing, 26; 30, Conor Daly, Dreyer & Reinbold Racing-Cusick Motorsports, 21;

31, Kyle Larson, Hendrickcars.com Arrow McLaren, 21; 32, Takuma Sato, Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing, 19; 33, David Malukas, Arrow McLaren, 14; 34, Ed Carpenter, Ed Carpenter Racing, 14; 35, Tristan Vautier, Dale Coyne Racing, 12; 36, Colin Braun, Dale Coyne Racing, 10; 37, Ryan Hunter-Reay, Dreyer & Reinbold Racing-Cusick Motorsports, 6; 38, Marco Andretti, Andretti Herta with Marco & Curb Agajanian, 5; 39, Katherine Legge, Dale Coyne Racing with Rick Ware Racing, 5.