The 2026 Indy GP is complete, view the full IndyCar race report here. IndyCar debuted a new push-to-pass rule ahead of the race, with drivers allowed to use it at all times on street courses. Reigning champion Alex Palou started from pole position, with Pato O’Ward alongside him on the front row.
Ahead of the race, Palou led the 2026 IndyCar standings by 17 points ahead of Andretti’s Kyle Kirkwood, who started the race from P9. Kirkwood’s teammate Will Power started from the back of the grid.
Six drivers chose to start on the alternate soft tyres. While Palou started on the primary tyres, O’Ward and Rosenqvist appeared to choose an aggressive strategy, starting behind the Chip Ganassi Racing driver on softs.
Chaos on race start at 2026 Indy GP
Before the green flag flew, Rinus VeeKay hit the back of another car, causing damage to his car.
Heading into Turn 1, Rosenqvist locked up and hit the side of O’Ward. Both cars spun and went off track. Rookie Caio Collet and veteran Scott Dixon also got collected in the collision. Rosenqvist received a drive-through penalty for causing a collision.
Palou maintained his lead in the race, narrowly missing the collision. David Malukas and Graham Rahal moved up to P2 and P3, respectively. The yellow flag was brought out on the first lap.
Race restarts on Lap 5
On Lap 5, the race restarted under green flags. Kirkwood used the newly-allowed push-to-pass to take P3 from Rahal. The RLL driver reported that his push-to-pass did not work on the restart. Kirkwood continued to make moves, overtaking Malukas for P2 on Lap 7.
Unfortunately, Christian Rasmussen went off-track on the race restart, falling to the back of the pack. He reported car problems and went back to the pits.
At the same time, Scott McLaughlin received a blocking penalty, dropping down to P15.
On Lap 15, Kirkwood reported vibrations in his car. Palou maintained his race lead, over three seconds ahead of the Andretti driver.
Dixon returned to the pits on Lap 16, attempting an alternative strategy. McLaughlin, Ericsson, Armstrong and Grosjean pit soon after, with the Penske driver opting for a front wing change.
Rossi stops on track
Alexander Rossi stopped on-track on Lap 21, reporting a problem with his power unit. Race control brought out a local yellow, a dangerous call while a driver is stopped on track.
Rossi hopped out of his car while the track was still hot, appearing furious by the call made. As he hopped out of the car, Race Control appeared to call the full-course yellow at the 2026 Indy GP.
Palou and Kirkwood pit from the lead on Lap 24. The CGR team appeared to be confused by the local yellow call, likely assuming Race Control initially called a full-course yellow. Both drivers dropped from the lead to the back of the field in P19 and P20, respectively.
Race restarts on Lap 27
Power led on the race restart ahead of Malukas and Rahal. Power went wide on the final corner, but maintained his lead. Rahal went deep into Turn 1 and Christian Lundgaard overtook him for P3.
Another collision
On Lap 28, Sting Ray Robb made contact with the side of O’Ward then careened into Rosenqvist, causing another pile-up on-track. Palou avoided making contact by going off-track, allowing Kirkwood to overtake him. A third full-course yellow is called.
On Lap 31, Power pit from the lead of the race. Grosjean entered the pits as well, appearing angry over the radio. He had made his way up to P6 before pitting. O’Ward also pit on Lap 32.
ECR wheeled Rasmussen out of the pits during the full-course yellow, re-joining the race on Lap 32.
Championship contenders cut through the field
Malukas took the field back to green on Lap 32 ahead of Lundgaard and Rahal. Kirkwood made his way up to P11, while Palou overtook VeeKay for P13. Rookie Dennis Hauger battled with Arrow McLaren driver Nolan Siegel for P8.
Both championship contenders continued to cut through the field. By Lap 35, Kirkwood returned to the top ten. At the same time, Marcus Ericsson and Dixon battled for P10.
Slow pit stop for Kirkwood
Palou returned to the pits on Lap 39 for new soft tyres, attempting an undercut on Kirkwood. The Andretti driver pit on Lap 40, but there appeared to be an issue with the wheel nut. The mistake cost Kirkwood track position to Palou in P14, exiting the pits in P18 behind teammate Ericsson.
Race leaders start to pit at Indy GP
On Lap 47, Rahal went to the pits for his second-to-last pit stop. Malukas responded, with Lundgaard taking the race lead. The Penske driver reported issues with his power unit as he entered the pits. To make matters worse, he also had a slow pit stop.
Lundgaard went to the pits on Lap 49, also having a slow stop. The Arrow McLaren driver exited the pits narrowly behind Malukas. However, he appeared to make a mistake on his out-lap, saving the No. 7 car but losing time to the Team Penske driver.
Power retook the race lead at the 2026 Indy GP, his alternative strategy from the back of the field seemingly paying off. Malukas sat in P2 ahead of Lundgaard, Rahal, and O’Ward.
The reigning champion continued to cut through the field, with Palou taking P7 from Kyffin Simpson by Lap 55.
Power pit from the race lead on Lap 59 for fresh soft tyres, locking up on the pit exit. Unfortunately, he received a drive-through penalty for crossing the white line.
Malukas and Lundgaard fight for race lead
Lundgaard started to chase down Malukas for the lead, gaining time on the No. 12 driver. Of the top three drivers, Rahal had the most push-to-pass left for use, while race leader Malukas had the least.
On Lap 63, Palou completed his final pit stop. He exited the pits in P12. Josef Newgarden followed suit one lap later. Both Malukas and Lundgaard chose to stay out.
Lundgaard and Rahal pit on Lap 65 while Malukas chose to stay out. While the No. 12 driver got caught in traffic during his in-lap, Lundgaard exited the pits into clean air. Malukas pit one lap later, with a 7.1s stop. He exited the pits over one second ahead Lundgaard.
Both drivers used their push-to-pass, fighting for the lead. With 18 laps to go, Lundgaard aggressively overtook Malukas for the race lead at the Indy GP.
The Arrow McLaren driver expressed his enthusiasm over the radio, stating that he will win the race. He began to extend his lead over Malukas.
Schumacher spins Ferrucci
It was a close battle for P10 as we approached the end of the race. Santino Ferrucci, Nolan Siegel, and Mick Schumacher battled it out on-track. With four laps to go, Siegel overtook Ferrucci for P10.
Unfortunately, Schumacher drove into the side of Ferrucci, causing him to spin. The AJ Foyt racer fell from P11 to P15, able to keep his car going.
Lundgaard scores maiden race win for Arrow McLaren at Indy GP
Christian Lundgaard scored his maiden win for Arrow McLaren at the 2026 Indy GP, finishing almost five seconds ahead of David Malukas. Graham Rahal rounded out to podium positions.
This marked Lundgaard’s first win since the 2023 Toronto GP — his maiden win.
Alex Palou maintained his championship lead ahead of Kyle Kirkwood, finishing the race in P5.
