Alex Palou takes pole (NTT P1 Award) in rescheduled Indy 500 qualifying

Alex Palou will start the 2026 Indianapolis 500 from pole after winning the NTT P1 Award on Sunday, May 17, when IndyCar compressed qualifying into one day after Saturday's rainout. The Chip Ganassi Racing driver posted a four-lap average of 232.248 mph in the Firestone Fast Six at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Alexander Rossi qualified second at 231.990 mph for Ed Carpenter Racing, and David Malukas took third at 231.877 mph for Team Penske. The 33-car field completed all three qualifying rounds on the same day for the 110th running of the race. ### How did Palou end up on pole after the rain delay? Sunday's schedule carried the full weight of qualifying after rain washed out Saturday's planned opening day program. IndyCar's revised format had the field set positions 16-33, then run a Final 15 session to decide the last three spots in the Top 12, followed by the Top 12 and Firestone Fast Six rounds that settled rows one through four and the pole. Palou advanced through those rounds and then delivered the quickest run when the pole was on the line. IndyCar said the Spaniard also earned a $100,000 bonus for the pole award, his second at Indianapolis after his first in 2023. ### What made this pole notable for Palou? Palou became a two-time Indianapolis 500 pole winner and the first reigning race winner to take the pole for the next year's event since Helio Castroneves in 2010, according to Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The result also gave Palou his 15th NTT P1 Award in the IndyCar Series, IndyCar said. Palou said the speed came as a surprise after the team woke up uncertain about where it stood. "I have no words," Palou said, according to Indianapolis Motor Speedway. "Did not expect it." ### Who joined him on the front row? Rossi secured the middle of the front row with a 231.990-mph average in the No. 20 Java House Chevrolet. Indianapolis Motor Speedway said it was the 2016 winner's best qualifying result in 11 Indianapolis 500 starts. Malukas qualified third in the No. 12 Verizon Team Penske Chevrolet at 231.877 mph. Indianapolis Motor Speedway said it was also a career-best Indianapolis 500 start for Malukas, whose previous best was seventh in 2025 while driving for A.J. Foyt Racing. ### Who looked fastest before the final round? Felix Rosenqvist led the opening qualifying round at 232.599 mph and then paced the Top 12 at 232.065 mph before falling to fourth in the Fast Six, according to IndyCar. Rosenqvist ended up with a 231.375-mph run for Meyer Shank Racing with Curb-Agajanian. Rosenqvist said the final run did not carry the speed his earlier attempts had shown. "There was quite a big gap from run two to run three," he said, according to Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Santino Ferrucci qualified fifth at 230.846 mph, and Pato O'Ward was sixth at 230.442 mph. ### What did the one-day format change about the grid fight? IndyCar expanded the 2026 qualifying procedure before the event by adding the Final 15 round, which let drivers ranked 10th through 15th from the first phase compete for the last three places in the Top 12. That meant Sunday's delayed program had to sort the back of the field, the middle group and the pole contenders in sequence once track activity began. IndyCar said six different teams filled the first two rows of the starting grid. The compressed schedule also unfolded in hotter conditions, with IndyCar noting temperatures reached the mid-80s as teams adjusted setups between rounds on the 2.5-mile oval. ### What comes next before race day? The 110th Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge is scheduled for Sunday, May 24, at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Palou will lead the field to green as he tries to defend his 2025 race victory, with Rossi and Malukas alongside on the front row.