‘It was a phenomenal day’: Arrow McLaren dominates first day of Indy 500 qualifying
INDIANAPOLIS -- Arrow McLaren had an exceptional first day of qualifications for the 2023 Indianapolis 500.
All four of Arrow McLaren’s drivers placed in the top eight Saturday, each securing a spot in the Indianapolis 500. Because of their runs, they each earned a spot in the Fast 12, giving them a chance at the pole on Sunday. The 12 fastest drivers will take a qualifying run Sunday at 2 p.m., with the six best taking another run to determine the pole winner.
Though having unique backgrounds, including ages spanning from 24 to 48 years old, the Arrow McLaren drivers have meshed together nicely.
“You really feel the confidence in the team is growing on the engineering side, driver’s side, especially now with Tony and Alex joining,” Felix Rosenqvist said. “Yeah, it’s a good environment, fun. I feel like we’re able to attack, if we have tough days, we’re good at bouncing back quickly, which usually puts us in the mix.”
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Rosenqvist put up the most impressive run of the day, finishing atop the leaderboard after recording an average speed of 233.947 mph across four laps on his second qualifying run. That run was the third fastest qualifying average in Indianapolis 500 history.
Arrow McLaren’s Alexander Rossi finished second behind Rosenqvist on Saturday’s leaderboard with an average speed of 233.528.
Racing veteran Tony Kanaan placed 6th on Saturday with an average speed of 233.347. Kanaan, a fan favorite, won the 2013 Indianapolis 500. Kanaan placed 3rd in the Indianapolis 500 last year. A major storyline entering this year’s race is that it's expected to be Kanaan’s last Indy 500. Saturday, though, showed he is a serious contender.
“I’m not leaving or quitting IndyCar racing because I don’t think I’m competitive or anything like that,” Kanaan said. “I just think it’s time.”
Pato O’Ward finished Saturday 8th with an average speed of 233.252. The 24-year-old has had a splendid start to the 2023 season, finishing second in three of the five races and enters the Indianapolis 500 2nd in the IndyCar standings.
“I think it was a phenomenal day for us as a team,” Rosenqvist said. “And I think we have the right to celebrate for a couple of hours and then kind of resetting tomorrow.”
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Indy 500: Arrow McLaren with phenomenal 1st of Indy 500 qualifying
