Alex Palou has taken pole position for the 2026 Indianapolis 500 after setting an average speed of 232.348 following his final four-lap run.
The four-time IndyCar champion beat Alex Rossi to the top spot to take his second pole position for the iconic race, which takes place on Sunday, May 24.
Qualifying was squashed into a Sunday schedule as organisers were forced to alter the timetable due to torrential conditions on Saturday.
Felix Rosenqvist was the man in form entering the 'Fast Six' shootout, having shown strong pace in the previous sessions, but the Swede could only muster fourth, behind David Malukas, who will round out the front row next Sunday.
Santino Ferrucci was fifth, while McLaren's Pato O'Ward was sixth fastest in the final segment.
Palou enters the race as the reigning winner, while Rossi, from second place, will be seeking to add to his Indy 500 success 10 years on from his sensational triumph as a rookie.
Update: the #4 and #24 machines of Caio Collet and Jack Harvey were disqualified from qualifying after post-session inspections revealed modifications to the energy management systems of both cars. They will start at the back of the field.
Collet had qualified in 10th, having reached the Fast 12, whilst Harvey was already due to start towards the foot of the grid, in P29.
Check out the full results below!
2026 Indy 500 Qualifying Results
| Pos. | Driver | Team | Average Speed (mph) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Alex Palou | #10 Chip Ganassi | 232.248 |
| 2. | Alexander Rossi | #20 Ed Carpenter Racing | 231.990 |
| 3. | David Malukas | #12 Team Penske | 231.877 |
| 4. | Felix Rosenqvist | #60 Meyer Shank Racing with Curb-Agajanian | 231.375 |
| 5. | Santino Ferrucci | #14 AJ Foyt Racing | 230.846 |
| 6. | Pato O'Ward | #5 McLaren | 230.442 |
| OUT AFTER FAST 12 | |||
| 7. | Kyffin Simpson | #8 Chip Ganassi | 230.883 |
| 8. | Conor Daly | #23 Dreyer and Reinbold Racing | 230.712 |
| 9. | Scott McLaughlin | #3 Team Penske | 230.577 |
| 10. | Scott Dixon | #9 Chip Ganassi | 230.347 |
| 11. | Rinus VeeKay | #76 Juncos Hollinger Racing with Dreyer and Reinbold Racing | 229.585 |
| OUT AFTER FIRST RUN | |||
| 12. | Takuma Sato | #75 Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing | 230.995 |
| 13. | Ed Carpenter | #33 Ed Carpenter Racing | 230.829 |
| 14. | Helio Castroneves | #06 Meyer Shank | 230.811 |
| 15. | Christian Rasmussen | #21 Ed Carpenter Racing | 230.705 |
| 16. | Marcus Armstrong | #66 Meyer Shank Racing with Curb-Agajanian | 230.701 |
| 17. | Marcus Ericsson | #28 Andretti | 230.667 |
| 18. | Christian Lundgaard | #7 McLaren | 230.661 |
| 19. | Will Power | #26 Andretti | 230.279 |
| 20. | Nolan Siegel | #6 McLaren | 230.213 |
| 21. | Louis Foster | #45 Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing | 230.212 |
| 22. | Ryan Hunter-Reay | #31 McLaren with Legacy Motor Club | 230.202 |
| 23. | Josef Newgarden | #2 Team Penske | 230.165 |
| 24. | Romain Grosjean | #18 Dale Coyne Racing | 229.791 |
| 25. | Kyle Kirkwood | #27 Andretti | 229.607 |
| 26. | Katherine Legge | #11 HMD Motorsports with AJ Foyt | 229.456 |
| 27. | Mick Schumacher | #47 Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing | 229.450 |
| 28. | Graham Rahal | #15 Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing | 229.017 |
| 29. | Dennis Hauger | #19 Dale Coyne Racing | 228.982 |
| 30. | Jacob Abel | #51 Abel Motorsports | 228.169 |
| 31. | Sting Ray Robb | #77 Juncos Hollinger Racing | 226.572 |
| 32. | Caio Collet (DSQ) | #4 AJ Foyt Racing | 230.539 |
| 33. | Jack Harvey (DSQ) | #24 Dreyer and Reinbold Racing | 229.207 |
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