2025 IndyCar Sonsio Grand Prix preview: Alex Palou chases unprecedented three-peat

The IndyCar race at Barber Motorsport Park is done and dusted, with Alex Palou dominating the race weekend and extending his lead in the championship. The bandwagon now move on to the next destination, the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, for the Sonsio Grand Prix.

The race will be held at the road course at IMS on Saturday, May 10. This race weekend will lead to the iconic Indy 500. While the Indianapolis Motor Speedway has been around for over a century, the Sonsio Grand Prix at the road course made its debut over a decade ago, in 2014.

With teams arriving at the track and setting up camps for the remainder of May, let's have a look at what fans can expect from the upcoming race at the IMS road course and a few race predictions.

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2025 IndyCar Sonsio Grand Prix: Full preview

A Road Course at the iconic Indianapolis Motor Speedway

The IMS was built in 1909 as an asphalt track for racing. The circuit became iconic as an oval when in 2014, it was decided to race at the combined road course in the lead up to the Indy 500, and hence the Sonsio Grand Prix was born.

AUTO: MAY 11 NTT IndyCar Series Sonsio Grand Prix - Source: Getty

The IndyCar circuit features a combination of the oval track and the infield circuit between the oval. The start finish straight and Turn 3 from the oval are combined with the infield circuit for the Sonsio Grand Prix. However, unlike the Indy 500, which runs in the anticlockwise direction, the road course race runs in a clockwise direction.

The 2.439-mile circuit features 14 turns. Drivers start the lap by running down the main straight before hard braking for Turn 1, which is a 90-degree right, which takes the cars into the inside course, following a fast left Turn 2. Turns 3 and 4 are long swooping right corners before the chicane of 5 and 6.

Cars then run down the back straight before braking hard for Turn 7, which is a 90-degree left corner. Turns 8, 9 and 10 are a sequence of fast to medium speed corners, like the Maggots and Becketts at Silverstone. Turn 11 brings us back to the oval, running alongside the third turn of the Speedway.

Turns 12 & 13 are sharp right and left corners, which lead drivers onto Turn 14, which runs parallel to the final turn of the oval and brings cars back to the start finish straight.

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Alex Palou to aim for the three-peat, increase his lead in the IndyCar championship

Alex Palou won the last couple of races at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course. The Spaniard will be aiming for a three-peat and has both the car and the momentum going into the race weekend. The Chip Ganassi Racing driver has won three of the four races this season and finished P2 at Long Beach.

INDYCAR Open Testing - Indianapolis - Source: Getty

Palou is leading the IndyCar championship with 196 points, 60 ahead of second-placed Christian Lundgaard . The Spaniard could win the race and push his championship lead to over 75 points.

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Predictions for the 2025 IndyCar Sonsio Grand Prix

#1 Christian Lundgaard to finish on the podium

The Danish driver has done well at the circuit in the past, taking the pole position in 2023 and fighting Palou for the win in 2024. Christian Lundgaard also has the momentum behind him, as the Arrow McLaren driver has consecutively finished on the podium in the last three races.

#2 Alex Palou to win the IndyCar race

The Spaniard has looked unstoppable since the start of the season. Even his P2 finish at Long Beach was because of Kyle Kirkwood’s excellent defense and perfect strategy, but Palou finished just a couple of seconds behind.

Compare that with Barber, Palou slam-dunk finished 16 plus seconds ahead of Lundgaard. If there aren't any incidents, Palou is the favorite to win the race

#3 Will Power to fight for the podium

The Team Penske driver has done well around the circuit with four victories at the road course (three Sonsio GP, one Big Machine Spiked Coolers GP). Will Power also finished on the IndyCar podium last year and had a great result at Barber last weekend, finishing P5, and was in contention for the podium.