Defending NTT IndyCar Series Champion Alex Palou won the pole for the Firestone Grand Prix of Monterey during Saturday’s (June 22) qualifying session at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca.
Kyle Kirkwood will start second, his best qualifying effort of 2024 thus far. Felix Rosenqvist qualified an impressive third to continue an ambitious run of strong showings for Meyer Shank Racing.
“It was really tough, really tight all qualifying,” Palou said of the challenge to maintain consistency and pace throughout the day. “It was really tricky with the track conditions. As soon as there was some wind you couldn’t really finish the lap, because there was no grip.
“But yeah, really happy. The car was on rails today; the best starting position for tomorrow.”
Firestone Fast Six
The setting of the Fast Six might as well have been somewhere in Japan; only one Chevrolet, driven by Alexander Rossi, advanced to the final round. The American drove his No. 7 Arrow McLaren entry through a sea of Hondas to a fifth-place result, slotting between fourth-placed Colton Herta and sixth-fastest Christian Lundgaard.
Position | Driver | Number | Team | Time |
1 | Alex Palou | 10 | Chip Ganassi Racing | 1:07.1465 |
2 | Kyle Kirkwood | 27 | Andretti Global | +0.0739s |
3 | Felix Rosenqvist | 60 | Meyer Shank Racing | +0.1452s |
4 | Colton Herta | 26 | Andretti Global | +0.1507s |
5 | Alexander Rossi | 7 | Arrow McLaren | +0.2129s |
6 | Christian Lundgaard | 45 | Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing | +0.3647s |
Round 2
Scott McLaughlin put the proverbial bow on a day to forget for Team Penske with a seventh-place run. Lundgaard bested the New Zealander by 0.0269 seconds to make his way into the Fast Six, sweeping the Penske Chevrolets out of the final round just two weeks after they swept the podium at Road America.
Nearly two months after being dropped by Arrow McLaren, David Malukas drove the No. 66 Meyer Shank Racing Chevrolet to a 12th-place starting spot on his return to IndyCar competition. Malukas admitted to feeling “fatigued being out of the car so long” but was relieved to finally have his feet back on the ground in the series.
Romain Grosjean was competitive on pace throughout Round 2, but was caught up behind other cars on his flying laps. Grosjean didn’t mince his words after being eliminated.
Position | Driver | Number | Team | Time from Advancing |
7 | Scott McLaughlin | 3 | Team Penske | +0.0269s |
8 | Romain Grosjean | 77 | Juncos Hollinger Racing | +0.0561s |
9 | Pato O’Ward | 5 | Arrow McLaren | +0.1175s |
10 | Scott Dixon | 9 | Chip Ganassi Racing | +0.2149s |
11 | Marcus Armstrong | 11 | Chip Ganassi Racing | +0.2418s |
12 | David Malukas | 66 | Meyer Shank Racing | +0.4697s |
Round 1 Group 1
Championship implications took the spotlight early in the day when two-time series champion and current points leader Will Power failed to advance out of the first round. This elimination means Power will line up 15th for Sunday’s race.
Positon | Driver | Number | Team | Time from Advancing |
13 | Agustin Canapino | 77 | Juncos Hollinger Racing | +0.0721s |
15 | Will Power | 12 | Team Penske | +0.1923s |
17 | Santino Ferrucci | 14 | A. J. Foyt Enterprises | +0.2089s |
19 | Graham Rahal | 15 | Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing | +0.2667s |
21 | Christian Rasmussen | 20 | Ed Carpenter Racing | +0.5456s |
23 | Nolan Siegel | 6 | Arrow McLaren | +0.853s |
25 | Sting Ray Robb | 41 | A. J. Foyt Enterprises | +1.3049s |
Round 1 Group 2
Team Penske’s frustrations continued into Group 2 as Josef Newgarden failed to advance to the top 12. Lundgaard, like with McLaughlin, went one spot better than Newgarden with a late lap which pushed the driver of the No. 2 Chevrolet out of the top six. Newgarden will start 14th in the race.
Position | Driver | Number | Team | Time from Advancing |
14 | Josef Newgarden | 2 | Team Penske | +0.1159s |
16 | Linus Lundqvist | 8 | Chip Ganassi Racing | +0.1969s |
18 | Marcus Ericsson | 28 | Andretti Global | +0.3146s |
20 | Rinus VeeKay | 21 | Ed Carpenter Racing | +0.3810s |
22 | Kyffin Simpson | 4 | Chip Ganassi Racing | +0.5484s |
24 | Pietro Fittipaldi | 30 | Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing | +0.5737s |
26 | Jack Harvey | 18 | Dale Coyne Racing | +0.8643s |
27 | Luca Ghiotto | 51 | Dale Coyne Racing w/ RWR | +0.8991s |
2024 IndyCar Laguna Seca Qualifying Results
The Firestone Grand Prix of Monterey will kick off at 6 p.m. ET on Sunday, June 23, with coverage on the USA network and Peacock.
Alex is the IndyCar Content Director at Frontstretch, having initially joined as an entry-level contributor in 2021. He also serves as Managing Director of The Asia Cable, a publication focused on the international affairs and politics of the Asia-Pacific region which he co-founded in 2023. With previous experience in China, Japan and Poland, Alex is particularly passionate about the international realm of motorsport and the politics that make the wheels turn - literally - behind the scenes.