Washington (United States) (AFP) - Alex Palou is “hungrier than ever” as he starts from pole on Sunday in pursuit of a second straight Indianapolis 500 triumph to further his bid for a fourth straight IndyCar series crown.

Palou stormed to pole with a four-lap run at an average speed of 232.248 mph (373.77 Km/h) on the famed 2.5-mile (4 km) Indianapolis Motor Speedway, another dominant performance in a season that’s seen him win three of the first six races.

Now the Chip Ganassi Racing driver, who tops the season standings by 27 points, is aiming to become the first since Josef Newgarden in 2023 and 2024 to go back-to-back in the series showpiece.

“I’m hungrier than ever just because I know what comes with it,” he said. “Once you win the Indy 500 and what it means.

“I don’t feel more pressure,” added the 29-year-old Spaniard, who won his first IndyCar crown in 2021 before stringing together three straight in 2023, 2024 and 2025.

“Not because I won once, it’s not like now I need another one. It’s more the opposite, it’s more like I want to go back-to-back.”

Palou will start alongside Ed Carpenter Racing’s Alexander Rossi with Team Penske’s David Malukas rounding out the front row of the grid.

Rossi was cleared on Friday to start after a massive practice crash on Monday, when he spun in turn two, hit the barrier and was crashed into by Pato O’Ward.

Rossi, the 2016 Indianapolis 500 winner underwent surgery to repair minor injuries to his ankle and hand and even while still on crutches insisted that “for what I need to do in a race car, I’m 99%.”

The first two rows of the grid feature six different teams, promising a wide-open battle when the green flag drops.

Felix Rosenqvist for Meyer Shank Racing, Santino Ferrucci for A.J. Foyt Enterprises and Pato O’Ward for Arrow McLaren make up the second row in a field that includes nine past Indianapolis 500 winners.

Helio Castroneves is the most experienced of them with four wins in 25 starts. At 51 he’s chasing a record fifth triumph to break out of a tie with A.J. Foyt, Al Unser and Rick Mears for most all time.

Two-time winners Takuma Sato of Japan and Newgarden are also among the former champions in the field.

New Zealand’s Scott McLaughlin, who will start from the third row for Team Penske, is vying for redemption after crashing on the warm-up lap last year.

“It was a tough thing,” McLaughlin said, adding he’d like to “create a new storyline” this year.

“I’d love to go zero to hero, of course,” he said. “But at the same time, driving with emotion like that, it’s probably a detriment. I’ve just got to go out there, execute and see what I’ve got.”

- Legge chases 500-600 double -

Britain’s Katherine Legge will start from the ninth row for A.J. Foyt as part of the first half of her attempt at the rare Indy 500 and NASCAR World 600 in Charlotte on the same day.

If she is able to start in both she’ll become the first woman and just the sixth driver to do so – but Tony Stewart is the only driver to complete both races on the same day.

Kyle Larson, the defending NASCAR Cup stock car champion, has tried it in each of the past two years, but in 2024 he missed the Charlotte start after rain disrupted the Indianapolis 500 and last year he crashed in both races.

Larson opted not to attempt the double this year due to the logistical difficulties that had Legge describing her race day schedule as a “military operation.”

“It will be an opportunity of a lifetime,” she said. “I’m excited.”