The fact that McLaren had a late surge in 2024 that allowed the team to capture the F1 manufacturer’s title and then opened the F1 season with a couple of victories is not lost on the INDYCAR drivers.

Pato O'Ward shocked the IndyCar field, securing his first pole in nearly three years; his teammate Christian Lundgaard will start second for an Arrow McLaren front row.

Palou spent most of the race running in third place, sometimes 11 seconds behind Pato O’Ward. On lap 56, Palou passed O’Ward for the lead and held it for the last nine laps of the race. It punctuated a caution-free and mostly incident-free 65-lap race at Thermal Club.