All articles tagged with #pole position
Alex Palou starts from pole in a 33-car Indy 500 field as Fox kicks off pre-race coverage from 10 a.m. and the green flag is scheduled for 12:45 p.m.; the Indy Star live blog covers Palou’s pole, Katherine Legge’s Indy 500–NASCAR Double attempt, pace-car details, betting odds from BetMGM, Rossi’s no-restrictions status after a practice crash, Kyle Busch tributes, and the full starting grid and race-day schedule.
Alex Palou earned his second Indy 500 pole with a four-lap average of 232.248 mph in the Firestone Fast Six, becoming the first reigning Indy 500 winner to take pole since 2010. He’ll lead a front row that also features Alexander Rossi in second, with David Malukas, Felix Rosenqvist, Santino Ferrucci and Pato O’Ward rounding out the top six, after a rain-delayed qualifying format that pared the field to a single attempt per round."
INDYCAR announced a Sunday-only qualifying format for the 110th Indianapolis 500 after rain delayed Day 1: 33 cars will run one four-lap attempt based on Friday’s draw to set positions 13–33, with the fastest 12 advancing directly to a Top 12 round (in reverse order) and the six fastest moving on to the Firestone Fast Six to decide the pole and the NTT P1 Award ($100,000). Championship points are awarded to those who reach the Top 12. All Saturday tickets are valid Sunday; practice starts at 9:30 a.m. ET, qualifying begins at noon ET, and the final rounds start around 4 p.m., with broadcasts on FS2/FOX One, FOX, and INDYCAR Radio.
IndyCar announced a four‑round overhaul of the Indianapolis 500 qualifying format for the 110th running, with 33 cars and no bumping. Day 1 (May 16) will lock in positions 16–33, Day 2 will combine a Final 15, Top 12, and a Firestone Fast Six for a final four‑lap run to decide pole, with the Fast Six session around 6:35 pm EST and the pole winner earning $100,000 and front‑row starting position. The article also provides the full weekend schedule and progression rules for drivers aiming to line up on the front row.
Alex Palou topped a tense IndyCar qualifying at the Indianapolis road course with a 1:09.7487, earning pole for the Sonsio Grand Prix and extending his streak to three straight IMS road course poles, ahead of Pato O’Ward, Felix Rosenqvist, Christian Lundgaard, David Malukas and Louis Foster.
Kimi Antonelli claimed pole for the 2026 Miami Grand Prix, with Verstappen second and Leclerc third as four manufacturers occupy the front two rows. Norris sits fourth, followed by Russell and Hamilton in the next row, then Piastri, Colapinto, Hadjar and Gasly in the top 10. The rest of the field runs through Hulkenberg, Lawson, Bearman, Sainz, Ocon, Albon, Lindblad, Alonso, Stroll, Bottas, Perez and Bortoleto, completing the 22-car grid.
Mercedes’ 19-year-old Kimi Antonelli took pole for the Miami Grand Prix with Max Verstappen on the front row, as upgrades and weather threaten a chaotic start. Four teams populated the top two rows—Mercedes, Red Bull, Ferrari, and McLaren—setting the stage for a tense race where Antonelli will try to convert pole into victory.
Kimi Antonelli claimed a third consecutive pole at the Miami Grand Prix, holding off Max Verstappen as Red Bull shows improvement in hot, humid conditions. Leclerc qualified third with Norris fourth and Russell fifth, while several midfield contenders were eliminated in Q1/Q2, including Hulkenberg and Bortoleto; Colapinto earned his first-ever Q3 appearance. The race is scheduled for Sunday at 4pm local time.
Ryan Blaney claimed Bristol Motor Speedway’s pole with a 15.101-second lap, edging championship leader Tyler Reddick by 0.023 seconds. Chase Briscoe, Riley Herbst, Ty Gibbs, and the remaining top-10 qualifiers followed, while Alex Bowman was 27th and William Byron 34th in a no-incident qualifying session for 37 cars.
Christopher Bell earned the Pennzoil 400 pole at Las Vegas with a 28.853-second lap (187.156 mph), edging Denny Hamlin by 0.150 seconds. Toyota/JGR locked out the front row with Ty Gibbs third and Bubba Wallace fourth, marking a 1-2-3-4 start for the manufacturer at LVMS.
Kimi Antonelli will start the 2026 Chinese Grand Prix from pole, becoming the youngest pole-sitter in F1 history, with George Russell second and the Ferraris of Hamilton and Leclerc in third and fourth. The grid then features Piastri fifth, Norris sixth, Gasly seventh and Verstappen eighth, while Alex Albon starts from the pit lane amid a weekend of changes; note the grid is provisional until FIA confirmation.
Nineteen-year-old Antonelli claimed pole for the Chinese Grand Prix in a dramatic qualifying session dominated by reliability issues for Russell, including a broken front wing and a late gearbox hiccup. Leclerc led early in Q1, Hamilton finished 0.351 seconds off pole in third, Norris was close for McLaren, and Verstappen lamented a weekend that left the Red Bull undriveable and well off the pace.
Joey Logano grabbed the NASCAR Cup pole for the Phoenix race, edging Kyle Larson by 0.117 seconds as Penske swept the front row. Austin Cindric completed the top three, with Daniel Suarez fourth and Ryan Blaney fifth. Tyler Reddick starts eighth after a practice spin, while Brad Keselowski did not post a time due to a tire issue.
George Russell secured pole for the Australian Grand Prix in Melbourne, clocking a lap that was 0.785 seconds faster than the rest of the field as Mercedes showcased a strong energy-management performance under the new regulations; the Briton described the car as feeling like a go-kart, highlighting the team’s efficient deployment and aerodynamic edge that left rivals scrambling to keep pace.
George Russell claimed pole position in Melbourne as Mercedes delivered a dominant qualifying performance, locking out the front row with Kimi Antonelli beside him. Red Bull’s Isack Hadjar will start third, with Charles Leclerc fourth and McLaren’s Oscar Piastri fifth and Lando Norris sixth completing the top six. Lewis Hamilton heads the next tier in seventh, joined by Liam Lawson and Arvid Lindblad in the top 10, while Nico Hulkenberg and Oliver Bearman sit on row six. Esteban Ocon, Pierre Gasly, Alex Albon and Franco Colapinto fill the next positions, with Fernando Alonso P17, Sergio Perez P18, Valtteri Bottas P19, and Max Verstappen starting P20 after a Q1 crash; Lance Stroll and Carlos Sainz start from the back of the grid.