4 Winners and Losers from 2025 IndyCar Grand Prix of Portland

Alex Palou clinched his fourth IndyCar title at the Grand Prix of Portland, whereas Pato O'Ward's dream and hopes of winning the first title were shattered due to an electrical issue with the car. Will Power claimed his and Team Penske’s first win of the season after a masterclass display of defense.

On the other end of the spectrum, drivers like Conor Daly and Santino Ferrucci were involved in a huge crash early in the race. While the cautions favoured some, it put the others at a disadvantage, which led to quite a jumbled-up grid when comparing performance to finishing position.

Let's have a look at the Winners and Losers from the 2025 IndyCar Grand Prix of Portland.

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Winners from the 2025 IndyCar Grand Prix of Portland

#4 Graham Rahal

The Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing driver started the race in P22 after elimination in round 1 of qualifying. Rahal was one of those drivers who pitted early and went to a four-stop race. Through the strategy and the timing of the cautions, Graham Rahal finished the race in P4. It was the RLL driver's first Top 5 finish in over two seasons.

#3 Christian Lundgaard

The Arrow McLaren driver took the pole position for the IndyCar race but dropped to P7 for the start after receiving a 6-place grid drop for the extra engine. The Danish driver was consistently in the fight for the podium and battled Power in the final 20 laps of the race for the win. Alex Palou in P3 threatened Lundgaard’s P2, but the Arrow McLaren driver defended well and kept his P2.

#2 Will Power

The Team Penske driver's contract expires at the end of the current season. The Australian qualified inside the Top 6, and his strategy to go long in the first stint paid off, with the caution timings somewhat helping Will Power out. The 44-year-old took the lead soon after Pato O'Ward's retirement, led 78 laps, defended against Lundgaard and Palou in the final stint, and crossed the chequered flag in P1.

#1 Alex Palou

Alex Palou spun in the Fast 6 qualifying and started P5 (after Lundgaard's penalty). The Spaniard made constant progress throughout the race, but came out in traffic after his second stop, which allowed Lundgaard and Power to create a gap. Yet, the Spaniard was able to eat up the 15-second lead and threatened the race leader. However, Lundgaard made his as wide as possible into the overtaking zones, which prevented Palou from passing by.

NTT INDYCAR Series BITNILE.com Grand Prix of Portland - Source: Getty

Nonetheless, Alex Palou's P3 finish and O'Ward’s retirement meant the Spaniard became the 2025 IndyCar champion, and celebrated the same with donuts and burnouts.

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Losers from the 2025 IndyCar Grand Prix of Portland

#4 Marcus Ericsson

The Andretti Global started in the Top 10 but fell backward as the caution timings and strategy ruined the race. Marcus Ericsson ran in front of Will Power in the final laps before getting lapped and had good pace on the new alternate tires, but wasn't able to convert the pace into a strong result.

#3 Josef Newgarden

Started the race in P15, and after the first two stints, was on his way to finish in the Top 5. However, as Newgarden came out of the pits, Scott Dixon hit the rear of the Team Penske in Turn 1 and spun Josef Newgarden around, with the car stalling. By the time Newgarden got going, he was on the verge of getting lapped. Finished the IndyCar Grand Prix of Portland in P24.

NTT INDYCAR Series Java House Grand Prix of Monterey - Source: Getty

#2 David Malukas

The AJ Foyt driver started the race in the Top 5 but fell backward as the four-stop strategy wasn't executed well. David Malukas finished in P19, whereas his teammate crashed early on during the race due to an unforced error.

#1 Pato O'Ward

Pato O'Ward started the race in P1 after Lundgaard's penalty and was dictating the pace at the front. He led for the entirety of the first stint and didn't give anyone even a sniff of the lead. However, after pitting for his first stop, an electrical issue with the car forced him to box, and the Mexican driver came out nine laps behind the leader, ending all his championship hopes.