Chaos erupts before the green flag
The first drama unfolded even before the green flag waved, as several drivers in the back of the field accelerated too early. Rinus VeeKay was the biggest victim, damaging his front wing before the race had officially started.
At Turn 1, Felix Rosenqvist locked up and spun second-place starter Pato O’Ward around. Behind them, Caio Collet and Scott Dixon made contact, leaving both drivers with damaged front wings. Rosenqvist later received a drive-through penalty for the incident with O’Ward. The accident brought out the first caution of the race.
After the restart, Alex Palou maintained the lead, while Kyle Kirkwood passed David Malukas for second one lap later. Palou then stretched his advantage to as much as four seconds.
Leaders lose ground after caution
The race appeared to be turning into another Alex Palou masterclass until Alexander Rossi came to a stop on the backstretch on Lap 21 with a failed hybrid system. Race control initially displayed a local yellow flag, prompting most of the drivers who had not yet pitted to head to pit lane — except leaders Palou and Kirkwood.
When the full-course caution was eventually called, Palou and Kirkwood were forced to pit under yellow and dropped to nineteenth and twentieth respectively. That handed the lead to Will Power, who had already made his stop during the first caution period, ahead of David Malukas, Graham Rahal, and Christian Lundgaard, all of whom had pitted just before the caution came out.
One lap after the restart, another caution was needed. Following contact with O’Ward, Sting Ray Robb spun, while Kyffin Simpson attempted to avoid him and instead hit Felix Rosenqvist’s car. Rosenqvist was launched over Simpson’s front wheel and was forced to retire in the pits. During that caution, Power made another pit stop and handed the lead over to Malukas.
Alex Palou fights back
After getting stuck in traffic following the restart, Palou went on the attack on Lap 38 by making his second pit stop only thirteen laps after his first. The strategy was aimed at gaining time in clean air. Kirkwood, who had passed Palou during the Rosenqvist incident, immediately reacted by diving into the pits one lap later. However, his stop went wrong when the crew struggled to fit the right-front wheel, causing Kirkwood to rejoin behind Palou.
Malukas, meanwhile, stayed out nine laps longer than Palou before making his second stop from the lead. That briefly handed first place back to Power, who was attempting to make a two-stop strategy work. However, Power threw away his chance at victory by locking up at pit exit after his final stop and crossing the white line at pit exit, earning himself a drive-through penalty.
Lundgaard takes control after brilliant battle with Malukas
Lundgaard closed in on Malukas ahead of the final round of pit stops. The Dane pitted one lap earlier, while Malukas lost time stuck behind lapped traffic, including VeeKay. Despite that, Malukas still rejoined ahead of Lundgaard, though Lundgaard had warmer and faster tires.
One lap later, Lundgaard launched his attack on Malukas into Turn 1, with the pair battling side-by-side for several corners for the race lead. It was not until Turn 6 that Lundgaard finally completed the pass, after which he quickly pulled away by several seconds. Lundgaard’s second IndyCar victory was never seriously threatened afterward, allowing him to take the checkered flag with a four-second lead.
Full results of the race on Indianapolis Road Course
PhotographyPenske Entertainment
