3 IndyCar stars who disappointed at the Indianapolis Sonsio GP qualifying feat. Scott Dixon

The 2025 Sonsio Grand Prix qualifying delivered a mix of triumph and disappointment for several of the drivers who participated. The 14-turn, 2.439-mile circuit has often proven to be a tricky course to navigate in recent years, and the results from the qualifying session were a testament to this fact.

While Alex Palou continued his remarkable start to the 2025 season, clinching pole position for the Grand Prix, several other drivers, including his teammate Scott Dixon, endured a forgettable outing at the circuit. The six-time IndyCar champion failed to transfer from the first round of qualifying despite heading into the session with relative promise.

However, Scott Dixon was not the only driver who faltered during qualifying, and as Palou and his Chip Ganassi crew celebrate his second pole position of the 2025 season, we take a closer look at three drivers who disappointed during the Sonsio Grand Prix qualifying.

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#3 Christian Lundgaard — Arrow McLaren - 14th place

Christian Lundgaard's failure to make it past the first round of qualifying is one that will draw the most attention among many fans, considering his stellar start to the 2025 season. The Danish driver, who is second in the IndyCar drivers’ standings, could only muster a 14th-place starting spot for the Sonsio race.

Coming into the race weekend off the back of three consecutive podium finishes, it was expected that the Arrow McLaren driver would advance into the fast six, as he has done in the last three Grand Prixs. However, things largely took another twist for Lundgaard. The driver himself appeared to be in disbelief over what had happened, and his outstretched hand gesture largely summed up the feelings that greeted his round-one elimination.

The 23-year-old boasts a pedigree of storming through the grid to finish races in high-scoring positions, and he will surely be needing this skill come race day if he is to keep Palou and the championship in sight.

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#2 Scott Dixon — Chip Ganassi - 16th place

Scott Dixon drives through turn 8 of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course during practice for the IndyCar Sonsio Grand Prix - Source: Getty

Chip Ganassi Racing's Scott Dixon endured another frustrating outing during the Sonsio Grand Prix qualifying. The six-time IndyCar Series champion had recorded a string of positive outings in the lead-up to the qualifying session, but things appeared not to come together for him to deliver a lap fast enough to progress to the next round.

The 44-year-old, during his media interaction, however, was full of positivity as he detailed that his car has the pace to make several passes through the grid, as he did during the Children’s of Alabama Grand Prix. Scott Dixon also boasts what can be dubbed a subtle advantage, as he is among the few drivers on the current grid to have tasted race victory at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course.

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#1 Kyle Kirkwood — Andretti Global - 21st place

Kyle Kirkwood was one of the most surprisingly disappointing performers in qualifying for the Sonsio Grand Prix. The Andretti Global star, who remains the sole driver to interrupt Alex Palou’s dominant start to the 2025 season with his win at the Long Beach Grand Prix, failed to advance past the first round of qualifying and could only muster a 21st-place position for the main race.

The Florida native himself could not pinpoint a definite reason for his underwhelming performance in qualifying and, when he was quizzed about it, admitted there was little to be positive about, offering no concrete explanation for his lack of pace. The #27 driver is now faced with the daunting task of climbing through the grid as he aims to score significant points to get his season back on track.