Rossi clocked a 1m44.8656s to snatch pole position by 0.0715s from Newgarden to become the eighth different polesitter from as many races in the 2022 IndyCar season to date.
Four drivers elected to go with primary tyres rather than used reds at the start of the Firestone Fast Six, and Andretti Autosport-Honda’s Rossi took two flying laps to clock a personal best good enough for pole.
Newgarden was only 0.0715sec behind, running two flyers – nonetheless impressive on used reds, which is all that the runners have left by the time they reach the Firestone Fast Six.
Reigning IndyCar champion Alex Palou was over half a second from Rossi, but was able to just edge Chip Ganassi Racing team-mate Marcus Ericsson by 0.0418s to third.
Colton Herta made a mistake on what would have been his fastest lap, falling 0.67sec off team-mate Rossi. He will start fifth alongside Arrow McLaren SP’s Pato O’Ward, who started the session on blacks but switched to alternates.
Callum Ilott, Juncos Hollinger Racing Chevrolet
Photo by: Gavin Baker / Motorsport Images
Q2
Callum Ilott, making his return to the Juncos Hollinger Racing after missing the Detroit GP with the broken hand he incurred in an Indy 500 shunt, skidded off the road at the final corner and went across the grass and gravel to slam into the tyre wall. That brought out the red flag which meant his session was done.
With barely more than five minutes remaining in the session, the remaining 11 runners left the pits wearing alternate tyres, although Romain Grosjean suffered a gearbox issue that meant his exit was delayed and would get only one flying lap in.
On their first flying laps, Palou and Scott Dixon went 1-2 for Ganassi ahead of Rossi, but Penske’s Newgarden delivered another 1m44.5530s, as in Q2 (see below) and went top. Perhaps surprisingly, that wasn’t the fastest lap, however, as Herta shaved 0.1492sec off the Penske driver’s lap to go top.
Ericsson and Palou ensured Ganassi had two cars in the Firestone Fast Six, 0.45s ahead of team-mate Scott Dixon who was eliminated. He will start alongside Scott McLaughlin, who was 0.7s off team-mate Newgarden.
Grosjean did well to grab seventh considering he had been able to squeeze in one flyer on alternates and everyone’s fastest time came on their second.
O’Ward managed to get through, as did Rossi, yesterday’s practice pacesetter, while O’Ward’s team-mate Felix Rosenqvist, a 2020 race-winner here, was eighth and out.
Josef Newgarden, Team Penske Chevrolet
Photo by: Michael L. Levitt / Motorsport Images
Q1 Group 2
Newgarden (Penske) set a 1m45.5563s lap on primary tyres, 0.0430s ahead of Palou in the Chip Ganassi Racing-Honda before diving in for alternates, while the rain was holding off.
Newgarden’s first effort on reds kept him up top with a 1m45.2077s run, with Ericsson becoming his closest challenger, ahead of McLaughlin in the other Penske in the group.
No one was going to beat Newgarden though, setting the fastest lap of the weekend – a 1m44.5552s – which would leave him a stunning half-second clear of the field. Both Arrow McLaren SP drivers got into Q2, Pato O’Ward and Felix Rosenqvist split by defending race winner Palou.
Ericsson took fifth, while McLaughlin blew his last lap under braking at Canada Corner but his previous effort was enough to allow him to graduate.
Series returnee Simona De Silvestro in the Paretta Autosport was 3.5s off Newgarden’s time, 2.4s from virtual team-mate Conor Daly. De Silvestro admitted she didn’t really use the extra grip offered by the Firestone reds, but her time wasn’t entirely representative because she picked up a pitlane speeding drive-through penalty.
Simona De Silvestro, Paretta Autosport Chevrolet
Photo by: Richard Dole / Motorsport Images
Q1 Group 1
With rain on its way, the drivers hit the track as soon as possible but only Rinus VeeKay of Ed Carpenter Racing and Tatiana Calderon in the AJ Foyt Racing chose to go out on alternate Firestones to try and post an early benchmark. Rossi and Herta went 1-2 in the Andretti Autosport on primary tyres, Rossi with a 1m45.3680s ahead, while Takuma Sato in the Dale Coyne Racing with RWR was third. VeeKay was fifth when he pitted for second set of reds.
Dixon was the first to set a representative time on reds, a 1m45.6882s but then Grosjean went top with a 1m45.0216s. He stayed there, too, heading an Andretti Autosport 1-2-3, with Dixon putting in a brave effort on his third flyer, to grab fourth. Simon Pagenaud of Meyer Shank Racing took fifth ahead of Ilott.
Surprise elimination was championship leader Team Penske’s Will Power, who said he had wheelspin out of Turn 12 but otherwise was surprised to find himself on the outside looking in.
Firestone Fast Six results:
Q2 results:
Q1 Group 1
Q1 Group 2