Indianapolis Qualification Predictions

Since Tuesday IndyCars have been pounding round Indianapolis Motor Speedway, and whilst most have pounded the tarmac, an unlucky few have pounded the wall too.

Saturday marks the first qualifying day, where positions 10 through 30 are set, and then Sunday decides the qualifying order of the 'fast nine' at the front of the field, whilst further back, the slowest three cars will be excluded from the field of 36, as the race allows 33 starters.

So who will take Pole? Who will be in the fast nine? And which three unlucky drivers will be 'bumped' out of the race?

Pole - Ed Jones

The Ed Carpenter Racing cars have looked strong all week, both with and without a tow. Ed Jones' Scuderia Corsa machine has perhaps been the most impressive. I'd expect the ECR cars and the four Penske entries to all be in and around the fast nine.

Bumped - Kyle Kaiser, Ben Hanley, Pippa Mann

I almost don't like to make these predictions, because the pain of not being able to take part in the arguably the world's greatest motor race when you're so, so close to it must be hard to take.

New, small teams such as Ben Hanley's Dragonspeed will be at a disadvantage through not being able to share data with team mates or associated teams. Part-timers, or those who only run the Indy 500 might also struggle. And those who have encountered significant issues - including practice crashes - will have had their preparation disrupted.

So, with a big crash, no sponsor and limited parts, Kyle Kaiser and Juncos Racing are up against it. it's a real shame, as they have been fast in practice until today's shunt, and I hope they prove me wrong and make it into the race.

For Hanley's team, this whole year is about experience. If they do get bumped, I think they will be able to look at the positives more easily than most. But for Mann, it's all about pressure. The team is pretty new, with a sponsor (Driven 2 Save Lives) that's a good cause, and emotional for all those involved. I just have a feeling it might fall unfortunately flat.

I hope I'm wrong about all of the above, but the truth is that three cars and drivers have to sit out the race. James Davison, Sage Karem and rookie Patricio O'Ward might also be in the tail-end mix, whilst with a bad run, no one - even the big names - is really safe.

And lastly, don't forget Fernando Alonso. His McLaren IndyCar team are brand new. This is the first race they have run. They've had a big practice crash and have had to go to the backup car. Getting into the race will be an achievement. Don't be surprised to see Alonso closer to the back than the front.