– What a turnaround for Mick Schumacher (RLL-Honda): In the second IndyCar race of the season, the son of Formula 1 legend Michael Schumacher starts from the second row. (Qualifying result)
Read more Carlos Sainz rules out Team Principal role: “Pure chaos”
After it had already been hinted at in free practice that something was possible at Phoenix International Raceway, Schumacher, as the last in the overall standings, had to be the first to take to the track. This was even a slight advantage because the track was still slightly cooler than for the drivers after him. On the other hand, he had less rubber buildup available than his successors.
Schumacher completed two rock-solid laps of 173,776 and 173,558 miles per hour – on ovals, the time is traditionally given in average speed. His qualifying speed was thus 173,667 mph (279,49 km/h).
“That somehow went by pretty quickly,” Schumacher jokes. In fact, the two laps on the 1-mile oval only took him 41,459 seconds.
“It’s great to have had this experience,” the 26-year-old continued. “I think we put in two good laps, so we should be in the mix and hopefully have a good starting position.”
Read more Leclerc jokes about Hamilton: “Maybe he’ll give me the world title”
After that, it was a matter of waiting. IndyCar legend Scott Dixon (Ganassi-Honda) did not match Schumacher’s time, and then Will Power (Andretti-Honda), the best qualifier in the history of the racing series, took to the start. But Power threw it away again; incredibly, the two-time champion suffered his third crash of the season in one and a half race weekends.
“No idea what happened,” the 45-year-old said in disbelief. “It was just so much more oversteery than this morning. It’s very strange and tough. I felt comfortable in the car all day, but this is a really rough start to the year.”
Pole position was secured by David Malukas (Penske-Chevrolet; 1.) with an average of 175.383 mph (282.25 km/h)
Read more Porsche 911 GT3 by Manthey: When incredibly fast isn’t enough
- IndyCarIndyCar Phoenix 2026: Mick third fastest Honda after problems!
- Formula 1Long-run shock in Australia: Russell and Mercedes demolish the competition!
- Formula 1“Total disaster”: Aston Martin situation for Glock “absolute low blow”
- MotoGPPramac certain: Toprak Razgatlioglu will be “at the top sooner or later”
Refresh page! A detailed report will follow shortly here.
