IndyCar Arlington 2026: Schumacher out in Q1 – first pole for Ericsson

– The first edition of the IndyCar Series Grand Prix of Arlington will start on Sunday with Marcus Ericsson (Andretti-Honda) as the first-time pole sitter, while Mick Schumacher (Rahal-Honda) will tackle his “home race” in the US state of Texas from 17th on the grid.

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In qualifying, Schumacher’s run on the brand-new street circuit in the Dallas/Fort Worth area ended right in the first segment – just like at the season opener on the street circuit in St. Petersburg (Florida) (Result: Qualifying in Arlington, Q1 – Group 1).

The 17th grid position achieved by Schumacher with a time of 1:34.839 minutes represents an improvement compared to his position from Friday practice (P21), but a deterioration compared to his position from Saturday practice (P14).

For Mick Schumacher “more would have been possible”

When the red-marked soft tires (“Reds”) were fitted in qualifying, the rookie driving for Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing (RLL) failed to improve. “It was a combination of things,” said Schumacher. “I think we actually had the pace to advance. But I didn’t feel that the combination of grip and setup was right on the Reds. More would have been possible.”

Schumacher’s teammates Louis Foster and Graham Rahal also failed at the Q1 hurdle – Foster (13th) very narrowly in Group 1, Rahal (24th) clearly in Group 2. Among the three rookies in the 2026 IndyCar field, Schumacher ranked second in Arlington qualifying – behind Caio Collet (Foyt-Chevrolet; 16th), but ahead of Dennis Hauger (Coyne-Honda; 19th), both of whom also missed out on entering Q2.

Although Schumacher was faster than Collet in terms of lap time, because the Brazilian finished P8 in his group, he takes precedence on the starting grid over Schumacher, who finished P9 in Group 1 with a better lap time (Starting grid for the Grand Prix of Arlington).

Scott McLaughlin crashes in Q1: 25th on the grid

Among those who had to pack up in the Q1 segment were six-time IndyCar champion Scott Dixon (Ganassi-Honda; 20th) and, most notably, Scott McLaughlin (Penske-Chevrolet; 25th). McLaughlin, who had been the fastest in Friday practice (FP1), was a co-favorite for pole and was initially on course for a safe Q2 entry. But then McLaughlin slid into the wall at Turn 8.

Because there was a brief interruption of Q1 running with the red flag due to McLaughlin’s crash, his two fastest laps up to that point were deleted. This is what the IndyCar regulations state. This sealed his Q1 exit and the last starting position. “I just turned in a bit too early and hit the inside wall. I’m sorry for my guys, it was a stupid mistake,” said McLaughlin. He was not the only one who made a mistake.

Kyle Kirkwood with a mental error in Q2

The twelve-driver Q2 segment also marked the end of the road for McLaughlin’s Penske teammates Josef Newgarden and David Malukas. Kyle Kirkwood (Andretti-Honda), the two Carpenter teammates Christian Rasmussen and Alexander Rossi, as well as Santino Ferrucci (Foyt-Chevrolet) also failed to advance.

Kirkwood, who was considered a street circuit specialist and, like McLaughlin, a co-favorite for pole, made a faux pas that forced him to settle for 7th on the grid. “I had forgotten which lap I had to attack on. For some reason, I had lap 2 in my head, but we had fuel for three laps on board,” said the Andretti driver. In the 2026 IndyCar overall standings, Kirkwood is second behind championship leader Josef Newgarden ahead of the Arlington race.

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Speaking of Newgarden: His No. 2 Penske-Chevrolet was not the primary car in the light blue/white PPG design after the FP2 crash in Turn 2, but the backup car. This one still featured the yellow/white XPEL design from last weekend on the sidepods, as it was actually Newgarden’s winning car from Phoenix. With this car, but with PPG logos and of course with a setup for Arlington, the two-time IndyCar champion achieved no more than 11th on the grid.

Marcus Ericsson with first IndyCar pole in experimental Q3

In the battle for pole and the other positions in the top 6 of the starting grid, there was an innovation this time. The six-driver Q3 segment – known in the IndyCar Series as the “Fast Six” – was held as an individual time trial for the premiere of the Arlington street circuit.

This means that the six fastest drivers from the twelve-driver Q2 segment took to the track one after the other in Q3 this time – and not for six minutes as is usually the case, but each for a single flying lap. Marcus Ericsson (Andretti-Honda), as the sixth fastest from Q2, opened the redesigned “Fast Six” segment, while Alex Palou (Ganassi-Honda) was allowed to go last thanks to his Q2 best time.

The Q3 best time was ultimately recorded for Ericsson. None of the five remaining competitors could match the time of 1:34.356 minutes he set immediately – not even Palou. The four-time and reigning IndyCar champion driving for Ganassi was the second fastest, but was almost half a second slower than Ericsson.

For Ericsson, it is the first pole in his 98th IndyCar qualifying. What’s more: for the former Formula 1 driver, it is the first pole ever since the GP2 weekend at Silverstone in 2013. That was almost 13 years ago. “I’ve really waited long enough for this now,” beamed Ericsson and immediately thanked his Andretti crew: “The guys did an incredible job. I just think this qualifying format is great. Thanks, guys!”

Race start on Sunday one hour earlier

Behind pole sitter Marcus Ericsson and the second fastest Alex Palou, Patricio “Pato” O’Ward (McLaren-Chevrolet; 3rd) and Ericsson’s new Andretti teammate Will Power (4th) will start from the second row on Sunday. For Power, it is the first significant result since his move from Penske to Andretti. On the third row for Sunday’s rolling start are the two Shank teammates Felix Rosenqvist (5th) and Marcus Armstrong (6th).

Whether the experiment of a Q3 in single-car mode will now also be adopted for other street circuits and possibly also for permanent road courses in the 2026 IndyCar calendar remains to be seen. IndyCar has announced that it will evaluate the initially one-off attempt following this weekend and decide thereafter.

The first edition of the Grand Prix of Arlington will be held on Sunday over a race distance of 70 laps. The green flag for the start of the race is scheduled for shortly after 17:00 CET, converted to Central European Time. Compared to the original schedule, the start time has been moved forward by one hour. Reason: Strong winds are forecast for Arlington on Sunday afternoon (IndyCar Arlington: Schedule, TV, all info).

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