Alex Palou has completed almost all the pieces the NTT IndyCar Sequence has to supply in his younger profession. The Spaniard is a three-time champion and entered Sunday with 15 profession wins at simply 28 years outdated.
There was only one obtrusive omission from his resume — the Borg Warner Trophy. However on a cool, overcast Sunday in Indianapolis, Palou formally crossed that off his record.
Palou surged previous 2022 winner Marcus Ericsson within the closing levels and fended the Swede off with the assistance of two main vehicles to say the 109th Working of the Indianapolis 500. It was Palou’s fifth win and sixth-straight top-two end in as many races to open the 2025 IndyCar season, a dominant stretch that leaves him as the apparent championship favourite heading into the summer season stretch.
“I can not imagine it,” Palou stated. “What an incredible day. What an incredible race. … By the ten crew, all people at CGR, HRC. I can not imagine it. It’s superb to be right here. It’s superb to win.”
Alex Palou, Chip Ganassi Racing crosses the yard of bricks at Indianapolis Motor Speedway for the 2025 Indy 500 win.
Photograph by: Brandon Badraoui / Motorsport Photographs by way of Getty Photographs
4 years prior, an inexperienced Palou had been within the lead when the veteran Helio Castroneves handed him and used the tow of main vehicles on the tail finish of the lead lap to take care of the lead for a record-tying fourth Indy 500 triumph. On Sunday, Palou used the teachings discovered that day to his benefit, following Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing’s Devlin DeFrancesco and Louis Foster and utilizing their tow to assist him preserve gas and preserve the entrance spot.
“On the finish, I didn’t know if I used to be going to have the ability to cross Marcus or not,” Palou admitted. “However I made it occur. First oval win. What a greater place.”
An emotional Palou additionally loved an analogous victory celebration to Castroneves, working down the monitor earlier than celebrating along with his crew and the cheering followers. In the meantime Ericsson regarded on, despondent after coming dwelling .6822s shy of his second Indy 500 triumph.
David Malukas completed third, capping off a robust day for AJ Foyt Racing. Pato O’Ward and Felix Rosenqvist accomplished the top-five, with Kyle Kirkwood, Santino Ferrucci, Christian Rasmussen, Christian Lundgaard and Conor Dalywrapping up the top-10.
Sunday’s race began in chaotic trend, with two accidents earlier than the sphere might full a full lap of inexperienced flag racing. After a short rain delay to begin the race, Crew Penske’s Scott McLaughlin misplaced management of his No. 3 Chevrolet whereas making an attempt to heat his tires and crashed into the within wall at first of the ultimate deliberate tempo lap.
The race began underneath warning on account of McLaughlin’s error. The remaining vehicles created the normal rows of three and at last took the inexperienced flag on the finish of lap 4, however the race was once more positioned underneath the warning flag after Marco Andretti crashed into flip 1, his twentieth Indy 500 look undone by a run-in with Jack Harvey.
Scott McLaughlin, Crew Penske
Photograph by: James Gilbert / Getty Photographs
That set the tone for the day, with crashes and mechanical gremlins shaking up the working order and eliminating many hopeful contenders.
Alexander Rossi climbed into the top-five solely to endure a gearbox problem and have his automotive catch hearth throughout an unscheduled pit cease. Rinus Veekay misplaced management of his machine and crashed into pit wall when coming in for a green-flag cease. Laps later, pole-sitter Robert Shwartzman clambered into his pit crew and the pit wall when sliding into his field for a cease.
Kyle Larson’s try at The Double was threatened by the rain and plenty of cautions, however any worries over timing have been undone when Larson crashed with Kyffin Simpson and Sting Ray Robb on lap 91. Two-time defending race winner Josef Newgarden’s shot at historical past additionally ended early, undone by a gas pump problem after simply 135 laps. Scott Dixon suffered a fireplace earlier than the inexperienced and ended up dropping three laps when his crew elected to interchange his brakes.
In the long run, simply 23 of the 33 vehicles made it to the final lap, with Arrow McLaren’s Nolan Siegel crashing on the ultimate circuit to convey the race to an finish underneath warning.
With the Month of Might full in Indianapolis, IndyCar will enterprise north to Michigan for a June 1 race on the streets of Detroit.
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