Alex Palou clinches Indy 500 pole as penalties and practice crash shake up the field

Defending champion Alex Palou secured the pole for the 110th Indianapolis 500 with a four‑lap average of 232.248 mph, becoming the first reigning winner to do so since 2010. Rossi qualified second and David Malukas third, completing a front row of Chip Ganassi, Ed Carpenter and Team Penske entries.

Technical inspection after qualifying revealed that Caio Collet and Jack Harvey had made unapproved modifications to their Dallara‑supplied energy‑management systems. Both drivers were disqualified, moved to the back of the 33‑car grid and stripped of any qualifying points.

During Monday’s post‑qualifying practice, Alexander Rossi spun in Turn 2, hit the outside wall and was struck by Pato O’Ward’s car, with Romain Grosjean also involved. Rossi was taken to a local hospital for evaluation but remained alert and will keep his front‑row starting position; O’Ward and Grosjean were cleared after brief medical checks. Their teams will rebuild or switch to backup cars before the race.

The developments set the stage for a highly competitive Indy 500, with the pole‑sitter, the penalised drivers and the crash‑affected front‑row starters all vying for victory.