Andretti Autosport driver Herta lapped 0.445 seconds clear of nearest challenger Josef Newgarden, as second practice pacesetter Romain Grosjean crashed out of the decisive Fast Six session.
Herta's team-mate Alexander Rossi laid down the first marker in the third segment of qualifying with 1m06.0s, his closest opponent being Newgarden (Team Penske) and Felix Rosenqvist (Arrow McLaren SP) after their first runs.
