Alexander Rossi takes Indy pole position at Road America

Alexander Rossi took pole position at Road America for the eighth round of the IndyCar Series. The 30-year-old driver recently announced a move to the Arrow McLaren SP starting in 2023, and is still with Andretti Autosport Honda.

Rossi completed the 4.05-mile course in 1min44s8656, less than a tenth of a second ahead of runner-up Josef Newgarden. His achievement also marks the eighth different pole in eight races so far this season, the longest streak since 1961.

Interestingly, there seemed to be little or no difference between the different tire compounds, with the top two sharing the strategies for the fastest laps. Alex Palou and Marcus Ericsson set the third and fourth fastest laps, respectively, and will form an all-Ganassi second row.

Colton Herta had the fifth best time in the final round of Fast 6, but was a bit disappointed with his effort after setting the best time in the second round. Pato O'Ward completes the third row with a lap of 1min45s6826 and was unable to improve due to a locked front tire on his fast lap.

Light rain started in the middle of the second round of qualifying, causing a bit of chaos and urgency as drivers wanted to get their laps in before the rain increased. The real rain never came, however, and the entire grid was able to comfortably stay on dry weather tires throughout the afternoon.

Romain Grosjean started the second round a few minutes after everyone else, as his team struggled to get his Andretti Autosport Honda in gear. He had time for a lap, but lost the lead to Fast 6 by less than a tenth of a second.

Callum Ilott also had some problems in the second pre-race and ended up making a trip through the gravel, followed by contact with the tire barrier, after pushing a bit in the last corner.

Brazilian Helio Castroneves starts 16th. The start will be on Sunday at 1:30 pm, with broadcast by TV Cultura and ESPN 4.

Check out the grid: