After the Portland race, Alex Palou got back to back victories after a few races away from the top step. Now we head to Markham for the first time, for the Ontario Honda Dealers Indy at Markham, as the championship battle continues to heat up with just five races remaining.
Practice 1 postponed as Markham schedule changes
Practice 1 for the inaugural Ontario Honda Dealers Indy at Markham was postponed, since the Streets of Markham circuit was not ready in time for Friday’s scheduled session. INDYCAR moved the opening practice session to Saturday morning, giving teams a shorter window to prepare for the brand-new 2.459-mile street circuit. Practice 1 will now run from 10-11:30 a.m. ET, followed by Practice 2 from 2:30-4 p.m. and qualifying from 6:30-8 p.m. The delay creates a busy Saturday for drivers and teams, who must learn the new circuit while also fine-tuning their cars for qualifying.
INDYCAR President J. Douglas Boles expressed disappointment with the promoter but remained confident that the completed circuit would provide a fast and technical challenge. With three sessions now packed into one day, teams face a demanding schedule ahead of Sunday’s race.
Updated Schedule
Saturday, August 15
- 10:00 a.m. ET – Practice 1
- 2:30 p.m. ET – Practice 2
- 6:30 p.m. ET – Qualifying begins
- 7:00 p.m. ET – Qualifying continues/official session listing
Sunday, August 16
- 8:30 a.m. ET – Warmup
- 12:00 p.m. ET – Ontario Honda Dealers Indy at Markham Grand Prix
Palou leads the way in opening Markham practice
Álex Palou set the pace in Practice 1 at Markham as INDYCAR drivers finally got their first competitive running on the new street circuit. The Chip Ganassi Racing driver posted a 1:14.9915 to lead the session, with Caio Collet impressing on his first visit to the 2.19-mile track by finishing just 0.0539 seconds behind.
Louis Foster completed the top three, while Scott McLaughlin and Will Power rounded out the top five. David Malukas, Marcus Ericsson, Marcus Armstrong, Rinus VeeKay and Dennis Hauger also finished inside the top 10.
The session featured two red flags. Ericsson spun but returned to the pits, while Kyffin Simpson hit the wall at Turn 6 after missing a downshift. Hauger later made light contact with the wall and caused another stop. Palou ultimately led the field as teams continued to learn the new circuit.
Practice Two: Foster leads as Power crashes
Louis Foster continued his strong start to the Ontario Honda Dealers Indy weekend by topping Practice 2 at Markham. The Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing driver set a 1:14.1793 lap around the circuit.
Marcus Ericsson finished second, just 0.0140 seconds behind Foster, while David Malukas took third. Kyle Kirkwood followed in fourth, with Mick Schumacher completing the top five. Championship leader Álex Palou finished seventh after struggling to complete a clean flying lap, while Scott McLaughlin placed sixth.
Will Power brought out a red flag with just over seven minutes remaining when he clipped the tyre barriers at Turn 10. The impact ended his session and left his Andretti Global crew with limited time to repair the car before qualifying.
Rossi, Rasmussen and Armstrong handed six-place grid penalties at Markham
INDYCAR Officiating has handed the No. 20 Ed Carpenter Racing Chevrolet, No. 21 Ed Carpenter Racing Chevrolet and No. 66 Meyer Shank Racing Honda a six-place starting grid penalty for Sunday’s Grand Prix. Alexander Rossi, Christian Rasmussen and Marcus Armstrong will each serve the penalty after their teams made unapproved engine changes ahead of the race.
Under INDYCAR regulations, Rule 16.1.2.3.2 classifies fifth or subsequent engine changes as unapproved when a full-season entrant has not completed the required engine mileage with its first four engines. All three entries therefore will drop six positions from their qualifying results at Markham. Armstrong arrives at the event after suffering his third engine failure in four races during the Portland weekend, adding another setback for the Meyer Shank Racing driver.
Arrow McLaren and Andretti Global handed grid penalties
INDYCAR Officiating handed six-place starting grid penalties to the No. 5 Arrow McLaren and Nos. 26 and 27 Andretti Global entries after qualifying at Markham. The teams made unapproved engine changes, breaching INDYCAR’s engine allocation regulations. Each affected entry dropped six positions from its qualifying result before Sunday’s race, adding another challenge for Arrow McLaren and Andretti Global.
Qualifying: Foster takes pole for inaugural Markham race
Louis Foster claimed pole position for the inaugural Ontario Honda Dealers Indy at Markham after setting a record-breaking 1:13.2383 lap in the Firestone Fast Six. Christian Lundgaard finished second, 0.3969 seconds behind Foster, while Scott McLaughlin secured third. Marcus Ericsson took fourth, with Dennis Hauger and Rinus VeeKay completing the Fast Six.
Championship leader Álex Palou suffered a major setback during the Fast 12. The Spaniard had set the fastest time in his group before he lost control and hit the wall. The crash ended his qualifying session and left him 12th on the grid.
David Malukas qualified seventh, while Scott Dixon took ninth. Kyle Kirkwood struggled for pace and qualified 16th. Foster led the field into Sunday’s 90-lap race as he chased his first IndyCar victory, while Palou and Kirkwood faced a crucial battle further down the grid.
Qualifying result
1st — Louis Foster
2nd — Christian Lundgaard
3rd — Scott McLaughlin
4th — Marcus Ericsson
5th — Dennis Hauger
6th — Rinus VeeKay
7th — David Malukas
8th — Alexander Rossi
9th — Scott Dixon
10th — Graham Rahal
11th — Mick Schumacher
12th — Alex Palou
13th — Kyffin Simpson
14th — Romain Grosjean
15th — Christian Rasmussen
16th — Kyle Kirkwood
17th — Sting Ray Robb
18th — Felix Rosenqvist
19th — Nolan Siegel
20th — Pato O’Ward
21st — Santino Ferrucci
22nd — Marcus Armstrong
23rd — Caio Collet
24th — Will Power
25th — Josef Newgarden
Lundgaard leads final warmup at Markham
Christian Lundgaard topped the final warmup session ahead of the inaugural Ontario Honda Dealers Indy at Markham. The Arrow McLaren driver set the fastest time, with Rinus VeeKay finishing second and pole-sitter Louis Foster taking third.
Romain Grosjean placed fourth, while Kyffin Simpson completed the top five. David Malukas finished seventh and showed strong pace ahead of the 90-lap race. Championship leader Álex Palou struggled for pace and finished 19th. Kyle Kirkwood also finished outside the top 10 as both championship contenders prepared for a challenging race.
Kirkwood started further down the grid after Andretti Global received a six-place penalty for an unapproved engine change. Palou also faced a difficult starting position after his qualifying crash. Lundgaard carried the momentum from warmup into the race as drivers prepared for IndyCar’s first race on the Streets of Markham.
Foster controls the opening laps
Louis Foster led the opening laps after starting from pole, with Christian Lundgaard holding off Scott McLaughlin for second. Foster quickly opened a gap from Lundgaard and controlled the race through the early stages. Mick Schumacher brought out the first caution on lap 15 after he locked up at Turn 4 and broke his front wing. The field returned to green on lap 19, with Foster leading McLaughlin.
Álex Palou gained several places and moved into sixth, while drivers continued to struggle with the tight Turn 5. Dennis Hauger and Kyle Kirkwood battled for position as several cars ran wide or made contact.
Contact changes the race
Felix Rosenqvist retired with a mechanical issue after spending several laps in the pits. Drivers then made their first major pit stops for fuel and tyre changes as the race approached lap 30.
A caution followed on lap 31 when Marcus Armstrong spun at Turn 5. Armstrong recovered and continued, while the field returned to green on lap 36. Nolan Siegel led the drivers using a three-stop tyre strategy, while Palou continued his recovery and passed McLaughlin for seventh.
Dixon spun after a contact with Hauger, while Rasmussen had nowhere to go and retired from the race. Officials later gave Armstrong a stop-and-hold penalty for failing to follow safety team instructions.
Foster’s race ends
Foster moved back through the field and reached fourth before disaster struck on lap 43. He locked up while attempting to overtake Ericsson and hit the wall, bringing out another caution.
The field returned to green on lap 51, with Romain Grosjean leading Marcus Ericsson. Turn 5 continued to cause problems as several drivers ran wide or made contact. Sting Ray Robb became one of the drivers caught up in the incidents, while Alexander Rossi suffered a flat front-right tyre. Kyle Kirkwood then hit the wall at Turn 5 on lap 54, ending his strong recovery drive.
Ericsson takes control
The race returned to green on lap 59, with Ericsson leading Will Power. Josef Newgarden then suffered a contact with Nolan Siegel at Turn 5. Newgarden initially struggled to get moving but eventually continued with help from the marshals.
Officials penalised Siegel for the incident before the race went green again on lap 63. Ericsson continued to lead as Grosjean and Power battled behind him. Him and Power made contact at Turn 5 around laps 81 and 82, but both continued. The Swede then passed Grosjean for the lead on lap 86, while Palou lost a position to Power on lap 85.
Ericsson seals Markham victory
Ericsson controlled the final four laps and completed a dramatic afternoon at Markham by taking the chequered flag and writing his name into the history books as the circuit’s first IndyCar winner. Grosjean finished second, while Palou completed the podium after recovering from his difficult qualifying session.
Driver of the Day
Marcus Ericsson earned Driver of the Day honours after producing a standout performance in Markham. He stayed focused through a chaotic race that featured multiple cautions, contacts and difficult conditions at Turn 5. Ericsson kept his pace throughout the changing strategies and moved into contention during the closing stages. He then battled Romain Grosjean for the lead before making his decisive move on lap 86. His ability to manage pressure, avoid the major incidents and deliver when it mattered made him a clear choice for Driver of the Day.
Top Ten
- Marcus Ericsson
- Romain Grosjean
- Will Power
- Alex Palou
- Pato O’Ward
- Christian Lundgaard
- Rinus Veekay
- Scott McLaughlin
- Graham Rahal
- Santino Ferrucci
Feature Image Credit: Penske Entertainment by James Black
Edited by Francesca.
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