IndyCar Gradebook: Grand Prix of Indianapolis
- Dan Jones
- 5 hours ago
- 9 min read
The 'Month of May' kicked off in chaotic fashion on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Road Course but throughout all the carnage, Christian Lundgaard managed to avoid the trouble to claim a first win for Arrow McLaren. Many starred, others struggled. DIVEBOMB IndyCar Correspondent, Dan Jones, graded all 25 drivers' performances during the Indianapolis weekend.
Chip Ganassi Racing
No.8 - Kyffin Simpson - B-
It was a quiet weekend for Kyffin Simpson, despite being on his preferred track type of road courses. Simpson struggled in qualifying in just 22nd and was involved in the melee involving Sting Ray Robb and Felix Rosenqvist. That lost Simpson critical time and also forced him onto the alternate, maximum save strategy which saw him finish 12th at the chequered flag.
No.9 - Scott Dixon - A-
Considering his race looked all but over in the opening corner, a sixth-place finish for Scott Dixon was a very hard-fought result. Dixon was the innocent bystander heading into Turn 1 and despite significant damage, Dixon was able to continue. That unsurprisingly moved Dixon onto a different strategy in which he methodically made progress through the field to finish in an impressive sixth.
No.10 - Álex Palou - A+
Even in the races that Álex Palou does not win, his performances continue to set the bar, no matter what strife he finds himself in. Palou's pole lap was imperious, putting half-a-second on the rest of the field in just a 70-second lap. From that point onward it had seemed plain sailing as Palou built his lead like has been seen many a time before until he was caught out by the yellow as Alexander Rossi pulled to a halt. Even when Palou was at the back of the field, he made impressive movement through the field before eventually finishing in fifth. If things had gone smoothly, a win was inevitable, but even on a 'bad' day, a top five finish is something to be very pleased with.
Team Penske
No.2 - Josef Newgarden - A-
It was the type of performance from Josef Newgarden on the Indianapolis road course that we have not seen enough of over the last 18 months. He made the Fast 12, which has been a struggle in recent times, before having a quiet but strong day. Newgarden finished fourth at the chequered flag, his best run on a road course since Portland 2024 as he looks to build momentum towards chasing a third Indianapolis 500 win.
No.3 - Scott McLaughlin - C-
Unlike Newgarden's performance, this was the type of performance has frustratingly happened too often for Scott McLaughlin. Qualifying has been a bigger challenge than in previous seasons with McLaughlin only 17th. A difficult start which saw McLaughlin penalised for blocking and obtaining damage which forced him into a front wing change left him out of sequence. A 16th-place finish continued his tricky start to 2026.
No.12 - David Malukas - A
If Lundgaard now loses his 'always the bridesmaid' crown, maybe David Malukas is the one who'll now pick it up. A maiden victory once again fell out of Malukas' grasp late on during the race but it was yet another performance to be proud with in his early days with Team Penske. Malukas qualified well yet again, this time in fifth before being able to avoid the carnage at the start. It was always going to be difficult to hold off the fast-charging Lundgaard from that point but nevertheless a second-place finish was still a mighty result as Malukas continues to knock on the door of a first IndyCar victory.
Andretti Global
No.26 - Will Power - B-
A bizarre Indianapolis weekend for Power, who once again fell victim to a small error having a costly consequence. The greatest qualifier in IndyCar history was last on pure pace in qualifying, even on a track he has traditionally gone so well at in the past. That forced Power onto an alternate strategy, which he had managed superbly through the first two stints before he crossed the white line on pit exit after his final stop. That gave Power a drive-through and a disappointing 13th place finish.
No.27 - Kyle Kirkwood - B+
Much like Palou, this was an unfortunate race for Kyle Kirkwood. Although qualifying wasn't stellar in ninth, Kirkwood had managed to avoid the opening lap carnage and had cycled his way into second quickly. However, once the caution came out he found himself at the back and unable to make the same progress through the field as seen by Palou. A ninth-place finish ended his impressive streak of top-five finishes and saw him lose ground to Palou at the top of the points standings.
No.28 - Marcus Ericsson - C+
A race summarised as "if not for bad luck we'd have no luck at all" by Marcus Ericsson at all after he had to retire for the second race in a row with a mechanical failure mid-way through. Ericsson had been running in-and-around the top 10 after qualifying in a fairly average 14th. Results have not necessarily gone Ericsson's way so far in his contract year, albeit the Indianapolis 500 provides the best chance to turn that around.
Arrow McLaren
No.5 - Pato O'Ward - B
It was an odd weekend for O'Ward, who was up and down the order throughout the two days like a yo-yo. After a difficult practice session, O'Ward thought a top 20 qualifying position would be strong, which made a front row start rather remarkable. He may as well had started in 20th though after being turned around by Rosenqvist on the opening lap. That forced O'Ward onto a particularly unorthodox strategy which saw him collapse down the order to 18th after having to put on used reds on his final stint. An unfortunate result after a weekend that had looked like had been turned around.
No.6 - Nolan Siegel - B
Indianapolis provided a much needed first top 10 finish of the year for Nolan Siegel in Indianapolis to carry some particularly important momentum heading into the 'Month of May'. Siegel qualified mid-pack in 16th but avoided the carnage and made some important moves late on to secure his position in the top 10. Such results will be needed more often through the rest of the season should he want to stay in papaya next season.
No.7 - Christian Lundgaard - A+
There's no doubt that this win had been coming. Lundgaard has been supreme on road courses throughout his time at Arrow McLaren, only stopped by the brilliance of Palou. A fourth-place starting position was validation of Lundgaard's desire to improve his qualifying performances. And when his main competition was out of contention for victory, Lundgaard took full advantage with a superb pass on Malukas around the outside of Turn 4. It was a long-awaited victory and the result that had felt needed to Lundgaard. He'll need to prove he can beat Palou one-on-one but this nonetheless was a superb performance all-round.
Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing
No.15 - Graham Rahal - A
This was always going to be a very important weekend for Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing (RLL) considering their track record on the road course and Rahal took full advantage of that. After qualifying seventh, Rahal kept it clean on the opening lap and seemed unlikely to ever relinquish his podium position once he moved into that spot. It marked the first time since 2021 what Rahal had three top 10 finishes in a row, the first time since 2020 that he had multiple podiums in a season and means he has already beaten his top 10 total from last season. After significant changes in the off-season, it is the sort of performance that feels important for RLL.
No.45 - Louis Foster - A-
A maiden career top 10 finish has been a long-time coming for Louis Foster and he took advantage of RLL's strong road course package to claim his best career finish. Foster had qualified well in sixth and stayed in a similar position throughout the 85 laps. A major lock-up when battling with Palou could have put such a result in jeopardy but Foster kept it clean and took good care of his tyres - which has been an achilles heel in the past. Foster will now need to prove such results are possible outside of RLL's best venue.
No.47 - Mick Schumacher - B-
Indianapolis undoubtedly marked Mick Schumacher's best weekend in IndyCar until a late-race collision with Santino Ferrucci proved costly and saw a potential top 10 finish become 20th. Schumacher qualified in 18th but had made progress throughout until he had misjudged Ferrucci's braking point when battling for a top 10 finish. That gave Schumacher a drive-through penalty and no meaningful result. That said, it was a much better performance and Schumacher continues to improve each weekend that he races.
Meyer Shank Racing
No.60 - Felix Rosenqvist - D
After a very strong Long Beach weekend, a costly opening lap error meant that Rosenqvist's Indianapolis weekend was significantly more disappointing. A third-place qualifying spot was once again validation of Meyer Shank Racing's strong qualifying form but a clumsy lock-up into Turn 1 on Lap 1 cost Rosenqvist dear. After fixing the damage, Rosenqvist was able to get back out before vaulting over Simpson later on. After a strong qualifying it was a disastrous race day, compounding a tricky start to the season (outside of Long Beach).
No.66 - Marcus Armstrong - C
A rather muted weekend for Marcus Armstrong outside his very heated collision with Romain Grosjean. Armstrong qualified relatively disappointingly in 20th and was not a significant factor during the race until his now-infamous collision with Grosjean. Armstrong earned a drive-through for his troubles after already being sent to the back for emergency repairs under yellow. He did well recover to 11th but it is not the results Armstrong was striving for pre-season.
Ed Carpenter Racing
No.20 - Alexander Rossi - B-
It was a tricky weekend for Ed Carpenter Racing and Alexander Rossi, who were already disappointed after qualifying by missing the Fast 12 by mere thousandths of a second. Rossi had lost some ground at the start before he pulled to a halt with a mechanical failure which proceeded the controversy around the caution. There was nothing Rossi could do and his frustration was clear throughout.
No.21 - Christian Rasmussen - C-
It was a disappointing weekend on both sides of the Ed Carpenter Racing garage as Christian Rasmussen also endured mechanical issues. Rasmussen was one of few significantly damaged in the opening lap and was unable to get back going from there. With no results in the top 10 thus far this season, Rasmussen now drops outside the Leaders' Circle, albeit still at a very early point in the season.
AJ Foyt Racing
No.4 - Caio Collet - B
There was nothing much Caio Collet could do as he was clattered in Turn 1 just hours after earning his best IndyCar qualifying result in 12th. With the damage sustained, there was little Collet could do as he limped to 19th. Nonetheless, after a slow start to the season it was an important qualifying milestone for Collet as he continues to gain experience race-by-race.
No.14 - Santino Ferrucci - B-
It had been a relatively quiet weekend for Santino Ferrucci until he found himself the victim of an incident with Schumacher when on the fringes of the top 10. It had been a slightly better weekend than we've seen at points this season though, with Ferrucci qualifying in 15th and finishing 14th after his spin.
Juncos Hollinger Racing
No.76 - Rinus VeeKay - C
Even before the green flag, Rinus VeeKay's race had a rather different picture after sustaining damage as the race got underway. That said, VeeKay had qualified relatively poorly in just 21st and picked off those who had bigger issues than him on race day to finish 15th.
No.77 - Sting Ray Robb - C-
The tricky start to 2026 got no easier for Robb in Indianapolis. After qualifying in 23rd, Robb picked up front wing damaged early on and earned a drive-through for full service in a closed pit. He would see the chequered flag in 17th only ahead of those who had retired or been involved in some kind of crashes earlier on in the day.
Dale Coyne Racing
No.18 - Romain Grosjean - B-
The post-race anger from Grosjean directed at Armstrong maybe told the story of his weekend at Indianapolis. After qualifying in respectable 11th, a strong finish fell out of his grasp after their Turn 11 collision which gave Grosjean significant damage and placed him a lap down.
No.19 - Dennis Hauger - B+
Dennis Hauger's advantage in the Rookie of the Year battle was further solidified after another impressive weekend on a road/street course. Despite a disappointing qualifying, Hauger made strong progress through the race to earn a second career top 10 finish in eighth. He might lack consistency, but race pace and strategy execution is certainly there for 'the Norwegian Nightmare'.
All photos in this article were taken by DIVEBOMB Photographer, Dominic Loyer. You can find Dominic's work on Instagram (@dominicloyer_photography)
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