Alex Palou dominated the OnlyBulls Grand Prix of Portland to claim a convincing victory. The reigning champion passed polesitter Felix Rosenqvist during the first round of pit stops and never relinquished the lead. Rosenqvist finished second despite pressure from Will Power, with Power taking third and Rinus VeeKay finishing fourth.

Rosenqvist Retains the Lead at the Start

After the green flag waved, polesitter Felix Rosenqvist held onto the lead ahead of Alex Palou and Marcus Ericsson. Surprisingly, the entire field made it through the opening laps without incident. On Lap 4, Ericsson made the most of his softer tires to pass Palou, who was running the harder tires, for second place.

On Lap 7, the race was neutralized for the only time after Graham Rahal ran off the track in the final corner and hit the tire barrier.

Palou Takes the Lead With Smart Strategy

Palou managed to save a significant amount of fuel during his first stint, allowing him to make his first pit stop one lap later than race leader Rosenqvist. As a result, Palou returned to the track ahead of Rosenqvist and was able to keep the Swede behind him.

It would not take long for Palou to show his true pace. The championship leader quickly built a lead of several seconds. By the end of the second stint, the gap between Palou and Rosenqvist had grown to as much as 6.5 seconds!

Rosenqvist Closes the Gap

For the third stint, Rosenqvist opted for a set of softer tires, while Palou was on the harder tires. Rosenqvist steadily reduced the deficit, eventually bringing the gap down to just one second! However, Rosenqvist made his final pit stop one lap earlier than Palou, allowing Palou to retain the lead despite traffic.

Behind the leaders, Power was quietly running in third place, while Ericsson dropped behind Rinus VeeKay and Kyle Kirkwood after a mistake during his first stint. An earlier first pit stop allowed Kirkwood to pass VeeKay for fourth, but an earlier final pit stop and traffic dropped the Andretti Global driver back behind the Dutchman in fifth.

Palou Cruises Unchallenged to Victory

Of the drivers in the lead group, Power was by far the last to make his final pit stop, six laps after Rosenqvist. However, the Australian had saved a fresh set of softer tires for his final stint, allowing him to quickly close the gap to Rosenqvist. With 13 laps remaining, Power had completely erased the deficit, but he would not make a move for second place.

Up front, Palou built a four-second lead during the final stint, allowing him to cruise unchallenged to the finish. Rosenqvist crossed the finish line in second, ahead of Power and VeeKay, who was the highest-finishing Chevrolet driver. Of Palou's direct championship rivals, Kirkwood finished highest, but could only manage a disappointing fifth place.

Full results of the race on Portland