Colton Herta takes pole as he aims for IndyCar Toronto repeat

Returning to the site of his most recent street course win, Colton Herta laid down a top time of 59:8320s to claim the pole for Sunday’s Ontario Honda Dealers Indy Toronto.

It was his third pole in Toronto and second-consecutive street course pole following a similar result in Detroit. With it, Andretti drivers have swept pole awards in 3/4 of this season’s street circuit races.

“We have a great car here, it’s plain and simple,” Herta said of his pace. “You see what me, Kyle (Kirkwood) and Marcus (Ericsson) are able to do inside the race car. I like to think it’s because we’re better than everybody else, but the cars are really just that good.”

The predictably quick Alex Palou followed in second, continuing a consistent, dominant season that has him closing in on his fourth series title as the IndyCar season slowly winds down.

Alex Palou, Chip Ganassi Racing

Photo by: Penske Entertainment

Marcus Armstrong was the surprise of the session in third, notching a season-best qualifying result to keep his Meyer Shank Racing team marching forward. Armstrong has earned top-10s in seven of the past eight races.

Will Power and Graham Rahal completed the top five. Kyle Kirkwood hoped to match Herta on the front row as he attempts to sweep the street circuit races for 2025. But the Floridian had to settle for sixth after his final run was undone by a near-wreck.

“We definitely just gave away a pole,” Kirkwood said. “Without a doubt. Just started the lap and (it was) the first time all weekend it’s happened to me where I just got a huge snap there. It’s been understeering and the one time I go through there when it matters for pole, it bottoms and I get a huge snap.

“Unfortunate. Just feels like I’ve thrown away poles left and right on street courses.”

Fast 12 recap

Nolan Siegel, Arrow McLaren

Photo by: Jake Galstad / Lumen via Getty Images

The Fast 12 saw Kirkwood and Power break the minute threshold to advance comfortably. Herta, Rahal, Palou and Armstrong followed them into the final round.

Louis Foster was briefly in the top six after his last lap, but was knocked to seventh by Rahal moments later. Marcus Ericsson, Rinus VeeKay and Pato O’Ward completed the top 10, with Scott Dixon and Callum Ilott wrapping up the Fast 12.

Dixon’s run was undone by wall contact at the exit of turn 11 after locking up and going into the runoff in turn 8 earlier in the session. That runoff area proved particularly costly for Ilott, who was left frustrated despite his strong run for Prema Racing after failing to put together a complete lap.

“I didn’t get a single lap because ‘muppets’ keep going off in (turn) 8, rejoining, then blocking you,” a frustrated Ilott told FOX Sports. “It’s frustrating. … When you’re two seconds off because every lap you come through and there’s a yellow in (turn) 8, I don’t know.”

Josef Newgarden, Team Penske

Photo by: Gavin Baker / Lumen via Getty Images

Kirkwood was quickest in the opening group, completing the only sub-minute time at 59:9069s. Power, Dixon, Ilott, Rahal and Foster followed him through to the second round, with Nolan Siegel, Scott McLaughlin, Felix Rosenqvist and Christian Lundgaard falling short of advancement.

Armstrong led the second group, sneaking ahead of Veekay and Palou in the closing seconds. Ericsson, Herta and O’Ward were the final ones to advance, leaving Kyffin Simpson, David Malukas, Josef Newgarden and Robert Shwartzman on the outside looking in. Ericsson’s team had to scramble to get his No. 28 Honda on track after brake issues were discovered minutes before qualifying.

Louis Foster, Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing

Photo by: Gavin Baker / Lumen via Getty Images

After missing the second Iowa Speedway race with a concussion, Siegel suffered a locked up his right-front tire during the opening group session and had to sail off into the runoff area and turn his car around.

That was the only noteworthy accident of a relatively straightforward opening round. Drivers had expressed concerns over a bump in the braking zone at turn 3 after Friday’s practice session, but new asphalt was applied to the area overnight and it didn’t cause any major accidents during the session.

Next up for the IndyCar field is Sunday’s warmup, airing on FS1 at 8:30 a.m. ET. The Ontario Honda Dealers Indy Toronto will follow at noon ET on FOX.