Bobby Travis · NASCAR/IndyCar-Korrespondent
On the brand-new street course in Markham, Louis Foster became the track's first-ever pole sitter, while Álex Palou ended his qualifying run against the wall.
IndyCar visited Markham, Ontario, for the first time this weekend, relocating from Toronto's Exhibition Place after nearly 40 years. Friday was a complete loss due to track construction running behind schedule, forcing the entire program into a single Saturday. Within that compressed timeframe, qualifying delivered a genuine shock, with a rookie earning pole position and the championship leader suffering a major setback.
Foster's Masterclass in the Fast Six
Louis Foster left no doubt about who had the pace on the new 12-turn course this Saturday. In the Firestone Fast Six, the Rahal Letterman Lanigan driver posted a lap of 1:13.2383 to secure his first career pole position. After finishing third in the opening practice and clocking the best time in the second session, this was no fluke but rather the logical continuation of a weekend where Foster adapted to the new asphalt better than his competition.
Behind him came Christian Lundgaard (1:13.6352) and Scott McLaughlin (1:13.6804), both less than three-tenths off the pace. Marcus Ericsson rounded out the top four with 1:13.8383, Dennis Hauger led the remaining rookies to fifth, and Rinus VeeKay completed the Fast Six in sixth. A tight field that underscores how quickly drivers have adapted to the new circuit despite the compressed schedule.
Palou's Crash in Round Two
For Álex Palou, the afternoon unfolded in a completely different manner. The championship leader, who had arrived in Markham with a 110-point advantage, initially breezed through the second qualifying round. There, however, he lost control of his Ganassi Honda and hit the wall hard. His session ended prematurely, his car sustained significant damage, and Palou was ultimately classified in 12th place with a time of 1:17.4292.
For a driver who has dominated the season and recently claimed his sixth win of the year in Portland, a sixth-row starting spot is a sharp sting, though his points buffer is large enough to absorb a single difficult Saturday. The exact impact of the lost Friday and the missing setup refinement on the mistake remains unclear, but one thing is certain: Palou will need to charge from further back than his championship standing suggests.
Stranded at the Back of the Field
Two unexpected names appeared at the bottom of the timing sheet. Will Power, who had already suffered a significant impact with the wall in turns nine and ten during the second practice session, could manage only a time of 1:20.5647 in qualifying and qualified 24th. The repairs to his Andretti Honda following the practice crash apparently left little room for optimal preparation. Josef Newgarden closed out the session as the slowest driver, clocking 1:21.0448, several seconds off the pace.
Sunday's grid presents a field full of contrasts: a rookie at the front tasked with converting his first pole into a win on a track nobody has race experience on, a tightly bunched midfield through the top ten, and three title contenders or experienced winners in Palou, Power, and Newgarden starting considerably further back than usual. On a completely new street circuit where no one has accumulated race knowledge, that setup could produce exactly the kind of race where grid position matters far less than normal.
