Alex Palou Steps Forward in Mid-Ohio Pre-Qualifying Practice

Alex Palou reminded the rest of the NTT INDYCAR SERIES field that Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course is his personal playground, leading pre-qualifying practice Saturday for The Honda Indy 200 at Mid-Ohio Presented by the All-New 2026 Passport.

Championship leader Palou, the winner of six of the first nine races this season, topped the one-hour session with a best lap of 1 minute, 5.3961 seconds in the No. 10 Open AI Chip Ganassi Racing Honda. Palou has finished on the podium in each of his last four starts at the 13-turn, 2.258-mile roller coaster of a road course, including a victory in 2023.

SEE: Practice Results

Palou will aim for his second straight Mid-Ohio pole and third pole this season in NTT P1 Award qualifying, which starts at 2:30 p.m. ET today (FS1, FOX Sports app, INDYCAR Radio Network). The 90-lap race starts at 1 p.m. ET Sunday (FOX, FOX Sports app, INDYCAR Radio Network).

Christian Lundgaard was second in practice today at 1:05.5529 in the No. 7 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet, followed by rookie Louis Foster at 1:05.5962 in the No. 45 Droplight Honda of Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing.

Reigning Mid-Ohio winner Pato O’Ward put two Arrow McLaren cars in the top four with his best lap of 1:05.7280 in the team’s No. 5 Chevrolet. Felix Rosenqvist rallied from a mechanical problem in the first practice Friday to climb to fifth in this session at 1:05.7945 in the No. 60 SiriusXM Honda of Meyer Shank Racing w/Curb-Agajanian that features this weekend a special tribute livery to famed hard rock singer Ozzy Osbourne and his band Black Sabbath.

Kyle Kirkwood, quickest Friday at 1:05.8272, ended up ninth today at 1:05.9352 in the No. 27 Andretti Global Honda featuring a special Honda livery this weekend.

Once again, the tricky, undulating Mid-Ohio circuit caught out a handful of drivers, especially in Turn 4.

Past Mid-Ohio winners Colton Herta and Scott McLaughlin had off-course excursions through the gravel trap in Turn 4, as did Kyffin Simpson. Nolan Siegel also nearly had a big crash in Turn 5 as his No. 6 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet wiggled on his final lap.

Even Palou wasn’t immune to testing the limits of grip. He drove through the grass in Turn 11 on the lap immediately after his quickest trip around the track.

The only red flag of the session came when 2022 Indianapolis 500 winner Marcus Ericsson nosed into the tire barrier in Turn 13 in his No. 28 FOX INDYCAR Honda of Andretti Global, damaging its front wing and suspension. Ericsson, who was fourth quickest at the time of his crash, was unhurt.