Alex Palou continued his remarkable mastery of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course by winning his third consecutive Sonsio Grand Prix on May 10.
Palou, who also won the NTT P1 Award for this race, drove his No. 10 DHL Chip Ganassi Racing Honda to a commanding 5.4840-second victory over Pato O’Ward’s No. 5 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet.
While the final margin was substantial, it likely would have been even larger had a late caution not bunched the field for the first time since the opening lap of the season-opening Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg presented by RP Funding.
Two-time series champion Will Power finished third in the No. 12 Verizon Team Penske Chevrolet, 8.4529 seconds behind the leader. Teammate Scott McLaughlin brought the No. 3 Sonsio Vehicle Protection Chevrolet home in fourth, while six-time champion Scott Dixon completed the top five in the No. 9 PNC Bank Chip Ganassi Racing Honda.
Once again, strategy and discipline paved the path for Palou. He led 29 laps, second only to Graham Rahal’s race-high 49, but maintained constant pressure even during the stretches he spent chasing rather than leading.
Palou launched from pole, but Rahal made a bold move at Turn 1 on Lap 2 to grab the early lead. Driving the No. 15 Fifth Third Bank Honda for Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing, Rahal controlled the race through the halfway point aside from pit cycles. But Palou never let him escape, consistently shadowing Rahal within a second and refusing to overextend in pursuit.
A key strategic wrinkle shaped the battle. Under new INDYCAR SERIES rules for this event, each driver was required to use two sets each of Firestone primary and alternate tires. Palou opened the race with scuffed alternate and primary tires in his first two stints, while Rahal used fresh sets of both compounds.
The pivotal moment came at the second round of stops on Lap 41. Both drivers entered pit lane nose-to-tail. Rahal’s crew outfitted him with scuffed alternates, while Palou’s team opted for new primary tires. Rahal kept the lead initially thanks to the alternates’ superior grip, but the primaries’ durability and Palou’s sizable advantage in remaining Push to Pass would soon swing momentum.
Palou closed relentlessly and made his first major attack on Lap 58, attempting moves in Turns 1 and 2 before finally diving inside Rahal in Turn 7 later that lap. Once clear, he rocketed away, building a 4.1075-second lead within four laps and appearing poised to cruise home.
That charge paused on Lap 70 when the No. 4 AJ FOYT RACING Chevrolet of David Malukas stopped in the grass in Turn 10, triggering the first full-course caution in 408 consecutive green-flag laps this season.
But on the Lap 72 restart, Palou was flawless. He defended cleanly into Turn 1, then reestablished control, stretching his lead to 2.4781 seconds by Lap 76 and never looking back. In the closing laps, it was clear: on the IMS road course, Palou remains the driver everyone else is chasing.
