IndyCar Preview: Detroit Grand Prix
- Dan Jones
- 1 day ago
- 7 min read
Written by Dan Jones
It may have been just days since Álex Palou sealed his IndyCar legacy by winning the 109th Running of the Indianapolis 500, but the Spaniard, along with the other 26 drivers have no time to reflect on what has happened, as the series hits downtown Detroit, which plays host to Round 7 of 17 in the 2025 IndyCar season.
What happened at Indianapolis?
The Indianapolis 500 is the first day circled in the calendar for IndyCar drivers and fans alike as the most momentous day of the season, and as it does every year, stole the motorsport headlines.
Palou's lack of an oval victory, let alone an Indianapolis 500, was the only achievement restricting the Spaniard from being in a conversation alongside some of the all-time greats. There was almost a sense of inevitability that his Indianapolis victory day would come in the midst of his already record-breaking season, as Palou finally put his name alongside the most famous names of the sport by winning 'the Greatest Spectacle in Racing.'
It wouldn't come without challenge though. Palou made a decisive overtake on Marcus Ericsson with 14 laps to go. Ericsson, who was better on fuel than Palou and had fresher tyres, was unable to make his own move for the lead and had to frustratingly settle behind Palou for his second Indianapolis heartbreak in three seasons.
Palou would also be challenged by the likes of Conor Daly, Ryan Hunter-Reay, Takuma Sato and David Malukas, all of whom had their own challenges falter for a variety of reasons. Scott McLaughlin devastatingly crashed on the formation lap, whilst Josef Newgarden's attempts at an Indianapolis three-peat fell apart after a fuel pressure issue.
The racing wasn't as intense as has been in recent years at the Speedway, the added weight of the hybrid making overtaking far more of a challenge than previously. The hybrid technology has been a controversial storyline of the season so far, with overtaking numbers significantly down on races so far in 2025 compared to the hybrid-less numbers of 2024.
However, the tales of Indianapolis did not come to an end at the chequered flag. Second place finisher, Ericsson, alongside Kyle Kirkwood and Callum Ilott who finished in sixth and 12th respectively were penalised for illegal parts and were placed 31st, 32nd and 33rd in the finishing order. David Malukas was promoted to second, with Pato O'Ward rounding out the 'podium.'
The race also momentously reached a capacity crowd of 350,000 and a TV rating of 7.05 million - the highest it has been in 17 years. This was significantly helped by the 'blackout' being lifted in the Indiana region.
You can read the full race report here, the DIVEBOMB IndyCar Podcast's race review here and my gradebook here.
Palou's Indianapolis 500 victory was his fifth in six races to start off 2025. His points lead now stands at a remarkable 112, with the 28-year-old now holding over a two-race margin over his nearest competitor in Pato O'Ward. Palou may already have the Borg-Warner Trophy in his name, and it would take either a catastrophic collapse or a monumental recovery from a competitor to prevent the Astor Challenge Cup from being in his hands for a fourth time. No driver has won both the Indianapolis 500 and IndyCar Championship in the same season since Dario Franchitti in 2010.
The top ten in points are as follows;
Palou - 306
O'Ward - 194
Lundgaard - 181
Rosenqvist - 165
Kirkwood - 156
Dixon - 153
McLaughlin - 145
Power - 142
Herta - 120
Malukas - 110
All you need to know about Detroit
Let's turn our attention to the Streets of Detroit, where drivers will compete around a 1.645 mile (2.647km) street circuit, nestled in the shadows of the Renaissance Center. As circuits go, the circuit is a near polar opposite to the Indianapolis Oval that the drivers raced on last week, being a narrow, low-speed and error-prone street circuit.
The circuit will host its third IndyCar race in it's current convention since the series returned to downtown Detroit in 2023, after hosting races on Belle Isle since 2000. The circuit is particularly narrow, with little margin for error, as shown by the seven cautions averaged at each race since the circuit returned in 2023.
Turn 1 poses a low-speed left-hander, where drivers will climb over a crest for a more open left-hander at Turn 2. The backstraight is one of the longest on the calendar, and poses the best overtaking opportunity on the circuit - it is also where the cars will go to green on Sunday. Turn 3 is a narrow double-apexed hairpin which has been the location of many an accident in recent seasons.
Turn 4 plunges the drivers back downhill toward a tricky slow-speed complex at Turns 5, 6 and 7. The exit of Turn 7 is another danger zone, with many drivers hitting the right-hand side barriers on the exit. Turns 8 and 9 are two 90 degree corners which brings drivers back onto the small front stretch to complete the lap. The circuit most notably features a split pitlane, with half the pitboxes on the left and half on the right, which has caused some chaos in recent seasons.
The races at Detroit have been all about avoiding the chaos, and that's why it will be little surprise to many that Palou and Scott Dixon are the two previous winners on this layout. Palou also took pole in 2023, whilst Colton Herta pipped Palou to the post as he took the P1 award last season.
Drivers will have access to 150 seconds of push-to-pass with a maximum usage of 15 seconds at a time. This will also mark the first Detroit Grand Prix with the hybrid in use. Firestone will bring five sets of the primary as well as five sets of the alternate tyre. As the series races on a street course, the alternate tyre will be the green 'guayule' compound.
What to look out for this weekend?
The main question in the paddock is: 'What will it take to stop Palou?' That same question has been asked since Thermal, and yet nobody, bar Kyle Kirkwood in Long Beach, is yet to have an answer.
Palou is currently on an unprecedented run of form, and is the first driver in over 50 years to win five of the first six to start a season. Whatever his opposition throw at him, Palou seems to be a irremovable object from victory lane.
However, there may be one ongoing statistic that may give his competitors hope this weekend.
In the days since Palou kissed the bricks and drunk the milk at Indianapolis, media commitments have filled Palou's itinerary ever since he crossed the yard of bricks. And it's given an unofficial 'curse' to the Indianapolis 500 winner since, with the winner notably struggling at the following race post-the 500.
Josef Newgarden said he "felt like a zombie" when he raced at Detroit after his first Indianapolis 500 win in 2023, and his 2024 performance was nothing to be proud of either. Since 2017, no Indianapolis 500 winner has finished in the top six at Detroit, and no Indianapolis 500 winner has won the following race since Juan Pablo Montoya won at Milwaukee in 2000.
That said, this is also the same Palou that continues to leave his competitors in awe week-on-week and I would not be remotely surprised if he found himself in victory lane once again.
Andretti Global are always worth looking out for on street courses though. Kirkwood's victory on the Streets of Long Beach is the only occasion Palou has been trumped this season, and the team have a point to prove after the penalties to Ericsson and Kirkwood at Indianapolis.
Ericsson's only Andretti podium to date came at Detroit last season, and Herta took the pole here before he threw it away after an over-ambitious pass on Tristan Vautier of all people! Kirkwood was in victory contention too last season, and all his career victories have come on street courses.
Team Penske also have a point to prove. McLaughlin lies the best Penske driver in the points standings in seventh - a far cry from the standards they expect. After a disappointing 500, it's important that a Penske rebound comes thick and fast. Detroit hasn't been overly kind to the team in the last two seasons, however, Will Power finished as runner up in 2022 and completed an excellent recovery drive to sixth last season.
Arrow McLaren have quietly proved to be Palou's closest competitor, although it might be unfair to Palou to say he has any competition at the minute. The team have taken six podiums in six races in 2025, with O'Ward and Lundgaard lying second and third in points respectively. Arrow McLaren cars have finished in the top five on three occasions at Detroit in the last two seasons, although both O'Ward and Lundgaard have been part of the annual melee many times.
As is always the case in these chaotic races, I wouldn't count out the level head of Dixon either. He won convincingly last season on the Detroit streets and maybe has a point to prove after his teammate has stolen every single headline thus far in 2025.
It's worth giving a quick mention to Meyer Shank Racing too, who have proved themselves well on street courses so far this season. Marcus Armstrong claimed his only career podium at Detroit last season, whilst Felix Rosenqvist comes off the back of a third top five finish in 2025 at Indianapolis.
Timings:
Practice 1: 15:05 ET (20:05 BST) Friday
Practice 2: 09:05 ET (14:05 BST) Saturday
Qualifying: 12:20 ET (17:20 BST) Saturday
Warmup: 09:32 ET (14:32 BST) Sunday
Race: 12:52 ET (17:52 BST) Sunday
DIVEBOMB will bring you all the news and updates throughout the weekend as well as post-race analysis. It's been one for chaos in recent years - and will the victor be the one who avoids it best? Will Álex Palou's incredible run of form continue or will it be a new face in victory lane in 2025?
All photos in this article were taken at INDYCAR events by credentialed DIVEBOMB Photographers.
Dominic's Instagram: (@dominicloyer_photography)
Ryan's Instagram: (@flamesbyfleming)
Lorena's Instagram: (@lorenabarros)
