Indy 500 qualifying: Alex Palou leads Penske drivers after first run on Saturday

The IndyCar grid is gearing up for the Indy 500, but first, the 34-car field needs to be cut down to 33 cars. For this, the first day of qualifying started at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway to secure the first 30 spots on the grid, where Alex Palou emerged as the leader amid the hype around Team Penske drivers.

Race weekend is not a regular one at Indy 500, as practice sessions begin over a week before the race. The qualifying takes place over seven days before the showdown and drivers are provided with even more practice ahead of the event. This allows drivers to smooth out their driving to suit the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and various practice sessions are held before qualifying even goes green.

Team Penske seemingly had the hold over the field as its trio of drivers secured the fastest laps during different practice sessions. But, qualification 1 on Saturday is aimed at drivers making their way into the first 30 spots for the Indy 500 a week later, and not facing the risk of being disqualified from the big race.

With IndyCar having a six-hour-plus qualifying session for the Indy 500, the 34 drivers are ensured at least a single four-lap run if their car passes the technical inspection. Pato O'Ward emerged as the early leader, with Robert Shwartzman recording an impressive qualifying in his rookie run around the track.

On the contrary, Graham Rahal struggled with his car, while Colton Herta horrifically crashed his car. Later on, Alex Palou took over the lead with Scott McLaughlin and Josef Newgarden coming in within a few one-hundredths of a mph at the top of the table.

Let's take a look at the driver order after the first round of qualifying attempts:

1. #10 Alex Palou: 233.043mph
2. #3 Scott McLaughlin: 233.013mph
3. #2 Josef Newgarden: 233.004mph
4. #5 Pato O'Ward: 232.82mph
5. #9 Scott Dixon: 232.659mph
6. #83 Robert Shwartzman - R: 232.584mph
7. #60 Felix Rosenqvist: 232.449mph
8. #4 David Malukas: 232.194mph
9. #75 Takuma Sato: 232.169mph
10. #9 Marcus Ericsson: 232.132mph
11. #12 Will Power: 231.880
12. #8 Kyffin Simpson: 231.641mph
13. #20 Alexander Rossi: 231.510mph
14. #21 Christian Rasmussen: 231.438mph
15. #33 Ed Carpenter: 231.392mph
16. #27 Kyle Kirkwood: 230.917mph
17. #14 Santino Ferrucci: 230.837mph
18. #90 Callum Illott: 230.704mph
19. #6 Nolan Siegel: 230.571mph
20. #45 Louis Foster: 230.566mph
21. #30 Devlin DeFrancesco: 230.415mph
22. #24 Jack Harvey: 230.348mph
23. #77 Sting Ray Robb: 230.335mph
24. #7 Christian Lundgaard: 230.304mph
25. #23 Ryan Hunter-Reay: 230.236mph
26. #17 Kyle Larson: 230.053mph
27. #98 Marco Andretti: 229.857mph
28. #18 Rinus VeeKay: 229.228mph
29. #06 Helio Castroneves: 229.634mph
30. #15 Graham Rahal: 228.686mph
31. #26 Colton Herta: Crash
32. #51 Jacob Abel: Bumped
33. #76 Conor Daly: Lap time deleted

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What will be the format of the Indy 500 qualifying after the initial runs are completed?

While Alex Palou topped the initial run list, some drivers suffered a subpar result. However, the qualifying for the Indy 500 enables drivers to get a second chance to improve their lap times,

For this, drivers have to make a trade-off. The field is split into Lane 1 and Lane 2. Drivers who choose to be in Lane 1 have to get their time off the board and run the risk of not repeating their previous lap time but get priority access to the track.

On the other hand, Lane 2 drivers retain their lap times, but get later access to the track. A usual strategy for drivers at the top of the field is to choose Lane 2, while low-lying drivers take on Lane 1, hoping to make a dent in the top spots before the end of the session.