There’s been no stopping Alex Palou in the opening stint of the 2025 IndyCar season. Heading into Alabama, success continued, with the Spaniard untouchable throughout the weekend. Palou increased his advantage at the top of the standings to 60 points, securing his third victory of the season after leading 81 out of the 91 laps.
The Barber Grand Prix also marked a historical record. The last caution IndyCar had was during the season opener at St. Pete’s. Since then, three subsequent races have run under green flag conditions, bringing the total green laps up to 339, marking this the longest stint since 1986. This is also the second race in a row where all 27 drivers who started the Grand Prix finished it.
The weekend was a strong one for Palou with a new but familiar name making a top five appearance. On the other hand, it was a weekend to forget for Colton Herta who was hampered with yet more bad luck. Here are the winners and losers from the Alabama Grand Prix 2025:
Indy NXT | Alabama Grand Prix | Hauger’s Domination Continues
Winner: Rinus VeeKay Secures Best Finish Since 2022
Rinus VeeKay was the last driver on the grid to secure a drive for 2025. But his race in Alabama proved it was worth the wait. VeeKay’s slight blip during practice where he spun his No.18 at Turn 17 wasn’t representative of his performance. Heading into Saturday’s qualifying session, VeeKay entered his first Fast 6 of the season with Dale Coyne Racing. The Dutchman clocked in a 1:07.9103, slotting him into the third-row for race day.
The strong form continued on Sunday with VeeKay consistently in the top 10. He had a slight issue on lap 66, where his front-wheel nut caused a slow stop. But this didn’t stop the flying Dutchman who climbed back up into fourth position, right on the heels of Scott McLaughlin.
VeeKay was unable to catch the Penske driver in the end, but rounded out his best weekend since the Iowa Speedway in 2022 and achieved Dale Coyne’s best start to a season since 2020 with the aforementioned P4.
Loser: Kyle Kirkwood
Kirkwood secured his first win of the season at Long Beach, holding off Palou for the win. This win firmly inserted Kirkwood into the title hunt against Palou. However, as he headed into Alabama, the momentum didn’t follow him. A tough start to the weekend saw the Floridian start down in 18th.
The race went no better for the Andretti Global driver who had suspected gearbox issues early on in the race. Although the damage was mitigated early on, the best Kirkwood could do was finish in 11th. Following the race, he dropped down to third in the championship, 69 points behind Palou.
Winner: Alex Palou
Alex Palou has been the man to beat all season, securing three victories out of four race weekends. The Spaniard was untouchable in Alabama, securing pole position on Saturday with a 01:07.2918.
Race day saw Palou in his most impeccable form, leading 81 laps out of 90 and crossing the line 16 seconds ahead of Lundgaard. This was the biggest winning margin since Scott Dixon’s victory at the World Wide Technology Raceway in 2023.
The victory gives him a 60 point advantage heading into the month of May with Lundgaard running in second. Palou is known for his notorious record around the Sonsio Grand Prix, winning the past two races at the circuit.
Loser: Another Pit Road Incident Hinders Colton Herta
Colton Herta’s 2025 season has been plagued with issues which has hindered his opportunity for both a podium and victory.
The saga of issues hurting the Californian continued in Alabama. Herta started the weekend off strong with a third place start for Sunday – his best start at the Barber Motorsports Park. The strong form continued in the first half of the race, consistently running in the top three.
But, the issue this time came when the Andretti Global driver headed into pit lane for his second pit-stop. A slow pitstop caused Herta to stall, relegating him down sixth positions, though he was able to bounce back slightly with a seventh place finish.
The cloud of bad luck continues to follow the No.26.
Winner: Christian Lundgaard Grabs Fourth Podium Of The Season
Apart from Palou, Christian Lundgaard has been the most impressive IndyCar driver of the season. The Dane joined Arrow McLaren in 2025, and has outperformed both of his teammates with his best average finishing position being fourth place.
Despite starting in seventh position, the Dane fought his way up the pack, doing an incredible overtake on McLaughlin at Turn 17, a move he once pulled against Dixon at the same corner.
Lundgaard crossed the line in second, securing his third consecutive podium of the season. He jumped up the standings into second, 60 points behind Palou.
Can Lundgaard keep his results consistent and pose another attack on Palou at the Sonsio Grand Prix?
Winner: Alexander Rossi
Barber taught us to never count out an IndyCar veteran like Alexander Rossi. After departing from Arrow McLaren at the end of the 2024 season, Rossi joined Ed Carpenter Racing. Rossi has had a strong start to the season, making an appearance in the top 10 twice in three rounds.
But, Barber had a stellar weekend for the Californian. Despite qualifying in 15th, Rossi finished in eighth. The first lap was where Rossi shined, making up five positions on the opening lap, by lap four he was running in ninth. As the race continued, Rossi made up further positions before crossing the chequered flag in eighth.
The month of May has officially kickstarted meaning IndyCar’s will be on TV screens for the next four weeks with the build-up to the 108th running of the Indianapolis 500. IndyCar heads to the legendary track for the Sonsio Grand Prix on May 9th, with the race taking place on Saturday afternoon.
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Feature Image – Paul Hurley, IndyCar Media Centre
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