Rosenqvist will be joined on the front row by Pato O’Ward.

LONG BEACH, Calif. — For the first time in roughly two years, Felix Rosenqvist will lead the IndyCar field to the green flag Sunday afternoon on the streets of Long Beach. 

Rosenqvist secured the pole during the final round of Saturday’s qualifying session when former teammate Pato O’Ward just couldn’t top the Swede’s lap of 1:07.4635. 



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Earlier in the week, IndyCar announced it was altering the format of its final round of qualifying for street courses only. Instead of having the top-six cars run for the pole all at the same time, they will now complete single-car runs to determine the starting order of the first three rows. 

“I think it’s amazing,” Rosenqvist said of the new qualifying format. “You have to adapt. I actually felt like I had a lot of grip. There will certainly be tracks where you feel like you’re on ice, which is also kind of cool, because it’s the same for everyone.”

It wasn’t just Rosenqvist praising the new format. Second place qualifier Pato O’Ward also had positive things to say about it.

“I love it. I think it’s a great addition to the show. Like I’ve mentioned before, it’s great to see the pole laps,” O’Ward said after qualifying. “I think this way you can also appreciate the laps second, third, fourth, fifth and sixth have done.”

Reigning series champion Alex Palou will start third on Sunday alongside last year’s Long Beach winner Kyle Kirkwood in fourth. Kirkwood currently leads the points championship by two points over Palou heading into Sunday’s race. 

Rounding out the top-six were Team Penske’s David Malukas and six-time series champion Scott Dixon, who earned his highest starting position of the season with his sixth place qualifying effort. 

Andretti driver Will Power just missed out on advancing to the final round of qualifying and will start seventh. 


McLaughlin’s Rebound

Practice sessions have not been too kind to Scott McLaughlin recently. 

During the series’ most recent outing at Barber Motorsports Park, McLaughlin had a terrifying practice crash in which he lost control heading into Turn 1 and crashed rear-first into the retaining wall, piercing the catch fencing and causing his No. 3 Chevrolet to land partially outside the race track. 

A similar bout of bad luck hit the Kiwi once again during Friday’s practice session.

McLaughlin crashed into the tire barriers in the final sector and damaged his Team Penske machine that’s wrapped in a special livery that is nearly identical to the one Hélio Castroneves drove in 2011. 

After the crash, McLaughlin’s team worked tirelessly to repair the car and get it race ready for Sunday. Despite not making the “Fast Six,” McLaughlin was still the second-highest qualifying Team Penske car and will start eighth on Sunday. 

Turn 9 shows no mercy 🫣

Practice 1 ends early for Scott McLaughlin. pic.twitter.com/CslpVs5oAT

— NTT INDYCAR SERIES (@IndyCar) April 17, 2026


Siegel’s Slump

The Arrow McLaren cars will be spread throughout the field on Sunday. O’Ward will start on the front row while teammate Christian Lundgaard, who nearly won last time out in Barber had it not been for a snafu on his final pit stop, will start eleventh. 

And then there’s Nolan Siegel, who will roll off shotgun on the field in 25th — last place. 

A dismal qualifying effort is just scratching the surface of Siegel’s Long Beach weekend. 

During the Saturday practice session, Siegel drew the ire of Will Power who struggled to pass the No. 6 Chevrolet in the final sector. Siegel then was seen returning the favor, driving closely to Power in what appeared to be an attempt to send a message. 

Will Power 🆚 Nolan Siegel 😬 pic.twitter.com/YqBMmwQajy

— NTT INDYCAR SERIES (@IndyCar) April 18, 2026

Later during the session, Siegel found himself with a broken front suspension after tagging the wall in the second sector. 

The crash rendered his Arrow McLaren machine undrivable and forced him to end the session early. 

A closer look at the trouble in Long Beach Practice 2 for Nolan Siegel. pic.twitter.com/bHjdvwsnTu

— INDYCAR on FOX (@IndyCarOnFOX) April 18, 2026

So far this season, Siegel has struggled compared to his teammates. His best finish came in the previous race at Barber where he finished 18th. He opened the season with back-to-back 20th place finishes at St. Petersburg and Phoenix before finishing second-to-last at Arlington after a late-race crash. 

Siegel has not recorded a top-ten since an eighth place finish at Road America last year. 

The Grand Prix of Long Beach is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. Sunday, April 19. Click here for the full starting lineup.