Alex Palou had everything going his way for a fourth consecutive win at the Sonsio GP, the race held on the Indianapolis road course ahead of the IndyCar series’ main event, the Indianapolis 500. The Spanish driver led every session of the weekend, including qualifying for pole position, and was leading the race when a yellow flag and a poor strategic decision denied him victory.
The win went to McLaren’s Christian Lundgaard, while Palou finished fifth. Despite the setback, he extended his championship lead over his closest rival, Kyle Kirkwood, who now trails by 27 points.
The race at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, the sixth round of the American championship season, began with an accident at the start right behind Palou. Felix Rosenqvist misjudged his braking and hit Patricio O’Ward, who had started on the front row alongside the Chip Ganassi driver. The crash also affected Scott Dixon and Caillum Collet. After the first of three yellow flags, Palou and Kirkwood pulled away at the front before the second caution came out.
That yellow, on lap 22, was caused by Alexander Rossi’s car stopping on the main straight due to a mechanical issue. Neither Palou nor Kirkwood took advantage to pit, unlike several drivers ahead of them, including Malukas, Lundgaard, and Rahal. That decision ultimately cost them a shot at victory. When they finally pitted three laps later, they rejoined too far back—19th and 20th—and even had a scare. Both drivers had to veer onto the grass narrowly to avoid another multi-car collision involving Rosenqvist (already penalized for the start crash), Ray Robb, and Kyffin Simpson.
Avoiding disaster, Palou still had nearly 60 laps to recover. He slowly climbed through the field to finish fifth, 14 seconds behind the winner. On the championship front, he gained an extra 10 points over Kirkwood, who finished ninth after a poor pit stop.
Lundgaard’s victory, his second in IndyCar and the third for a McLaren driver, was decided on lap 68. He executed a brilliant pass on Malukas after a couple of corners running side by side. He then stretched his lead, pitted later, and won by four seconds. Graham Rahal completed the podium, while Josef Newgarden also finished ahead of Palou.
Palou will now aim for a win at Indianapolis, this time in the main event—the Indianapolis 500 on May 24. Preparations begin Tuesday with the first practice sessions.
