The winners and losers of a Wet and Wild 2025 Indianapolis 500

There is nothing like May at Indianapolis Motor Speedway – and rarely has Indianapolis 500 was more eventful than the edition in 2025 of the emblematic event.

Ran a cool day of Indiana in the middle of the covered sky and occasional rain, the 109th race of the race was briefly delayed and then immediately Chaotic, attrition before the green flag can even fly.

This prepared the field for a race that saw many twists and turns of the plot, corners and amateurs as attrition, strategy and the usual luck of Indy 500 took place for 200 meticulous laps.

Here is an overview of the winners and losers of the biggest spectacle in the race.

Winner: a new Indy 500 champion is crowned: Alex Palou

Alex Palou, Chip Ganassi Racing

Photo of: Brandon Badraoui / Motorsport Images via Getty Images

Yeah. He did it again.

In recent years, Alex Palou was a beast on road and street circuits. But the oval was a weakness, offering intermittent chances so that the field ends in the championship fight.

If the result of Sunday is an indication, this is no longer the case. Strong, exorcised his oval demons with his first victory and did it during the biggest race of all, sweeping the month of May with his first triumph in Indianapolis 500.

He now leaves an Indy 500 champion in May, with a provisional advantage of 118 points in the championship ranking. Unless an injury or a historic collapse, it is unlikely that anyone pursuing Palou for the Astor Cup this season.

Loser: Marcus Ericsson (and everyone)

Marcus Ericsson, Andretti Global

Photo of: Michael L. Levitt / Motorsport Images via Getty Images

He was there – in an end where the passage turned out to be difficult, Marcus Ericsson held his head in the closing section. But him ended up losing first place in Palou and could not recover it.

So, Ericsson – like the 31 competitors who finished behind him – wondered what could have been at the end of the day, even if the finalist result was his best since the Grand Prix de Strait in 2024.

Winner: Head changes change in abundance in Indianapolis

Patricio O’Ward, Arrow McLaren, Graham Rahal, Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing, Colton Herta, Andretti Global, Callum Ilott, Prema Racing

Photo of: Michael L. Levitt / Motorsport Images via Getty Images

Blame him on the domination of Alex Palou. Point your finger on the hybrid unit. Choose the reason you want. But in all respects, it was a procedural case in advance for the Indycar field of the season to date. There had only been two passes on track for the head beyond the opening corner in the eight road and street circuit races since the introduction of the hybrid unit in 2024 – including the first five races of the 2025 season.

The Indy 500 equaled this total at only 12 laps in the race and proceeded to blow it up. It was not a spectacular race for the head of Indy 500 standards, but a good reshuffle of the status quo beforehand.

Losing: Rossi, Veekay and Shwartzman end their days on Pit Road

Robert Shwartzman, Prema Racing

Photo of: Geoff Miller / Motorsport Images via Getty Images

Pit Road is often treacherous at the Brickyard, but he rarely claims successive victims as she did in the games of the Sunday race.

Alexander Rossi came to Pit Road at the end of Tour 73 after his car started smoking Just to see a first five race end with flames. Rinus Veekay arrived at minutes later in Tour 81 when he lost control and slammed in the wall of the pit. Just six laps after that, Pole-Sitter Robert Shwartzman did the same by sliding in his box – and crew members – while the race was cautious.

Winner: a good day for David Malukas, Aj Foyt Racing

David Malukas, Aj Foyt Enterprises

Photo of: Penske Entertainment

Before Sunday, it was a quiet year for David Malukas. The Chicagoan had finished four of the five races, but did not come better than 13th in the spring of the back of the back. But the day the most eyes is attracted to Indycar, the Malukas made its presence known.

Piloting n ° 4, the Malukas led two laps and found themselves third in the closing stages of the race. The original end behind the lapotant traffic meant that the best contenders remained locked in place for the last 10 laps, keeping the Malukas out of real affirmation for the victory. But the result of third place was the best of 23 years outside World Wide Technology Raceway.

Teammate Santino Ferrucci did not provide many daring and exciting movements that he has managed in the past in Indianapolis. But the native of Connecticut discreetly walked to the seventh to give Aj Foyt Racing a pair of top 10 of the day.

Loser: the three peat attempts from Josef Newgarden

Josef Newgarden, Team Penske

Photo of: Brett Farmer / Motorsport Images via Getty Images

Josef Newgarden was ready to be up to the pressure of making potential history in Indianapolis. Unfortunately for Tennessean, His car was not so prepared.

The Penske Ace team was trying to create two first historicals on Sunday – winner of the last row

And marking a third consecutive victory. And for a while, it seemed possible. Helped by the heavy attrition of the race and sporting a quick chevrolet n ° 2, Newgarden got up in the Top-10 and had time to continue the frontrunners to have a chance to race for immortality.

But in the end, it was not supposed to be. Newgarden’s car lost the fuel pressure and a standing trip to the 135 round ended with an early outing due to a fuel pump problem. Lady Luck was not on her side this year.

Winner: Solid days for title hopes

Christian Lundgaard, Arrow McLaren

Photo of: Brandon Badraoui / Motorsport Images via Getty Images

Look at the chances that whoever catches Palou at this stage is slim. And no one is satisfied with a finish other than the first at Indy 500. But for drivers who hope to catch it, or at least compete during the second, bring a good result back to an unpredictable race like Indianapolis is the key.

So, while the top-10 works to Pato O’Ward,, Kyle Kirkwood,, Christian Lundgaard And Felix Rosenqvist There is nothing to write at home, they helped the group leave Indiana with the four places behind Palou in the standings.

Loser: mother nature is again

Indy 500 grid

Photo of: Phillip Abbott / Motorsport Images via Getty Images

It was a cool week and covered in Indiana. So there was no surprise when a cloudy sky and a slight threat of rain appeared on the forecasts of the day of the race.

Fortunately, there was little rain to face the day. But the little piece that fell fell just when the front festivities were starting.

What followed was a brief, but painful, waiting for time to pass and the track dry – especially for Kyle LarsonWho saw the small room for maneuver he had for his double Indycar-Nascar evaporate provided while the humidity struck his aeroscreal. Later, Larson’s race would end after a unusually sloppy restart.

This margin of error only decreases from there, because the rain forced a brief caution a few minutes later and before that …

Loser: everyone loses their heads in front of green

Marco Andretti, Andretti Global

Photo of: James Gilbert / Getty Images

These were nuances of 1992 from the start in Indianapolis.

As the engines were fired and the rhythm laps began, the capacity crowd at Indianapolis Motor Speedway had reached a fever. The emotions were high and the drivers were ready to run.

In fact, they may have been a little too ready.

The Penske Lone Team driver who did not have started at the rear, Scott McLaughlin,, Make a colossal error before Tour 1 In the last lap before the planned green flag. The kiwi warmed his tires when he lost control of his Chevrolet n ° 3 and filled the inner wall at the end of the front section, putting an end to his race before he could start.

This led the race to start in caution. But the field has always taken the first green flag in the traditional three -wide formation, which led to another crash of the turn 1 like Marco Andretti I have the worst of a four -wide movement.

The 20th Indy 500 race of the veteran has already been hampered by a difficult qualification weekend which saw it ride 29th. But it ended even more deeply in 32nd, having seen only once of green flag race.

Scott Dixon was not involved in an accident, but suffered his backhand. His car was briefly on fire during rhythm laps. The winner of the 2008 race finally required a change of brake following the mechanical question, trapping it three laps and out of discord at the start of his 23rd Indy 500.