Indy 500 Lineup 2019: Full List of Drivers and Qualifying Times for Marquee Race
Simon Pagenaud was the fastest man in qualifying for Sunday's 103rd edition of the Indianapolis 500, capturing pole position with a four-lap average of 229.992 mph.
The 35-year-old's performance was enough to give Penske their first pole at the famous race for seven years, while Pagenaud is the first Frenchman to clinch top spot since Rene Thomas in 1919:
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Alongside Pagenaud on Row 1 will be 2018 polesitter Ed Carpenter who came in second in qualifying with an average of 229.889 mph, just ahead of Spencer Pigot in third on 229.826 mph.
Meanwhile, former Formula One world champion Fernando Alonso failed to qualify for McLaren. The Spaniard was pipped by American Kyle Kaiser on the last run and missed out by an average speed of just 0.019mph.
Full List of Drivers and Qualifying Times
Row 1: Simon Pagenaud (229.992), Ed Carpenter (229.889), Spencer Pigot (229.826)
Row 2: Ed Jones (229.646), Colton Herta (229.086), Will Power (228.645)
Row 4: Marco Andretti (228.756), Conor Daly (228.617), Helio Castroneves (228.523)
Row 5: Marcus Ericsson (228.511), Takuma Sato (228.300), James Davison (228.273)
Row 6: Tony Kanaan (228.120), Graham Rahal (228.104), Scott Dixon (228.100)
Row 7: Oriol Servia (227.991), Charlie Kimball (227.915), JR Hildebrand (227.908)
Row 8: Ryan Hunter-Reay (227.877), Santino Ferrucci (227.731), Matheus Leist (227.717)
Row 9: Jack Harvey (227.695), Jordan King (227.502), Ben Hanley (227.482)
Row 10: Zach Veach (227.341), Felix Rosenqvist (227.297), Pippa Mann (227.244)
Row 11: Sage Karam (227.740), James Hinchcliffe (227.543), Kyle Kaiser (227.372)
Full details are available from Indianapolis Motor Speedway
Pagenaud goes in search of his first victory at the Indy 500 on Sunday. His sixth place in 2018 was the highest finish he has managed in eight starts in the race at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
The Frenchman comes into the big event after victory in the Indianapolis Grand Prix and maintained his momentum from qualifying in the penultimate practice session.
He finished on top of the teamsheets on Monday and has no complaints about his car:
Pagenaud is also hoping for an increase in temperatures for Sunday, as he thinks that will boost his chances of victory, per David Malsher at Motorsport.com
"I would welcome a higher temperature [for the race] because I think we have a better chassis than most, and I think it'll make more of a disparity with other cars," he said. "So I would welcome that, obviously, as a competitor."
Pagenaud's Penske team-mate Josef Newgarden was second fastest in Monday's practice, as he goes in search of his second win of the season:
Newgarden leads the IndyCar Series on points but his only victory came on the opening day at the Grand Prix of St. Petersburg.
Meanwhile, 2018 winner Will Power will be hoping to become the first driver to win back-to-back Indy 500 titles since Helio Castroneves in 2002.
Power started on the front row last year after qualifying third fastest, but he is on Row 2 for Sunday's race along with Ed Jones and 19-year-old Colton Herta.
The Australian has bagged two pole positions this season but is yet to taste victory, and his best finish came on the opening day when he secured third place behind Newgarden and Scott Dixon.
Power is one of a number of drivers on the starting grid who have won the Indy 500 in their careers:
Tony Canaan, Castroneves, Dixon, Ryan Hunter-Reay, Alexander Rossi and Takuma Sato will also start knowing exactly what it takes to clinch top spot in Sunday's legendary race.
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