Indianapolis 500 Preview: Who can stop Alex Palou at the Brickyard today?

The Indianapolis Motor Speedway hosts the 110th running of the Indianapolis 500, with more than 300,000 fans expected for one of motorsport’s biggest events as defending winner Alex Palou chases back to back victories at the Brickyard.

The Chip Ganassi Racing driver starts from pole position after producing a four-lap average of 232.248 mph during qualifying, securing his second Indianapolis 500 pole and the 15th pole position of his IndyCar career.

Palou admitted surprise at the pace shown by the No. 10 Honda after a difficult start to practice week: “I have no words. We did not expect to have that much speed. These guys – incredible work they did today. A great start to the month of May.”

The Spaniard is aiming to become the first repeat Indianapolis 500 winner since Josef Newgarden won back-to-back editions in 2023 and 2024.

Joining Palou on the front row are 2016 winner Alexander Rossi and rising Team Penske star David Malukas.

Rossi, driving the No. 20 Ed Carpenter Racing Chevrolet, qualified second with a 231.990 mph average despite suffering hand and ankle injuries in a heavy practice crash earlier in the week. The American has since been cleared to race and remains optimistic about his chances in traffic on Sunday.

Malukas completed the front row after continuing his impressive 2026 form in the No. 12 Penske Chevrolet: “Out of the past four years I’ve been here, I think this is the best opportunity. So many resources for me. I can show 110% of myself.”

The second row features Felix Rosenqvist, Santino Ferrucci and popular Arrow McLaren driver Pato O'Ward, while experienced contenders Scott McLaughlin, Scott Dixon and Takuma Sato remain firmly in contention further back.

Nine former Indianapolis 500 winners are part of the 33-car field, including four-time champion Helio Castroneves, who attempts to become the first five-time winner in race history.

Newgarden also remains a major threat despite starting from the middle of the grid. The Team Penske driver has won two of the past three Indianapolis 500s and is widely regarded as one of the strongest oval racers in the field.

Several former Formula 1 drivers add further intrigue to this year’s event. Rossi, Sato and Marcus Ericsson are all previous Indy 500 winners, while Romain Grosjean returns with podium ambitions and Mick Schumacher makes his Indianapolis 500 debut for Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing.

Technical inspection drama also shaped the final grid, with Caio Collet and Jack Harvey both relegated to the rear of the field following post-qualifying infractions.

Sunday’s race is expected to feature major strategy battles around fuel mileage, pit stop timing and late race cautions, while weather forecasts continue to threaten possible interruptions.

History suggests the Indianapolis 500 rarely follows the script. While Palou enters as favourite, drivers such as O’Ward, Dixon and Newgarden have repeatedly shown how quickly fortunes can change over 200 laps around the famous 2.5-mile oval.

By sunset on Sunday, one driver will join the immortals of Indianapolis and drink the traditional bottle of milk in Victory Lane.