Team Penske's Scott McLaughlin secured pole position for the Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg with a remarkable final lap time of 59.4624s. The achievement was particularly meaningful following Friday's crash that required extensive overnight repairs by his crew.

Colton Herta held provisional pole with a 59.6369s lap until McLaughlin's last-second effort, settling for second place. Meyer Shank Racing impressed with Felix Rosenqvist and Marcus Armstrong qualifying third and fourth, showcasing the team's successful new technical partnership with Chip Ganassi Racing.

Christian Lundgaard qualified fifth for Arrow McLaren, while six-time IndyCar champion Scott Dixon completed the top six. Notable performances included:

• Alex Palou (defending champion): 8th
• Josef Newgarden (last year's polesitter): 10th
• Nolan Siegel (career-best): 11th
• Rinus VeeKay (new DCR signing): 12th
• Louis Foster (top rookie): 16th

Surprising disappointments:

• Will Power (all-time pole record holder): 13th
• Pato O'Ward: 23rd
• Graham Rahal: 21st

Robert Shwartzman showed impressive pace by qualifying 18th despite limited practice time, while his Prema Racing teammate Callum Ilott qualified 27th in the 27-car field.

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