P1racenews AI automatic summary:
The winners and losers from IndyCar’s first 2024 qualifying session
Yesterday in St. Petersburg, there was an intense battle for pole position between Josef Newgarden of Team Penske, the Indy 500 champion, and Felix Rosenqvist of Meyer Shank Racing. Rosenqvist broke the track record in Q2 with fresh alternate tires but fell just short of claiming his sixth pole position by 0.0058s. This marked Newgarden’s 17th pole, his first since Detroit in 2022, showcasing Penske’s recent improvement in qualifying on road and street courses. The front row showdown between Newgarden and Rosenqvist is the closest in an IndyCar street race since 2012. Notably, they are powered by different engine manufacturers, with Newgarden using Chevrolet and Rosenqvist with Honda. Despite the close competition, Newgarden starts significantly higher than last year while Rosenqvist also improved from his previous season’s qualifying position. Additionally, other drivers like Romain Grosjean and Colton Herta saw changes in their qualifying compared to previous years.
