Pato O’Ward and Christian Lundgaard made headlines on Saturday, March 22, 2025, as they achieved a remarkable front row lockout for Arrow McLaren during the NTT P1 Award qualifying for The Thermal Club INDYCAR Grand Prix. O’Ward expertly clinched his sixth career pole with an impressive lap time of 1 minute, 39.9567 seconds while Lundgaard, driving alongside, secured the second spot with a time of 1:40.1245.
This achievement marked O’Ward’s first pole since July 2022, a significant rebound following his disappointing 23rd place qualifying performance at the season-opening Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg earlier this month. Reflecting on his qualifying success, O’Ward stated, “I knew if we could get the car to my liking, I would get it done. I’ve got to thank the guys. We turned it around.”
Lap times were critically important during this session, and O’Ward’s clinching lap came in the final minute, with 1 minute and 45 seconds remaining in the last qualifying segment, allowing him to save valuable tire wear for the race. In just four laps of the Firestone Fast Six, O’Ward impressively earned pole position, needing fewer laps than only Alexander Rossi who also participated in the segment.
Lundgaard’s qualifying success is noteworthy as it was his best starting position since May 2024 when he qualified second for the Sonsio Grand Prix at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Prior to the qualifying session, Lundgaard had shown promise by being the fastest in pre-qualifying practice.
Arrow McLaren's success on the front row is a substantial milestone, especially considering their previous best qualifying effort of 1-3 from Felix Rosenqvist and Rossi in April 2023 at Texas Motor Speedway since reentering the series in 2020. Completing the qualifying roster, Alex Palou, representing Chip Ganassi Racing, secured third place with a lap of 1:40.3092, demonstrating his competitive edge by having achieved the weekend’s fastest lap of 1:39.5933 in qualifying's first segment.
Palou’s performance in the Fast 12 segment, where he recorded consistent top lap times, positioned him as a serious contender, although he was advised to conserve tire resources for the race. “It was definitely a good session for us, but you always want better,” Palou remarked after qualifying.
Colton Herta followed closely by qualifying fourth with a time of 1:40.3978, while Marcus Ericsson placed fifth at 1:40.7435. Rounding out the top six was Alexander Rossi, boasting a best lap of 1:41.0359 as he continues to impress with Ed Carpenter Racing following his move from last season.
However, not every team enjoyed the same success as Arrow McLaren. Team Penske faced its own set of challenges, failing to advance past the first round of qualifying—a first for the team in over three years. Notably, two-time Indianapolis 500 winner Josef Newgarden found himself in 17th place, while fellow series champion Will Power qualified in 21st place, and Scott McLaughlin ranked 25th in a 27-car field. Such results are significant, recalling the last time all Team Penske drivers failed to make it past the opening segment during road course qualifying was in September 2021 at Portland International Raceway.
As race day approaches, fans are invited to catch the exciting build-up with a 25-minute warmup session scheduled for 11 a.m. ET on Sunday, March 23, 2025, followed by the highly anticipated 65-lap race commencing at 3 p.m. ET. With Pato O’Ward on pole and Lundgaard backing him up, expectations are high for Arrow McLaren as they aim to capitalize on their stellar qualifying performance at The Thermal Club.
