Felix Rosenqvist and Alex Palou will be at the front of the pack for Sunday morning’s pair of qualifying heats, which will decide the 12 IndyCar drivers moving forward into the Thermal $1 million Challenge.
The special race, set up for TV, will only feature 12 of the 27 IndyCar drivers. But to make it into the event, drivers have to qualify in two earlier heat races. The starting grids for these heats were determined on Saturday through two quick qualifying sessions.
“Even though there are no points on the line, I felt more pressure during qualifying than usual,” Rosenqvist mentioned.
Rosenqvist set the pace in the first group, completing a lap in 1 minute and 38.5831 seconds on the private track near Coachella. The group included top drivers like Josef Newgarden and Scott Dixon.
“The competition will be fierce,” Rosenqvist noted. “A good start will be crucial.” The top six finishers in the heats will move into the “A Main” race, where they’ll compete for a $500,000 prize over 20 laps split into two segments.
Originally, the prize was supposed to be $1 million, but due to some issues with the members of the Thermal Club, it was reduced. The club members were supposed to contribute to the prize money, but they decided against it.
The heat races will be 10 laps or 20 minutes, and caution laps won’t count. “People will push hard to get into the main race,” said Pato O’Ward.
In the second qualifying group, Palou was slightly quicker than Rosenqvist. McLaren had a strong showing initially but faced challenges due to changing weather conditions and ended up with Alexander Rossi as the highest-qualifying driver.
“The track was challenging due to heat and wind,” O’Ward explained. “The gusty winds made it tricky to control the cars.”
