Five takeaways: Grand Prix of Alabama

Written by Evan Roberts, Edited by Vyas Ponnuri

Credit: Paul Hurley

While the Grand Prix of Alabama was no classic this year, it did allow for some reflection on what has been an action-packed opening few rounds. 

After a rare defeat on outright pace in Arlington, Álex Palou returned to winning ways in Barber. He was joined on the podium by Christian Lundgaard, who mounted a serious challenge for the lead late on, before a slow final pit stop cost him. Graham Rahal finished third, claiming his first podium since 2023. 

Credit: Aaron Skillman

Rahal silences his doubters 

Graham Rahal’s first podium in almost three years was achieved in style. Where his Rahal Letterman Lanigan teammates struggled, he excelled. The veteran racer qualified in third for the second time in 2026. Finishing ninth in Phoenix marked his first top 10 finish of the season.

This time, he managed to replicate the pace that saw him run so well in the opening stint at Phoenix. 

From the green flag, he would hold onto his start position thanks to some firm defence against Andretti Global’s Kyle Kirkwood. Starting on the hard tyres, he would capitalise on David Malukas’ soft tyre degradation to move up into second on Lap 17.

He would run second for a majority of the early stages in the race, maintaining a strong and consistent pace.

Although a hard-charging Christian Lundgaard would make his way past, a strong push from Malukas in the closing laps was the only thing standing between Rahal and the podium.

He managed to hold on, though, ending a 41-race podium drought in style. This came about thanks to effective pit road management with quick stops and improved general pace. 

A major downside to the RLL car over the past few years has been its harsh tyre wear. This was showcased on the other two cars, as Louis Foster and Mick Schumacher both struggled for pace and consistency, finishing out of the Top 20. 

At the age of 37, many critics have been keen to point out his poor run of results. Rahal even admitted it was something he had kept a keen eye on as he was keen to prove them wrong. 

“I’ll still hear it. It’s funny, you read Twitter every day: ‘He can’t qualify.’ I qualified in the second row last week. Just shut up. There’s a whole lot of dumba**es out in this world right now. Pardon my French.”

A rare clean IndyCar race 

For the first time this season in IndyCar, there was a flag-to-flag race. No caution periods over the course of 90 racing laps. 

What this led to was arguably the least eventful of any of the four races so far this season. The start is always the best chance for chaos, and given that it was reasonably orderly, it set the tone for the remainder of the race.  

That didn’t mean it was without the usual tension and adrenaline of IndyCar. The penultimate stint gave us a race for the lead, with an interesting battle for the final podium spot in the closing laps.

One of the biggest chances for action was when the field strung out. This allowed for the back markers to play a part, in effect causing plenty of chaos. 

While Palou and Schumacher got close, that was as far as it got. No crashes, a drama-free race if there ever was one. 

Credit: Joe Skibinski

The Drivers' Championship just got tighter 

The gap at the top of the standings currently sits at two points. 

Like a shark circling its bait, Palou has been on a charge since his DNF at Phoenix saw him lose crucial ground. 

Palou’s lowest finish in the other trio of races has been second, and it’s that relentless consistency his rivals will have to try and match for the rest of the season. 

Despite his greatness, it’s still Kirkwood who holds the lead in the Drivers’ Championship. Fifth place in Barber was his lowest finish so far this season.

That being said, it was a brilliant weekend for Kirkwood, given Andretti’s poor form at Barber over the years. Other than Romain Grosjean’s lone podium in 2023. The last time Andretti had managed a top five was back in 2019. 

The consistency Kirkwood has shown this season, even on off days like these, will prove crucial as he looks to push Palou for the top spot. 

Is Malukas the new top dog at Penske?

One of the revelations from this season so far is Penske’s new recruit, David Malukas’ incredible consistency. 

Malukas has been in contention at every race weekend in 2026, nailing a top-five start in three of the four races this season. The Chicago native has already shown he has the pace and potential to challenge right at the front.

His best result of the season has been third in Phoenix, having started on pole. He came close again in Barber; his late race pace saw him charge down Rahal and had a few opportunities to do so. 

Unfortunately, having over 100 seconds of push to pass left with only two laps to go meant he wouldn’t be able to optimise his race pace. 

Although Malukas had not achieved the highs of his teammates, he has been far more consistent. Malukas is currently the highest-placed of the Penske drivers in the standings, and considering his prowess around ovals, will set his sights on improving that with the ‘Month of May’ looming large. 

Credit: Paul Hurley

Execution gaps are becoming more costly

Over the past few weeks, pit stop errors have been more frequent and costly. We saw it with the Andrettis in Arlington; this time it was with Arrow McLaren’s Lundgaard, who was in for a shot at the win. 

That being said, everyone was aware how tight it would be at the pit exit. The charging Dane versus the unstoppable Spaniard. It was all set up for a dramatic final stint of the race, with mere tenths of a second deciding the outcome. 

Well, that’s what we thought at least. 

In the end, it would be a major anticlimax. Lundgaard’s stop would go awry, a fault on the right rear seeing a chance of victory slip from his grasp.  

The eventual gap when he emerged from the pit lane was 10 seconds to Palou. In racing, that is an eternity. 

Pace advantages over drivers like Palou have been rare to come by of late. It’s on those days where a championship charge could be won or lost. 

Mistakes that occurred at the majority of Andretti pit-stops last week, and Lundgaard’s this week, cannot continue if they want to fight for the title. It may be only an extra couple of seconds, but it builds up and can prove vital during pit cycles, especially when the field is so tight, and the No.10 Chip Ganassi Racing squad are so precise.