IndyCar News: Palou takes the IndyCar field to school at Sonsio GP
Alex Palou passed Graham Rahal on Lap 58 of 85 to take the lead and win the Sonsio Grand Prix at the Indianapolis Speedway Road Course.
With the win from pole, Palou extended his Championship points lead. It was his fourth win in five races of the 2025 season as he continues to make a mockery of the other drivers.
“I cannot describe the amazing season we’ve had so far,” Palou said. “I owe everything to the team, Chip Ganassi Racing, my teammates, everybody who is working behind the scenes to make me look so fast on track. It’s amazing. It’s unbelievable.”
After starting 8th, Arrow McLaren’s Pato O’Ward moved up to finish second, 5.48s behind Palou.
That margin may have been considerably larger if not for a late caution period that bunched the field. When the race went green again, Palou gave the other IndyCar drivers a proper schooling.
Once he passed Rahal for the lead on lap 58, Palou pulled away at an astonishing rate, proving he was just toying with all the other drivers.
Team Penske’s Will Power finished third ahead of his teammate Scott McLaughlin.
“Well executed race by the Verizon crew,” said Power. “Definitely didn’t have the pace for Alex (Palou) but we’ll get him here at some point. Feeling good about the next few races and especially the Indy 500.”
“I should be upset with a fourth,” said McLaughlin. “I think we could have gotten second today but I made a mistake on the pit exchange, and I lost a couple of spots. And that was our day. I will take a fourth.
“But it could have easily been a second and my first podium at Indy. Next race is the best race of the year. I thought it was a bold move to start on the black tires, and I was super fast on those tires. I was proud of the guys for that move. We made some big inroads with the car over the weekend. Now I can’t wait to get on the oval this week.”
Ganassi Racing’s Scott Dixon finished fifth after starting in 16th position. After dominating IndyCar for years, Dixon has met his match in teammate Palou.
After starting 2nd, Graham Rahal finished a disappointing fifth after taking the lead on Lap 1 and losing it to Palou on Lap 58.
Palou started from the pole, but Rahal dove under him in Turn 1 on Lap 2. Rahal stayed out front in the No. 15 Fifth Third Bank Honda of Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing past the halfway point of the 85-lap race except for pit cycles.
However, Palou never let Rahal get away, staying within a second or closer nearly that entire time, just biding his time until he was ready to school Rahal.
“I’m genuinely proud of the effort,” said Rahal. “I don’t think I locked up once, I don’t think I put one wheel wrong,
“We tried our best and I’m proud of the effort of the Fifth Third Bank guys. I tried to drive as flawlessly as I could because I knew that was the only way to beat them but unfortunately, we weren’t able to do that today. We’ll keep working hard. We’ve made gains and we will continue to try to close the gap.”
There was a caution on Lap 70, which drew excitement from the crowd, when Foyt Racing’s David Malukas stopped off course in Turn 10. The race went green on Lap 72, and the Spaniard kept his cool and the lead.
Andretti Global’s Kyle Kirkwood was the only driver on his team to finish the race. His eighth-place finish earned him enough points to be second in the Championship.
Biggest Mover Award: Dale Coyne Racing’s Rinus VeeKay (No. 18 askROI Honda) moved up through the field and into the top 10, finishing 9th after starting 24th.
Haugher Wins INDY NXT Race 2
Dennis Hauger won today’s Race 2, extending his victories to three in the four races this season. Hauger passed his Andretti Global teammate Lochie Hughes on Lap 6 and kept it for the rest of the 35 lap race.
The Norwegian was happy to change his luck after not winning Race 1. “It’s been a great start to the season. Yesterday wasn’t great but we were able to come back and get a win today. Super happy about that, and in a place like this, it’s awesome.”
Lucille Dust reporting live from Indianapolis