Shwartzman takes first place in Indy 500 standings

In a qualifying session that rewrote expectations, Robert Shwartzman secured pole position this Sunday for the 109th running of the Indianapolis 500.

It feels unreal. I'm speechless. The car responded perfectly. I never imagined being in this position in my first oval experience.

The 25-year-old Israeli driver, facing his first oval track in his career, achieved a four-lap average speed of 232.790 mph (374.641 km/h) in his #83 Chevrolet-powered car, becoming the first rookie to earn this position since Teo Fabi did it 42 years ago.

A meteoric rise during the week

Shwartzman's journey in the days leading up to qualifying magnifies his achievement. The PREMA team, with Shwartzman and teammate Callum Ilott, completed just 22 laps combined during the first practice day due to delays in their preparations for their first appearance on this type of track.

Shwartzman was 33rd out of 34 participants on the first day, rose only to 28th on Wednesday, and fell back to 32nd on Thursday. However, his car showed great performance on Friday after power levels were increased, finishing 13th.

On Saturday, the first official qualifying day, Shwartzman advanced to the Top 12 session by finishing sixth. This Sunday he improved to third place with 232.008 mph in that session, before his extraordinary final run to secure pole position.

I want to acknowledge my engineers' work. They did an exceptional job, improving the car step by step and experimenting with new setups. Each modification brought us closer to the optimal point where the car responded perfectly.

Star-studded front row for the race

Takuma Sato, two-time Indy 500 winner, will join Shwartzman on the front row after qualifying second with 232.478 mph in the #75 Honda for Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing. Patricio "Pato" O'Ward will start third, having recorded 232.098 mph in the #5 Chevrolet for Arrow McLaren.

Trouble for Team Penske

Team Penske faced difficulties when drivers Josef Newgarden and Will Power couldn't complete their scheduled attempts in the Top 12 session due to a violation of INDYCAR rule 14.7.8.16, related to unauthorized modifications to the rear of their cars.

Last qualifiers and non-qualifiers

Marco Andretti, Marcus Armstrong and Rinus VeeKay secured the final three spots on the grid in the Last Chance qualifying session. Andretti, grandson of 1969 winner Mario Andretti, will start 31st in the #98 Honda.

I was mentally prepared for this situation since yesterday. It was very strange. We were satisfied all week. The #51 car had good pace, but something seemed to change overnight from Friday to Saturday, and we suddenly lost speed.

The 109th running of the Indianapolis 500 will take place next Sunday, May 25, with coverage beginning at 10:00 a.m. (Eastern Time).