Rosenqvist tops times in last practice before Indianapolis 500 qualifying

Sweden's Felix Rosenqvist topped the times in Friday's final practice before Indianapolis 500 qualifying, turning a lap of 233.372 mph in his Honda-powered Meyer Shank Racing car.

Rosenqvist became the first driver this week to exceed 374.98 Km/h at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, where the "Fast Friday" practice saw drivers allowed to step up their horsepower in anticipation of qualifying.

Alexander Rossi, winner of the 2016 Indy 500, was second-quickest at 232.932 mph for Ed Carpenter racing.

Scott McLaughlin, who embarrassingly crashed out on the parade lap last year, was third-fastest at 232.674 for Team Penske, followed by two-time winner Takuma Sato of Japan and 2022 winner Marcus Ericsson.

Last year's Indianapolis 500 winner, Alex Palou was sixth-fastest overall.

The Spaniard's victory last year on the 2.5-mile (4km) oval was part an eight-win IndyCar campaign that made him the first driver to win both the series title and the Indy 500 in the same year since Dario Franchitti in 2010.

Qualifying for the 24 May race, with drivers timed over four-lap runs, starts on Saturday, when positions 16 through 33 on the grid will be determined.

The fastest nine cars from day one will be locked into the Top 12 qualifying session on Sunday with a chance to advance to the Fast Six session that will determine pole position.

Cars ranked 10-15 on Saturday will also advance to Sunday with a chance to make the Top 12.