IndyCar completely screws points leader with controversial Toronto call

No sooner than a handful of days are we praised race control for making the right decision in terms of not waiting until a convenient time (for some drivers, that is) to throw a yellow flag, they have reverted to a "pick and choose" standard on the streets of Toronto.

Except this time, they did so in a much different way.

Chip Ganassi Racing's Alex Palou advanced to the second round of qualifying at the 11-turn, 1.786-mile (2.874-kilometer) temporary street circuit around Exhibition Place ahead of Sunday's 85-lap Ontario Honda Dealers Indy Toronto.

But he was inexplicably stripped of his fastest two lap times and left in ninth place on the speed chart in his first round qualifying group.

The top six advance, meaning that the driver of the No. 10 Honda is set to start Sunday's race in 18th place rather than inside the top 12, possibly even inside the top six.

Alex Palou penalized in Toronto

Palou, who was stacked up behind multiple cars he had to weave through himself, was said to have impeded Arrow McLaren's Pato O'Ward.

Though not factored into the decision to penalize Palou, it did not appear that O'Ward was on his fastest lap at the time. He only finished the session in eighth place, so he only moved up to seventh with Palou's penalty and still did not advance. He is set to start the race in 14th.

A full starting lineup can be found here.

Though the presence of the No. 10 Honda did have some impact on the No. 5 Chevrolet, the fact that it was only Palou who was penalized highlights yet another instance of inconsistency from race control.

Even had the No. 10 car not been there, O'Ward's lap still clearly would have been affected by the other traffic, traffic that was actually in Palou's way more than it was O'Ward's.

After his first DNF in more than two years and a second place finish in the doubleheader at Iowa Speedway last weekend, Palou owns a 35-point lead in the championship standings over Team Penske's Will Power.

The 27-year-old Spaniard is aiming to become the series' first repeat champion since Dario Franchitti won three titles in a row from 2009 to 2011, also behind the wheel of the No. 10 Honda for Chip Ganassi Racing.

Palou finished last year's Toronto race in second place after starting in 15th. The race brought an end to the Spaniard's three-race win streak en route to his second championship in three years.

Sunday's Ontario Honda Dealers Indy Toronto is a Peacock exclusive, meaning that fans need to pay for a subscription to either Peacock Premium or Peacock Premium Plus to watch live. It is set to be shown live beginning at 1:00 p.m. ET.