Christian Lundgaard finally celebrated on the top step with a controlled drive to victory in the 2026 Sonsio Grand Prix. Lundgaard snapped a 47‑race winless run and gave Arrow McLaren its first road‑course win of the season.
Qualifying: Only Slightly Delayed
Qualifying was pushed to Saturday morning after heavy rain on Friday afternoon. The standing water forced race control to postpone the session and cancel the traditional pre‑race warm‑up. A move that angered many teams and drivers.
In the dry, Palou converted his practice pace into another pole position. He topped the Firestone Fast Six with a 1:09.7487 lap at 125.886 mph in the No. 10. Pato O’Ward joined him on the front row with a 1:10.2962 in the No. 5. Felix Rosenqvist was able to get his No. 60 into P3 on the grid. Lundgaard ensured he would start in contention by claiming P4 with a 1:10.4751. David Malukas in the No. 12 and Louis Foster in the No. 45 rounded out the Fast Six. Graham Rahal, Scott Dixon, Kyle Kirkwood, Josef Newgarden, Romain Grosjean, and Caio Collet claimed the remaining Top 12 spots.
2026 Sonsio Grand Prix: Early Chaos
Palou made a clean launch from pole and led into Turn 1. The pack compressed behind him, and the accordion produced the first major incident of the afternoon. O’Ward, Dixon, Rosenqvist, and Collet were all caught in the clash as the field funneled into the right‑left Turn 1 and 2 section. The resulting caution ran from Laps 1 to 4, forcing teams to consider alternate fuel and tire strategies. The incident helped Malukas jump from P5 to P2. Team Penske then had a strong foothold near the front, while other teams pitted under yellow for fresh Firestones. Palou stayed out and rebuilt his advantage after the restart. Kirkwood quickly passed Malukas for P2, and the title rivals pulled away.
The tone of the race changed again on Lap 22 when Alexander Rossi’s No. 20 stopped on the front straight, triggering a local caution at first. Several drivers had already completed their first stops due to the possibility of a pit road closure under IndyCar rules. Crucially, Palou and Kirkwood did not pit and were forced to stop later, under full-course caution on Lap 25. They rejoined in P19 and P20, respectively.
A third caution followed on Lap 28. We had another multi‑car collision, this time in Turn 13. Rosenqvist, O’Ward, Sting Ray Robb, and Kyffin Simpson came together, which ended Rosenqvist’s day. This caution further altered the order, promoting Malukas, Lundgaard, and Rahal towards the front as strategies continued to evolve.
Closing Stages
As the race finally settled down after the Lap‑28 restart, Will Power briefly cycled to the lead. The different pit sequences played out, helping produce six lead changes among four drivers. Once the middle stint unfolded, Malukas emerged as the standard. He led a race‑high 27 laps and looked close to a breakthrough first IndyCar victory. Lundgaard stayed firmly in the hunt and worked to keep tire life and fuel managed for the final stint.
The crucial pit battle came between Laps 64 to 68. Lundgaard made his last stop on Lap 65. Malukas stopped one lap later and rejoined nose‑to‑tail ahead of Lundgaard. On Lap 68, Lundgaard made his move and settled the race. Running side‑by‑side with Malukas through Turns 3 and 4, Lundgaard threaded a narrow gap in the Turn 5‑6 chicane to grab the lead. From there, he pulled away. Malukas later said a wing adjustment had left his Penske sliding around as he tried to hold on.
Behind the lead pair, Rahal delivered a quietly effective drive to P3. Newgarden advanced to P4 to put another Penske entry in the Top 4. Palou recovered to P5, over 14 seconds behind Lundgaard. Rookie Dennis Hauger produced one of the standout performances of the day. He climbed from P24 on the grid to P8 and earned “most improved” with a 16‑place gain.
2026 Sonsio Grand Prix Winners and Losers
Winners:
- Christian Lundgaard: Turned a P4 start into a comeback win with a decisive pass for the lead. Controlled fuel and tire management to stay near the front for the entire grand prix.
- David Malukas: Led more laps than anyone and claimed another podium. Moving to Penske could be what turns him into a weekly contender for race wins.
- Graham Rahal: Rahal’s podium keeps RLL in the conversation on road courses.
- Dennis Hauger: Showed he was not a flash in the pan in IndyNXT and proved his racecraft by climbing 16 spots.
Losers:
- Alex Palou & Kyle Kirkwood: Either mistimed caution or pit calls ended both drivers’ fight for the win. They could only get back to P5 and P9, respectively, after their last stops.
- Felix Rosenqvist & Alexander Rossi: Rosenqvist was involved in two incidents, the second of which ended his race. Rossi had nothing but contempt for his hybrid system and Race Control’s decisions during his early retirement.
- Pato O’Ward & Scott Dixon: Both drivers were hoping to battle at the front. Being caught in that opening-lap mayhem severely hampered their ability to do that, and they instead had to fight for any points they could get.
Feature Image: Joe Skibinski | Penske Entertainment