Overview

• Palou turned a 1:08.341 lap to claim his fifth pole of the season and earn the bonus championship point for pole position
• Pato O’Ward chased him home in second, 0.2867 seconds adrift in his best-ever Laguna Seca qualifying result
• The pole vaults Palou’s cushion to 100 points with four races left, leaving only him and O’Ward with mathematical shots at the title
• Early morning fog grounded the medical helicopter and cancelled a practice session, forcing teams to finalize setups with just one run on a damp track
• Drivers faced mixed tyre strategies after limited track time, highlighted by Felix Rosenqvist’s Turn 5 spin that cost him a Fast Six berth