IndyCar Gradebook: Grand Prix of Long Beach
- Dan Jones
- 3 hours ago
- 9 min read
Álex Palou checked off one of the few remaining boxes in his IndyCar career, as he won on the Streets of Long Beach for the first time. Some of his opposition were unfortunate whilst some missed the mark. DIVEBOMB IndyCar Correspondent, Dan Jones, graded all 25 drivers' performances during the Long Beach weekend.
Chip Ganassi Racing
No.8 - Kyffin Simpson - B
Consistency continues to be Kyffin Simpson's downfall but his Long Beach weekend was another example of the Cayman Islander's steady development over the last 12 months. Simpson's top 10 finish at Long Beach a year ago was a genuine surprise, but his 10th place finish this year was certainly not, with such results being shown on a more regular basis. Simpson qualified well in ninth too as he continues to make strides in his road/street performance.
No.9 - Scott Dixon - A-
It was a weekend quiet reminiscent of Scott Dixon's entire 2025 season - a stable run comfortably within the top 10 before a sudden and surprise appearance in the top three. It has not been such a good start to 2026 for Dixon, but his sixth-place qualifying result marked the first time he reached the Fast 12 this year with the crucial final pitstop elevating him three positions in the order. Although Kirkwood posed a late threat, Dixon was never going to relinquish his position for a long-awaited podium finish.
No.10 - Álex Palou - A
Long Beach may not have been similar to Álex Palou's other IndyCar successes, like at Barber where he led the race effectively from start-to-finish, but it gave the necessary reminder that it is not only Palou, but the entire No.10 team that operates a level which makes them near-unbeatable for their competitors. That said, Palou's individual performance cannot be detracted from. A run to third in qualifying was strong before a decisive overtake on O'Ward opened the opportunity for the race to fall into his hands. Once his team had executed on the stop, Palou drove away like he so often does and once again set the benchmark that his opposition cannot currently meet.
Team Penske
No.2 - Josef Newgarden - C
It said quite a lot about the quality of the action that Josef Newgarden's three-stop strategy was the most exciting on-track action for a large portion of the race. You have to give credit to Newgarden and the No.2 team for trying something different on a track where it seemed difficult to overtake, but it was clear that when Newgarden would have to overtake the two-stoppers, his charge may have become undone. Precisely that happened as he flat-spotted his front left tyre overtaking Marcus Armstrong and he ended up finishing where he started in an underwhelming 14th.
No.3 - Scott McLaughlin - B+
It could have been the nightmare scenario after Scott McLaughlin crashed in practice, his third incident in as many races, but the New Zealander rebounded well to have a much-needed top 10 result on a track that he traditionally has not been strong at. McLaughlin qualified in eighth and had a quiet run on Sunday, finishing in sixth and matching his best Long Beach finish. It is still not the standards that McLaughlin is capable of, but importantly, a steady weekend after messy weekends in Arlington and Alabama.
No.12 - David Malukas - A-
A seventh-place result feels particularly unjust for the weekend that David Malukas had in Long Beach, but he continues to thrive in his first season with Team Penske. His strong qualifying form continued with a fifth-place start, which became fourth after he jumped O'Ward in the opening pit stop phase. Malukas looked in a good position before the final stint with his alternate tyres still available, but the caution nullified Malukas' chances only worsened by being one of the big losers in the cycle as he dropped down to seventh. Another impressive weekend nonetheless as he continues to edge closer toward a first victory.
Andretti Global
No.26 - Will Power - B+
As has been the case several times this season, a relatively minor problem had significant consequences for Will Power which saw another strong result fall out of the Australian's grasp. Power and Andretti had strong pace all weekend, with his seventh-place qualifying run a slight disappointment. That said, Power had worked his way up into a top five position before his hard work came undone when he ran over Caio Collet's rear-left tyre changer during the final stop earning him a penalty and dropping him to an unfortunate 19th. Although results aren't going Power's way, there's still plenty of positives to take.
No.27 - Kyle Kirkwood - A-
It maybe says a lot about the current expectations of Kyle Kirkwood and Andretti that a fourth-place result at Long Beach was on the more disappointing side of the spectrum, but that's the standards Kirkwood has earned himself. The defending Long Beach winner showed well in practice, but couldn't make an impact on the top positions, as he qualified fourth and ran in a similar position throughout all 90 laps. The early championship lead he once held has now been lost as Palou heads to his usual stomping grounds. That said, it was by no means a disastrous weekend and Kirkwood's impressive run of form in regards to top five finishes continues.
No.28 - Marcus Ericsson - C-
The term 'false dawn' feels like it can be linked to Marcus Ericsson a worringly high amount of times and it rather felt as if Long Beach was a similar story. Ericsson has started the year significantly better than his previous Andretti campaigns and considering his Long Beach record and the team's pedigree on street courses, this felt like another good opportunity. However, he was off the pace that was set by both of his teammates, he did not transfer into the Fast 12 with his weekend compounded by a hybrid issue during the race. You would expect he needs to show more should he want to keep his ride at seasons-end.
Arrow McLaren
No.5 - Pato O'Ward - A-
A fifth-place finish was a well-earned fourth top five finish in five races for Pato O'Ward, but it continues to feel as if Arrow McLaren still slightly lag behind their competitors in the bid for the top positions. O'Ward had a particularly strong qualifying run in second, but such pace was not replicated on Sunday as he was quickly overtaken by Palou and was overcut by several of his rivals. O'Ward was head and shoulders clear of his teammates though and although he shines with his consistency, race pace seems to be an achilles heel.
No.6 - Nolan Siegel - B-
Despite qualifying at the rear of the field, Long Beach proved to be Nolan Siegel's best race of the year as he finished 12th and was the race's highest mover on a track that proved difficult to overtake. It still isn't the standards that you would expect of an Arrow McLaren driver but it slightly steadies the ship heading into the 'Month of May'.
No.7 - Christian Lundgaard - C+
As was the case last year, race-to-race inconsistency lets Christian Lundgaard down with Long Beach another frustratingly quiet weekend. Lundgaard has emphasised qualifying as a key improvement point but it was a familiar story of recent in 11th. He did not make any progress from there on Sunday before a slow puncture forced him into an additional stop and relegated him to the back of the field where he was once again unable to make progress. Helpless in the end, but the performances he is capable of need to be shown week-in, week-out.
Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing
No.15 - Graham Rahal - B+
Another top 10 finish for Rahal signifies his third of 2026 in just five races, already matching his total from 2025. Although it was not quite the star showing like he had at Barber, Rahal's experience came to the fore with a solid qualifying effort in 10th before a quiet Sunday which would see him finish eighth at the chequered flag, holding off a challenge from Alexander Rossi late on. After a difficult 2025 season, early showings in 2026 suggest that RLL have made a significant step forward.
No.45 - Louis Foster - C
Long Beach saw a maiden top 10 finish once again fall out of Louis Foster's grasp as once again, tyre management proved to be the Briton's downfall. Foster starred in qualifying in his rookie season but his more patchy results this year continued in 17th. That said, Foster worked his way up into the top 10 after the final round of stops but he was swamped in the closing laps unable to hold onto his tyres which saw him drop to 16th. The issues that plagued him in his rookie season still continue in his sophomore year.
No.47 - Mick Schumacher - C-
It was a tricky weekend for Schumacher who had little practice running on a circuit he had never raced at before. An engine failure caused the German to miss opening practice before a shunt in second practice limited running further. Considering his lack of track time, a 21st qualifying result was not awful, before climbing to a seasons-best 17th on Sunday. There's still work to be done and Schumacher was partially his own victim, but he did respectably considering limited running.
Meyer Shank Racing
No.60 - Felix Rosenqvist - A+
Felix Rosenqvist and the rest of Meyer Shank Racing (MSR) must consider themselves extremely unfortunate to not have stood in Victory Lane on Sunday, as Rosenqvist awaits his first victory in six years and the team await their first in five. It was a near-faultless weekend for Rosenqvist who once again qualified on pole at Long Beach and did a particularly good job maintaining the gap to Palou behind. He was helpless in the pit stop phase and it would always be tricky to hunt down Palou from there. Although it is not the result deserved, it is a weekend that puts Rosenqvist in a much better place after his difficult start to the year.
No.66 - Marcus Armstrong - C-
It was a very un-Armstrong-like weekend for Marcus Armstrong at Long Beach, as he finished last of the classified runners and was unable to match the pace of his teammate. Armstrong qualified in 13th but could not make significant progress on Sunday before a late puncture forced him into another stop - the cause of his 24th place finish. It has become a recurring problem for MSR that they are unable to show pace between both cars throughout a weekend and Armstrong was the one relatively struggling this weekend.
Ed Carpenter Racing
No.20 - Alexander Rossi - B
As has been the case throughout 2026, it was a relatively unspectacular weekend for Alexander Rossi. He qualified disappointingly in 18th but made good progress on Sunday considering the circumstances to finish a respectable ninth, missing out on getting Rahal for eighth on the final lap. A third top 10 finish of the year is only encouraging though as Ed Carpenter Racing display more consistent results on road/street courses.
No.21 - Christian Rasmussen - C
Like his teammate, Christian Rasmusen's road/street form has been unspectacular so far this season as he continues to lag behind his teammate in that discipline. Rasmussen did qualify better in 16th but the three-stop strategy was clearly the inferior option as Rasmussen finished a fairly muted 15th.
AJ Foyt Racing
No.4 - Caio Collet - C-
It was an unspectacular weekend for Caio Collet at Long Beach, who qualified 20th and finished in 22nd. That could have been a much better result though had the Brazilian not sped on pit lane and forcing him to start at the back of the field on the restart. An unfortunate error, but Collet continues to build early on in his rookie campaign.
No.14 - Santino Ferrucci - C-
After an encouraging Barber, it was an unremarkable weekend for Santino Ferrucci who was generally outclassed by his teammate. Ferrucci qualified in only 20th and made little progress throughout the race, improving top just 18th on the unpreferred three-stop strategy, with the majority of the drivers behind him suffering from some kind of issue.
Juncos Hollinger Racing
No.76 - Rinus VeeKay - B-
A 13th-place finish was maybe a slight disappointment for Rinus VeeKay, who's decision to go onto the three-stop strategy proved costly. VeeKay qualified respectably in 12th and was the first to revert to the three-stopper. It became quickly clear that it was an unfavourable strategy and VeeKay was unable to make progress into the top 10. He was overtaken by Siegel in the final corners to relegate him down another position but proved to be the best driver on the three-stop.
No.77 - Sting Ray Robb - D
After Robb earned a top 10 finish at Long Beach 12 months ago, 2026 was unfortunately the type of underwhelming performance that we have become accustomed to with Robb. He only qualified ahead of Siegel and finished 23rd, only ahead of Armstrong and Ericsson who suffered issues. The standards haven't been raised in his second season with Juncos.
Dale Coyne Racing
No.18 - Romain Grosjean - D+
It was a challenging weekend for Romain Grosjean who's encouraging runs on other road/street courses earlier in the year proved to be of no correlation on the Long Beach streets. Grosjean crashed in second practice and qualified a poor 23rd in his rebuilt car. Little progress was made on Sunday, as Grosjean finished in 21st on a circuit he has gone well at in the past.
No.19 - Dennis Hauger - B+
Despite being a circuit Hauger has no familiarity with, Long Beach proved to be the Norwegian's best weekend since the season opener. Hauger qualified in 19th but made methodical progress throughout the race, missing out on a top 10 finish by just 0.2 seconds. He continues to prove to comfortably lead the Rookie of the Year battle and can take plenty of positives heading into May.
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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