Felix Rosenqvist turned Meyer Shank Racing’s perfect Saturday into a statement by taking pole for the 2026 Acura Long Beach GP Qualifying in a tense Firestone Fast Six. We look at how IndyCar’s multi-segment qualifying format shook out on the tight California street circuit.
Round 1, Group 1
MSR and Arrow McLaren came out swinging in the opening session. Rosenqvist set the early benchmark with a 1:07.4691 in Group 1, leading O’Ward by 0.1674s as both advanced. David Malukas and Christian Lundgaard slotted into P3 and P4, with Scott McLaughlin and Rinus VeeKay joining them in the Top 6. Behind that lead pack, the margins were small. Marcus Armstrong missed the cut in seventh by just 0.003s to VeeKay. Marcus Ericsson, Louis Foster, Dennis Hauger, Mick Schumacher, and Romain Grosjean were also eliminated.
Round 1, Group 2
Group 2 belonged to Chip Ganassi Racing and Andretti Global, with Scott Dixon leading the way. The six‑time champion produced a 1:07.5230 to top the session. He edged out teammate Alex Palou by 0.0234s. Will Power and Kyle Kirkwood locked out P3 and P4, while Kyffin Simpson and Graham Rahal completed the Top 6 for Group 2. There was disappointment here, too. Josef Newgarden was first-man-out in P7, only 0.0169s behind Rahal. For Newgarden and Rossi, starting deep in the pack will be a tough ask around Long Beach’s narrow, concrete‑lined layout.
Round 2
The Top‑12 shootout showed just how little separated the drivers. Malukas topped Round 2 with a 1:07.2447 for Team Penske. He was just ahead of Palou, who missed out by only 0.0117s. Rosenqvist was P3, with Kirkwood, O’Ward, and Dixon filling the remaining Firestone Fast Six spots. Power was pipped at the very last second by Dixon, despite a lap of 1:07.5163. McLaughlin, Simpson, Rahal, Lundgaard, and VeeKay were also eliminated. For Simpson, Rahal, and VeeKay, making the Top 12 was still a strong showing.
Firestone Fast Six
The new Street Circuit, single‑car, one‑lap Fast Six format lets drivers go all-out. Rosenqvist went out third and delivered a 1:07.4635 that became the time to beat. He then watched on anxiously as the final three runners chased his time. “Watching it was nerve‑wracking,” he admitted. “My old buddy Pato there at the end, that was close. That was a good lap.” O’Ward elected to run last, preferring to have the deltas on his dash. He came within 0.0441s of stealing it with a 1:07.5076. That will lead to his best Long Beach start at a track that has usually been a struggle for him. “This is by far the best qualifying day I’ve had here,” he said. “I told my engineer I’m sick and tired of sucking here… we’ve brought something completely new, and it just feels like a completely different car.”
Palou’s 1:07.5289 secured P3, while Kirkwood, Malukas, and Dixon completed a Fast Six covered by under 0.4 seconds. For Rosenqvist, who arrived in Long Beach only P14 in the standings, the pole felt like the reset he and MSR had been chasing: “We said we needed a little turnaround… it certainly worked well. Better than I dared expect.”
Up Next: 2026 Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach
Long Beach has not always rewarded polesitters, but starting up front is a definite advantage on the eleven‑turn street circuit. Rosenqvist expects a two‑stop race to be the winning play, with tire life on the Alternate (Softs) Firestone reds, fuel saving, and traffic management likely to dictate how hard the leaders can push. O’Ward, Palou, and Kirkwood all must believe their respective strategies will be as decisive as outright pace. With an MSR team chasing a rare IMSA‑IndyCar sweep (having won the GTP category of IMSA’s GP), Sunday’s 2026 Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach is set up to be a high‑stakes street‑fight.
Feature Image Credit: Chris Jones | Penske Entertainment