Rookie Robert Shwartzman wins pole position for the 2025 Indianapolis 500 for Prema Racing, which is in its first year of IndyCar Series racing.
The 25-year-old Israeli drove his No. 83 Chevrolet to 232.790 mph over four laps on the 2.5-mile Indianapolis Motor Speedway oval during Fast Six qualifying.
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“Honestly, it feels like I’m dreaming,” he said after climbing from his car in the Fast Six. “The car felt amazing, so fast.”
Shwartzman is the first rookie to qualify for the pole position since Teo Fabi in 1983. Tony Stewart started first in 1996 after pole-winning driver Scott Brayton died in post-qualifying practice.
The Indy 500 will be Shwartzman’s first career oval race.
Two-time race winner Takuma Sato and two-time runner-up Pato O’Ward will start on the front row.
Team Penske suffers several issues Sunday, and its drivers must settle for fourth-row starting spots.
Here is the full 33-car starting grid for the 2025 Indianapolis 500.
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Indy 500 Fast Six qualifying
Six drivers get one attempt each. The fastest earns pole position for the 2025 Indy 500. Takuma Sato goes first, and Felix Rosenqvist last.
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(60) Felix Rosenqvist, Meyer Shank, Honda, 231.987
(5) Pato O’Ward, Arrow McLaren, Chevrolet, 232.098
(83) Robert Shwartzman, Prema, Chevrolet, 232.790
(9) Scott Dixon, Chip Ganassi Racing, Honda, 232.052
(10) Alex Palou, Chip Ganassi Racing, Honda, 231.378
(75) Takuma Sato, Rahal Letterman Lanigan, Honda, 232.478
Indy 500 last chance qualifying
Drivers are allowed multiple attempts in the 1-hour session, starting at 5:20 p.m.
(51) Jacob Abel, 226.394 mph; he misses the 33-car starting grid
(18) Rinus Veekay, 226.913, down about .8 mph from his withdrawn run.
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Dale Coyne, who owns both cars: “You ever play chess with yourself?”
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Rinus Veekay pulls his time, which had been 33rd fastest, anticipating Jacob Abel improving in the closing minutes.
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Jacob Abel’s speed, too slow to make the field, is thrown out because his team performs unapproved work on pit road.
(18) Rinus Veekay, Dale Coyne Racing, Honda, 227.740; Jacob Abel is on the outside of the 33-car grid.
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(51) Jacob Abel, Dale Coyne Racing, Honda, 227.112
(98) Marco Andretti, Andretti Global, Honda, 229.741
(66) Marcus Armstrong, Meyer Shank, Honda, 229.091
Indy 500 qualifying for top 12 today, May 18
Felix Rosenqvist, Pato O’Ward, Robert Shwartzman, Scott Dixon, Alex Palou and Takuma Sato advance to the Fast Six. David Malukas, Christian Lundgaard and Marcus Ericsson will make up Row 3. The Team Penske cars (Scott McLaughlin, Josef Newgarden, Will Power, based on Saturday’s qualifying speeds) will be in Row 4.
The top six from this session will battle for the pole position. With car number, driver, team, engine, and 4-lap speed average; all cars use Dallara chassis and Firestone tires:
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(10) Alex Palou, Chip Ganassi Racing, Honda, 231.800
(5) Pato O’Ward, Arrow McLaren, Chevrolet, 232.186
(9) Scott Dixon, Chip Ganassi Racing, Honda, 231.971
(83) Robert Shwartzman, Prema, Chevrolet, 232.008
(4) David Malukas, A.J. Foyt Racing, Chevrolet, 213.599
(60) Felix Rosenqvist, Meyer Shank, Honda, 232.523
(75) Takuma Sato, Rahal Letterman Lanigan, Honda, 231.686
(28) Marcus Ericsson, Andretti Global, Honda, 231.014
(7) Christian Lundgaard, Arrow McLaren, Chevrolet, 231.360
(3) Scott McLaughlin, Penske, Chevrolet, no speed
Indy 500 qualifying practice today, May 18
3:05 p.m.: Scott McLaughlin confirms he won’t try to qualify, leaving him with a starting spot of 12th.
3 p.m.: Rinus Veekay hits 228.800 mph. Jacob Abel is at 227.970 and tells the Fox broadcast he’s flummoxed at his inability to find more speed. Marco Andretti (229.781) and Marcus Armstrong (229.776) appear to have a little breathing room.
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2:30 p.m.: The bottom four from Saturday are seeking enough speed to make the race. Marco Andretti has the top lap at 229.781, followed by Marcus Armstrong, Jacob Abel and Rinus Veekay (225.414, 2.5 mph slower than Abel).
2 p.m.: Ten of the top 12 drivers practice. Scott McLaughlin had the top lap of 233.553 mph before his crash, followed Scott Dixon, Pato O’Ward, Felix Rosenqvist, Alex Palou, Christian Lundgaard, Josef Newgarden, Will Power, David Malukas and Takuma Sato. Marcus Ericsson and Robert Shwartzman will wait for 4:05 p.m. top 12 qualifying.
McLaughlin’s team will not prepare a car for qualifying, and the 2024 pole-sitter will start the race 12th.
1:18 p.m.: Scott McLaughlin crashes. He does a half-spin and crashes hard into the Turn 2 wall. He climbs from the car on his own and is quickly released after an examination at the infield care center.
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The Team Penske driver had the second-best qualifying effort Saturday (233.013 mph), setting him up to compete to repeat as pole winner.
1 p.m.: Practice begins. Marcus Armstrong, who is competing for Row 11 after a big crash before Saturday’s qualifying session, tells the Fox broadcast that he feels like Ricky Bobby from “Talladega Nights,” driving with a tiger in the car.
Indy 500 qualifying schedule today, May 18
10 a.m.: Gates open
10:45 a.m.: Enlistment ceremony
1-2 p.m.: Top 12 practice
2-3 p.m.: Last Chance practice
4:05-5:05 p.m.: Top 12 qualifying
5:15-6:15 p.m.: Last Chance qualifying for Row 11
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6:25-6:55 p.m.: Fast Six qualifying for pole position
TV: 1-3 p.m., FS2, 4-7 p.m., Fox
How Indy 500 qualifying works today, May 18
Top-12 qualifying, 4:05 p.m.: The top 12 from Saturday are guaranteed one qualifying attempt, starting with the slowest of that group and finishing with the fastest. The top 6 from this session advance to pole qualifying.
Last chance qualifying, 5:15 p.m.: The four slowest drivers from Saturday have one hour to make qualifying attempts. The three fastest make up Row 11, and the slowest misses the race.
Fast Six qualifying, 6:25 p.m.: The fastest six drivers from the top-12 session each make one attempt, starting with the slowest (sixth) and ending with the fastest. The fastest in this session wins the pole position.
Indianapolis 500 qualifying on Saturday, May 17
With car number, driver, team, engine, and 4-lap speed average; all cars use Dallara chassis and Firestone tires (W-race winner; R-race rookie)
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One round of qualifying will cut this group to the Fast Six, and a second round will determine the top six starters
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(10) Alex Palou, Chip Ganassi Racing, Honda, 233.043 mph
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(5) Pato O’Ward, Arrow McLaren Racing, Chevrolet, 232.820
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(9) Scott Dixon (W), Chip Ganassi Racing, Honda, 232.659
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(75) Takuma Sato (W), Rahal Letterman Lanigan, Honda, 232.415
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(12) Will Power (W), Team Penske, Chevrolet, 232.144
2025 Indy 500 last chance qualifying
Three of these drivers will comprise Row 11, and one will not make the race
(98) Marco Andretti, Andretti Global, Honda, 229.859
(18) Rinus Veekay, Dale Coyne Racing, Honda, 229.249
(51) Jacob Abel (R), Dale Coyne Racing, Honda, 226.483
(66) Marcus Armstrong, Meyer Shank, Honda, no 4-lap speed
2025 Indy 500 Row 5
13. (76) Conor Daly, Juncos Hollinger Racing, Chevrolet, 231.725
14. (20) Alexander Rossi (W), Ed Carpenter Racing, Chevrolet, 231.701
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15. (8) Kyffin Simpson, Chip Ganassi Racing, Honda, 231.641
2025 Indy 500 Row 6
16. (33) Ed Carpenter, Ed Carpenter Racing, Chevrolet, 231.633
17. (14) Santino Ferrucci, A.J. Foyt Racing, Chevrolet, 231.593
18. (30) Devlin DeFrancesco, Rahal Letterman Lanigan, Honda, 231.575
2025 Indy 500 Row 7
19. (77) Sting Ray Robb, Juncos Hollinger, Chevrolet, 231.461
20. (21) Christian Rasmussen, Ed Carpenter Racing, Chevrolet, 231.438
21. (17) Kyle Larson, Arrow McLaren/Hendrick, Chevrolet, 231.326
2025 Indy 500 Row 8
22. (45) Louis Foster (R), Rahal Letterman Lanigan, Honda, 231.058
23. (90) Callum Ilott, Prema, Chevrolet, 230.993
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24. (06) Helio Castroneves (W), Meyer Shank, Honda, 230.978
2025 Indy 500 Row 9
25. (27) Kyle Kirkwood, Andretti Global, Honda, 230.917
26. (6) Nolan Siegel (R), Arrow McLaren, Chevrolet, 230.571
27. (23) Ryan Hunter-Reay (W), Dreyer & Reinbold/Cusick, Chevrolet, 230.363
2025 Indy 500 Row 10
28. (24) Jack Harvey, Dreyer & Reinbold/Cusick, Chevrolet, 230.348
29. (26) Colton Herta, Andretti Global, Honda, 230.192
30. (15) Graham Rahal, Rahal Letterman Lanigan, Honda, 229.863
Indy 500 qualifying, Carb Day, Legends Day, race tickets
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Carb Day practice tickets for May 23 are $49; practice and concert tickets are $88. Buy tickets here
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2025 Indianapolis 500 general admission tickets for May 25 start at $55, reserved seats at $80. Buy tickets here
Buy Indy 500 tickets on StubHub
What channel is Indy 500 practice, qualifying and the race on?
TV: Coverage will be on Fox, FS1 or FS2, depending on day and time. Will Buxton is the play-by-play voice, with analysts James Hinchcliffe and Townsend Bell.
How can I stream the Indy 500 practice, qualifying and race?
FoxSports.com, Fox Sports app.
How can I listen to Indy 500 practice, qualifying and the race?
IndyCar Nation is on SiriusXM Channel 218, IndyCar Live and the IndyCar Radio Network (check affiliates for each race)
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Indy 500 qualifying live results, Fast 12, IndyCar qualifying live stream
