Arrow McLaren Asserts Control at Thermal as Rivals Stumble in Qualifying

Arrow McLaren delivered a powerful message at The Thermal Club on Saturday, locking out the front row for the first time in team history. Pato O’Ward led the charge with a best lap of 1:39.9567 in the Firestone Fast Six, securing his first NTT P1 Award in nearly three years. Teammate Christian Lundgaard completed the sweep, giving the team significant momentum heading into Sunday’s race.

The qualifying result capped a steady upward trend for Arrow McLaren across the weekend, marking a breakout moment in 2025 — and setting up a compelling contrast with the struggles of traditional powerhouses Team Penske and Chip Ganassi Racing.

From Lower-Tier to Front Row: The Arrow McLaren Progression

Arrow McLaren’s performance in Practice 1 offered hints of potential but not dominance. Lundgaard ranked 24th in the combined charts, while O’Ward was a quiet sixth overall with a 1:40.9092 — solid, but just outside the top five.

By Practice 2, the momentum was building. Lundgaard vaulted to the top of the session with a 1:40.6421 on alternate tires, while O’Ward improved to fifth quickest. Both drivers looked increasingly at ease with the circuit and tire characteristics, setting the stage for their qualifying breakthrough.

“We didn’t start the day amazing,” O’Ward admitted. “Q1 was kind of getting there. We just made a bit of an adjustment, and it brought the car alive in Q2.”

O’Ward’s pole lap came after the halfway mark in the Firestone Fast Six — a composed effort that reflected confidence in both setup and approach. It marked his first pole since Mid-Ohio in 2022 and capped a run of consistency through all three segments. He credited a breakthrough in understanding how to adapt his driving style to the hybrid package.

“I had to change my driving style,” he said. “The approach to how you extract lap time from the car is very different now. We figured it out this weekend.”

Lundgaard, who has now gone two-for-two in Fast Six appearances to start his Arrow McLaren career, was just 0.1678 seconds behind his teammate in Round 3. The Danish driver is quickly emerging as both a trusted contributor and a true internal rival.

“It’s important to be there when it counts, and we were today,” Lundgaard said. “We’re just going to keep evolving and pushing each other.”

Saturday’s performance marked a first for Arrow McLaren in its INDYCAR history — a full front-row lockout. While the team has had strong individual qualifying runs in recent seasons, it had never placed two cars at the front of the grid until now.

The most recent pole for the team before this weekend came courtesy of Felix Rosenqvist at Laguna Seca in 2023. But a one-two punch in qualifying had eluded the organization, even during standout moments like Rosenqvist’s pole at Texas that year where O’Ward qualified third.

The Thermal result represents not just a statistical milestone, but a symbolic one for a team long intent on challenging the sport’s traditional heavyweights.

Contrast with Penske and Missed Opportunity for Ganassi

While Arrow McLaren surged, Team Penske faltered. None of the organization’s three entries advanced beyond Round 1. Scott McLaughlin spun in Group 1 and was penalized for causing a local yellow, ultimately qualifying 25th. Josef Newgarden and Will Power were knocked out early and will start 17th and 21st, respectively.

The Penske trio’s early exit highlighted a surprising lack of one-lap pace at Thermal, and the absence of a single car in Round 2 was a rare occurrence for the team on a road course.

At Chip Ganassi Racing, the signs pointed toward a pole for Alex Palou, who topped both Round 1 and Round 2 sessions with laps of 1:39.5933 and 1:39.6518. But in the Firestone Fast Six, the reigning series champion slipped to third.

Palou still looks like a strong contender for Sunday, but the inability to capitalize on his early-session dominance echoed the missed opportunity in St. Petersburg — where he also topped a Round 1 segment but failed to advance beyond the second round of qualifying.

Rossi Delivers a Boost for Ed Carpenter Racing

Beyond the Arrow McLaren sweep, one of the standout stories of the session was Alexander Rossi’s advance to the Firestone Fast Six in his second race with Ed Carpenter Racing. His lap of 1:41.0359 earned him sixth on the provisional grid — ECR’s best qualifying result on a road course since Rinus VeeKay’s pole at Barber in 2022.

While VeeKay also qualified second at the 2023 Indianapolis 500, Saturday’s performance by Rossi suggests the team may be turning a corner in its road course competitiveness.

It also gives ECR a potential wild card in a race expected to be defined by tire degradation, strategy variation, and track position.

A New Era Under Kanaan

Arrow McLaren’s result was also a milestone moment for Tony Kanaan, who took over as Team Principal of the INDYCAR program this season. His presence in a leadership role — bringing experience, credibility and a racer’s perspective — has been widely credited with helping foster performance continuity within the organization.

“He brings a racer mentality, and that’s what’s pushing the team forward,” O’Ward said. “We like having him around.”

For Lundgaard, the new team environment has given him structure and tools to elevate his performance. “I show up more prepared,” he said. “I have more information than I’ve ever had before. It’s helping both of us get better.”

With this weekend’s front-row lockout, Arrow McLaren has its best chance yet to challenge the established order. And while one-lap pace doesn’t guarantee race-day results, the team now enters Sunday’s 65-lap showdown with confidence, chemistry and clear momentum.

“We want to beat the big guys,” O’Ward said. “We need multiple cars at the front. Penske has it. Ganassi has it. Now it’s our turn.”

On Saturday at Thermal, Arrow McLaren didn’t just show up. They set the standard.