25 drivers of the NTT IndyCar Series took to the streets of St. Petersburg, Florida on Sunday afternoon to complete the first knockout qualifying session of the 2026 season.
Scott McLaughlin took his second consecutive pole to start the season, completing a lap in 60.5436 seconds in what he described as one of the best cars he has ever had.
Marcus Ericsson was second quick, with rookie Dennis Hauger surprising with a third place run as he headed up a double Dale Coyne Racing showing in the Firestone Fast Six.
READ MORE: IndyCar St. Petersburg – Full Qualifying Report
Pato O’Ward, a favorite to win the race this weekend, was knocked out in the second round and will line up eighth in his Arrow McLaren Chevy.
Two other perennial favorites Scott Dixon and Josef Newgarden were both knocked out in the first round, and will have to fight from the back half of the grid.
Drivers have one early warm-up session on Sunday morning, ahead of a 100-lap race at noon eastern time.
| # | Driver | Time | Gap | Avg. Speed (MPH) | Round |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Scott McLaughlin | 01:00.5426 | – | 107.032 | Fast Six |
| 2 | Marcus Ericsson | 01:00.5621 | 0.020 | 106.998 | Fast Six |
| 3 | Dennis Hauger | 01:00.5743 | 0.032 | 106.976 | Fast Six |
| 4 | Alex Palou | 01:00.6842 | 0.142 | 106.782 | Fast Six |
| 5 | David Malukas | 01:00.7638 | 0.221 | 106.642 | Fast Six |
| 6 | Romain Grosjean | 01:01.3462 | 0.804 | 105.630 | Fast Six |
| 7 | Marcus Armstrong | 01:00.7820 | 0.239 | 106.611 | Top 12 |
| 8 | Pato O’Ward | 01:00.8863 | 0.343 | 106.428 | Top 12 |
| 9 | Louis Foster | 01:00.9472 | 0.404 | 106.322 | Top 12 |
| 10 | Kyffin Simpson | 01:00.9811 | 0.438 | 106.262 | Top 12 |
| 11 | Felix Rosenqvist | 01:00.9840 | 0.441 | 106.257 | Top 12 |
| 12 | Christian Lundgaard | 01:00.9842 | 0.441 | 106.257 | Top 12 |
| 13 | Will Power | 01:01.1936 | 0.368 | 105.893 | First Round |
| 14 | Christian Rasmussen | 01:01.1835 | 0.604 | 105.911 | First Round |
| 15 | Kyle Kirkwood | 01:01.2308 | 0.405 | 105.829 | First Round |
| 16 | Scott Dixon | 01:01.2109 | 0.631 | 105.863 | First Round |
| 17 | Santino Ferrucci | 01:01.2630 | 0.437 | 105.773 | First Round |
| 18 | Graham Rahal | 01:01.2257 | 0.646 | 105.838 | First Round |
| 19 | Rinus VeeKay | 01:01.3719 | 0.546 | 105.586 | First Round |
| 20 | Sting Ray Robb | 01:01.3666 | 0.787 | 105.595 | First Round |
| 21 | Mick Schumacher | 01:01.3983 | 0.573 | 105.540 | First Round |
| 22 | Nolan Siegel | 01:01.4498 | 0.870 | 105.452 | First Round |
| 23 | Josef Newgarden | 01:01.4174 | 0.592 | 105.508 | First Round |
| 24 | Caio Collet | 01:01.5719 | 0.992 | 105.243 | First Round |
| 25 | Alexander Rossi | 01:01.6031 | 1.023 | 105.190 | First Round |