Alex Palou once again asserted his dominance at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course by leading the pre-qualifying practice on Saturday for The Honda Indy 200 at Mid-Ohio Presented by the All-New 2026 Passport. The current championship leader, who has secured six wins in the first nine races of the season, posted the fastest lap at 1 minute, 5.3961 seconds in his No. 10 Open AI Chip Ganassi Racing Honda.
Palou’s strong performance continues his impressive run at this challenging 13-turn, 2.258-mile road course, where he has finished on the podium in his last four attempts, including a victory in 2023.
Tough Competition and Race Schedule Ahead
Palou is poised to target his second consecutive Mid-Ohio pole and third pole position of the season during the NTT P1 Award qualifying, set to begin at 2:30 p.m. ET today. The main event, a 90-lap race, will follow on Sunday at 1 p.m. ET.
Behind Palou in practice was Christian Lundgaard, who clocked a time of 1:05.5529 in the No. 7 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet. Rookie Louis Foster impressed with a third-place best lap of 1:05.5962 in the No. 45 Droplight Honda for Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing.
Pato O’Ward, the reigning Mid-Ohio winner, demonstrated his consistency by placing two Arrow McLaren cars within the top four, securing fourth place at 1:05.7280 in the No. 5 Chevrolet. Felix Rosenqvist overcame a mechanical issue from Friday’s first practice to reach fifth position with a 1:05.7945 lap in the No. 60 SiriusXM Honda of Meyer Shank Racing, which this weekend features a special tribute livery honoring rock legend Ozzy Osbourne and Black Sabbath.
Challenges Faced by Drivers on the Circuit
Kyle Kirkwood, fastest on Friday with a 1:05.8272, fell back to ninth place in Saturday’s session with a time of 1:05.9352, piloting the No. 27 Andretti Global Honda, which sports a unique Honda-themed livery for the event. The Mid-Ohio track’s tricky layout caused struggles for several drivers, particularly at Turn 4, where former winners Colton Herta and Scott McLaughlin went off the racing line into the gravel trap, along with Kyffin Simpson.
Nolan Siegel also narrowly avoided a major incident at Turn 5 when his No. 6 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet nearly lost control on his final lap. Even Palou experienced the circuit’s grip limits when he ran off onto the grass at Turn 11 immediately after setting his quick lap.
Incident Shakes Practice Session
The only interruption came when Marcus Ericsson, last year’s Indianapolis 500 champion, crashed into the tire barrier at Turn 13 while driving the No. 28 FOX INDYCAR Honda for Andretti Global. At the time of the crash, Ericsson was fourth fastest in the session. Although his front wing and suspension suffered damage, Ericsson was unharmed.
“He drove through the grass in Turn 11 on the lap immediately after his quickest trip around the track.” —Anonymous
Looking Ahead to Qualifying and Race Day
This strong practice performance by Alex Palou confirms his continued dominance at Mid-Ohio and sets up an intense qualifying battle later today. With several top contenders showing speed but also facing the course’s challenges, the upcoming sessions will be critical in determining race-day positions. Fans can expect a competitive Honda Indy 200, where Palou aims not just for pole position but to extend his lead in the championship standings.
Our Reader’s Queries
Q. Did McLaren sue Alex Palou over $47.5 million contract dispute?
A. McLaren has broken a 26-year streak without a title. After the upcoming 24-hour Daytona race, Alex Palou, a three-time IndyCar champion, needs to travel to London. The journey is for a mediation meeting with McLaren, which is suing him for a contract breach worth at least $47.5 million.
