Pole for Honda Indy 200 at Mid-Ohio claimed by IndyCar points leader

LEXINGTON, Ohio — The hybrid power unit era of IndyCar got off to a familiar start on Saturday afternoon as points leader Alex Palou claimed pole for Sunday's Honda Indy 200 at Mid-Ohio. Palou will start at the front of the grid ahead of Arrow McLaren rival Patricio O'Ward by a razor thin margin of .0024 seconds in the first ever hybrid era qualifying with Palou driving a Honda unit and O'Ward in a Chevy. "I thank everybody for the opportunity I have, but to get here it's been incredible, it's been better than all the dreams that I could have imagined," Palou said. "The goal is to try and win the championship again this year. It's going to be tough, but we're in the best position at the moment. (There's) a lot to still do, a lot to still win to try and get to that number at the end of the season." Mid-Ohio has represented the halfway point of the IndyCar schedule since the 2021 season in a sport that hosts a number of different nationalities. Palou, who hails from Spain, is one such driver who sees the Fourth of July weekend as a cultural experience. "I have both minds here, the driver mind and the normal person mind, so I love it on Saturday night, but at the same time I hate it because I sleep at the track on Saturday and I always want to rest and focus on the race," Palou said. "Honestly, it's fun. I think it's the atmosphere that's the most fun. It's normally amazing weather and it's fun overall." Another driver that has experienced Mid-Ohio for more than just another stop on the IndyCar calendar is Swedish driver and Meyer Shank Racing's Felix Rosenqvist, who currently sits 10th in the standings and will start 13th for the race despite being on one of the smallest teams in the field. Rosenqvist said he has appreciation for what Mid-Ohio has to offer for true fans of the sport. "I think Mid-Ohio has always been that event where true IndyCar fans come to celebrate both the Fourth of July and watch some good racing," Rosenqvist said. "It's not the most fancy race we go to, but it's always such a good show and I always love to see the people coming out to watch on the hills around the track that have the coolers and the food with them and just proper racing fans. Mid-Ohio is the first track I did a lap in IndyCar and also my first podium, so for me it feels like home." And while the growth of IndyCar has been seen around Mid-Ohio during the weekend, the sport has taken a major step internationally that has helped the series grow. "There's a bunch of good international drivers that decided to make their careers in the U.S. and IndyCar and I think it's only the beginning," Rosenqvist said. "It's primarily an American series, but it's cool to have that international interest. "I know in Sweden that interest is just growing every year, in motorsport in general, but especially in IndyCar to have three Swedes in the championship it makes it a lot better because when I came over here there wasn't much interest at all and now five years down the line it's huge." For Rosenqvist, Sunday's race opens up a door of opportunity to put behind some tough memories of what could have been. "I feel like Mid-Ohio for me has been an unlucky race the last four years, it's always been a first lap incident of some sort, but there's a lot of track and this time there will be a lot of new challenges in almost every aspect," Rosenqvist said. "We focus mainly on the hybrid, but even the repave is big. A repave can completely transform a track in terms of set up, how the ties behave, degradation and stuff like that. "I feel like it's a little bit of a clean sheet. It's hard to know what to expect and with the hybrid system coming along with that it's about trying to have a solid weekend. Make sure things are reliable and don't break down and we'll take things from there."