The final weekend of the 2025 IndyCar season is here. Teams and drivers face Nashville and the final oval track. Practice 1 saw McLaren show strong pace whereas champion Alex Palou had a rare mistake.
Impending Penalties
Ahead of the session, IndyCar announced that the no. 21 of Christian Rasmussen and the no. 90 of Callum Ilott would both be receiving a 9-place grid penalty. Both have made an unapproved engine change ahead of the weekend and now look to place as high as they can to minimise the damage.
Typically, engine changes see a 6-place grid drop. However, due to the nature of ovals being quicker and closer, this is amended to the 9-place that these drivers have received.
A Rare Mistake for Palou
All in all, this first practice was a relatively tame session for the drivers. Many were focusing on long runs and laying rubber down on the highline to improve the grip. Early in the session, Conor Daly saved himself from a potential big crash as he corrected a big wiggle coming onto the back straight.
Devlin DeFrancesco and Alex Palou weren’t as lucky as Daly though. With 20 minutes to go, DeFrancesco found himself grazing the wall in Turn 4 and brought out the first caution of the weekend. Lasting only a few minutes so they could check the barrier, cars were back on track soon after.
Palou had another mistake during this practice session – a rarity from the champion. Coming out of pit lane with fresh tyres, Palou spun at the exit and momentarily found himself in the grass. A brief caution period followed but Palou couldn’t bounce back and ended the session unusually low in P16.
McLaren Set the Pace
Arrow McLaren look to have serious pace this weekend. Having all three drivers in the top 10, they’re seemingly the team to beat. Pato O’Ward set a fastest speed of 202.357 mph – 0.381 mph faster than P2 finisher Kyle Kirkwood. O’Ward has shown his pace on the oval tracks this year but his teammates haven’t quite matched his pace.
Having solidified his championship position in Milwaukee, O’Ward is hoping for a victorious end to the season. Christian Lundgaard is hoping to make it a 2-3 in the standings for McLaren – he’ll need an excellent race tomorrow to move ahead of Scott Dixon. Nolan Siegel also hopes for a positive weekend, following his Lap 1 crash last weekend.
The top ten for the final first practice session of the season is as follows:
Qualifying is up next, can McLaren and O’Ward continue the momentum they’ve set this session? Or can someone else secure the final pole position of the year?