Fast Friday: Felix Rosenqvist posts quickest Indy 500 lap at 233.372 mph

Felix Rosenqvist put Meyer Shank Racing at the top of the Indianapolis 500 speed chart on Friday, May 15, with the fastest lap of Fast Friday practice at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The Swedish driver turned a best lap of 233.372 mph in the No. 60 SiriusXM Honda during the final practice before qualifying, according to IndyCar. Morning rain delayed the start by two hours and cut the scheduled six-hour session to five hours. Qualifying for the 110th Indianapolis 500 begins Saturday, with the field’s back half to be locked in first and the front rows to be decided Sunday. ### How quick was Rosenqvist’s lap, and why did Friday matter? Rosenqvist’s 233.372-mph lap was the fastest of the week and made him the first driver to break 233 mph in practice, IndyCar said. Fast Friday is the last practice session before qualifying and uses increased turbocharger boost, which IndyCar said added about 100 horsepower compared with earlier practice days. (indycar.com) Indianapolis Motor Speedway’s event schedule describes Fast Friday as the day teams get the boost levels they will use in qualifying, giving the clearest practice indication yet of outright one-lap pace. The session is held on the 2.5-mile oval and typically serves as the last major setup check before cars make four-lap qualifying attempts over the weekend. (indycar.com) ### Who was closest to Rosenqvist on the speed chart? Alexander Rossi was second at 232.932 mph in the No. 20 Java House Chevrolet for Ed Carpenter Racing, IndyCar said. Scott McLaughlin, the 2024 pole winner, was third at 232.674 mph in the No. 3 Pennzoil Team Penske Chevrolet. Takuma Sato was fourth at 232.655 mph for Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing, and Marcus Ericsson rounded out the top five at 232.622 mph for Andretti Global, according to IndyCar’s practice report. (indianapolismotorspeedway.com) The spread at the top showed multiple teams and both engine manufacturers near the front entering qualifying weekend. (indycar.com) ### What did Rosenqvist say changed during the session? Rosenqvist said the speed did not come immediately. “We started pretty slow, to be honest,” he said, according to IndyCar. He said the team found roughly 3 mph over the course of the session and that “the balance was really good.” IndyCar also reported that Rosenqvist produced the fastest four-lap simulated qualifying run on Friday. (indycar.com) That detail mattered because Indy 500 qualifying is based on four-lap average speed rather than a single flier, making sustained pace and balance across a run as important as headline speed. ### How did rain change the day at Indianapolis? (indycar.com) Morning rain pushed the start of practice back by two hours, and IndyCar said the session was shortened from six hours to five. Indianapolis Motor Speedway’s posted schedule had listed Fast Friday practice from noon to 7 p.m. Eastern before the weather interruption. (indycar.com) The later start meant many of the quickest laps came in friendlier late-afternoon conditions, as teams used the shorter window to make final qualifying checks. The Associated Press also reported Rosenqvist took advantage of the late-day conditions to move to the top of the chart. (indycar.com) ### What happens next in qualifying weekend? Saturday, May 16, opens with pre-qualifying practice from 8:30 a.m. to 9:30 a.m., followed by qualifying from 11 a.m. to 5:50 p.m., according to IndyCar. Positions 16 through 33 on the starting grid will be locked in Saturday, while the 15 fastest cars advance to Sunday’s final qualifying rounds. (apnews.com) Scott Dixon will be first in line for qualifying after his son, Kit, drew the No. 1 position in the blind draw Friday, IndyCar said. Indianapolis Motor Speedway lists Sunday, May 24, 2026, as race day for the 110th Indianapolis 500. (indycar.com)