The last weekend of the 2026 INDYCAR season kicked off this Friday in Laguna Seca. While Alex Palou has already won the championship, the fight for second is still going on heading into the Mission Foods Grand Prix of Monterey. Only four points separate the second, third and fourth drivers in the standings before this weekend.
Pre-Weekend News and Special Liveries
The Rookie of the Season battle is still going on. The advantage leans towards Dennis Hauger at the moment with 223 points, ahead of Mick Schumacher. However, the German driver just signed a new contract with Meyer Shank Racing for 2027.
Breaking news also included six-place grid penalties given to two cars for Sunday. Caio Collet for AJ Foyt Racing and Christian Lundgaard for Arrow McLaren both had engine changes.
Six drivers turned heads in the first practice by driving unique special liveries to finish the 2026 INDYCAR Series. While Alex Palou celebrates his fifth championship in six years, he also honoured Alex Zanardi with his ‘Lightning Bolt’ livery. Special designs were also seen for Felix Rosenqvist, Pato O’Ward, Sting Ray Robb, Graham Rahal and Marcus Ericsson.
The Red Flags of Day 1 in Laguna Seca
Just a few minutes into the session for all cars, the first red flag was caused by Josef Newgarden due to a spin in Turn 2. Another spin followed from Scott Dixon, also in Turn 2. Luckily, he didn’t get stuck in the gravel and avoided causing a red flag. Only kicking up a lot of dust by running wide. He was already making headlines before the weekend began. Rumors suggest he may team up with F1 driver Lando Norris for a 24-hour race if schedules align.
With three wins in the last four previous races on this track, Alex Palou is the favourite this weekend. Together with Honda, the pairing are the ones to hunt down.
On the exit of Turn 9, with only around three minutes left on the clock, it was Santino Ferrucci who caused the second red flag of the session. Bottoming out, he suffered quite a big impact with the barrier. After marshals extracted his car from the gravel, Ferrucci drove safely back to the pit lane. Nevertheless, time ran out and practice one for the full group finished early.
Palou Tops Group 1
With 12 minutes full of action, 14 INDYCAR drivers came back on track to kick off the Group 1 practice session. Nolan Siegel ran wide this session, driving into the gravel with four minutes left on the clock. Luckily, he avoided contacting the wall and kept the track green, ruining his timed lap without causing further disruption.
At the end of this group, it was no surprise that Alex Palou topped the leaderboard. Setting a 1:09.899, he was the only driver in the group to stay under the 1:10 mark, as Kyffin Simpson came second with a 1:10.376.
Group 2 Topped by Rosenqvist
A group practice with no interruptions showed that lap one on the softer tyres is the lap to do it right. So did Felix Rosenqvist, as he topped the leaderboard of the second group with a time of 1:09.990, also staying under the 1:10 mark in his group. Pato O’Ward came second with a 1:10.176, pushing Scott McLaughlin into third.
Palou Tops Practice 1 Ahead of Qualifying
Championship winner Alex Palou finished on top of the combined leaderboard, while Felix Rosenqvist came second, keeping Pato O’Ward and Scott McLaughlin from his group behind him on the timing sheets. One final practice session gives INDYCAR drivers time to settle on track and finish the season strong. Tomorrow brings qualifying, deciding who can turn practice pace into results for the finale.