Felix Rosenqvist clinches Portland IndyCar pole over Alex Palou by a razor‑thin 0.018 seconds

Felix Rosenqvist secured pole position with a late, decisive run during the intense IndyCar Series qualifying for the Portland Grand Prix.

Completing a 58.428‑second lap around Portland International Raceway’s 12‑turn, 1.964‑mile natural road course, the Swedish driver edged out reigning four‑time champion Alex Palou by a mere 0.0184 seconds.

This achievement marks Rosenqvist’s second pole of the season, his previous one having come at Long Beach, and underscores his status as the defending Indianapolis 500 winner driving the #60 Meyer Shank Racing Honda.

“An outstanding team effort,” Rosenqvist remarked. “My thanks go to Meyer Shank Racing and Honda. Featuring a Grateful Dead–themed livery as a tribute to fans who requested its return, the car looks impressive, making this pole a particularly rewarding result.”

“We simply kept refining the setup. Although we were a bit behind yesterday, we didn’t need any miracles—just focused on precise execution and navigating each corner. It’s been a demanding and tightly contested day.”

Fast Six

Although several competitors advanced early on track, Ericsson remained in the pits, awaiting a fresh set of softer alternate tires, while Simpson, limited to used alternates for the session, also waited on pit lane.

Palou recorded an initial time of 59.365 seconds before returning to the pits for fresh alternates; Ericsson then rejoined the track. Palou subsequently posted a 58.501‑second lap, placing him second, while Ericsson moved into second place with a 58.672‑second lap and VeeKay took third at 58.858 seconds.

In the closing moments, Rosenqvist posted a 58.482‑second flying lap, edging out Palou and preventing him from securing a seventh pole as the session ended, leaving Palou in second place.

Andretti Global claimed third and fourth positions, with Will Power leading, followed by Ericsson. VeeKay dropped to fifth, and Simpson finished sixth.

Round of 12

Shortly after VeeKay posted the fastest lap of the session at 58.684 seconds with under two minutes remaining, Chip Ganassi Racing’s Scott Dixon clipped the inside barrier while entering Turn 1 slightly early, sustaining significant right‑front damage and limping to the pits.

Despite the incident, the session stayed green as Rosenqvist set a 58.644‑second lap to lead the round. VeeKay’s 58.684‑second time kept him second, 0.398 seconds behind Rosenqvist, while Simpson secured third, ahead of Ericsson, Palou, and Power.

Kyle Kirkwood of Andretti Global was the first driver on the outside of the transfer spot, missing advancement by 0.0352 seconds. Graham Rahal’s #15 Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing Honda placed eighth, followed by Team Penske’s David Malukas in ninth, and Dale Coyne Racing’s rookies Dennis Hauger and former Formula 1 driver Romain Grosjean in 10th and 11th respectively. Dixon finished 12th.

Groups

Romain Grosjean, Dale Coyne Racing

Photo by: Perry Nelson / Lumen via Getty Images

In the opening group, Power posted a late 58.360‑second lap to dethrone Palou from the top spot by a slim 0.0212 seconds. Malukas was close behind in third at 0.0847 seconds, while Ericsson, Grosjean, and Simpson completed the top six.

Louis Foster was the first driver to miss the transfer, falling 0.0216 seconds short in the #47 Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing Honda.

Team Penske’s Josef Newgarden finished eighth, ahead of Arrow McLaren’s Pato O’Ward, while ECR’s Alexander Rossi was tenth. Meyer Shank Racing’s Marcus Armstrong, who led the second practice, placed 11th, just ahead of RLL rookie Mick Schumacher.

Rosenqvist led the second group with a 58.424‑second lap. Dixon followed in second, 0.0820 seconds behind, while Kirkwood took third at 0.1913 seconds. Rahal was fourth, VeeKay and Hauger claimed the final transfer spot at 0.0872 seconds ahead of Team Penske’s Scott McLaughlin. Arrow McLaren’s Nolan Siegel finished eighth, AJ Foyt Racing rookie Caio Collet ninth, ECR’s Christian Rasmussen tenth, Santino Ferrucci 11th for AJ Foyt Racing, Sting Ray Robb 12th for Juncos Hollinger Racing, and Christian Lundgaard 13th for Arrow McLaren.

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