- The Month of May officially begins with the 85-lap Sonsio Grand Prix.
- Alex Palou enters as the favorite, seeking a third straight win of the season.
- Former winners Will Power and Scott Dixon lead the field of challengers.
The Month of May doesn’t wait around, and neither does North America’s open-wheel behemoth, IndyCar. Before the spotlight fully shifts to “The Greatest Spectacle in Racing,” the series gets straight to work at a layout that’s quietly built a reputation for punishing even the smallest mistakes, the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course.
Part of the hype is the timing. After a brief break, teams roll into Indianapolis, needing to be sharp right away. As a matter of fact, there’s no slow buildup here as practice, qualifying, and race day all come in quick succession.
And then add in a field that’s already seen momentum swing early in the season, and the Sonsio Grand Prix, May 9, feels less like a rehearsal and more like the first act that actually counts.
IndyCar Indianapolis weekend breakdown
Friday is stacked from the outset, and it wastes no time getting cars on track. The day begins at 8:00 a.m. ET with Indy NXT practice, with FS2 taking up the broadcast duties, followed shortly by the first IndyCar practice session at 9:05 a.m. ET, also airing on FS2.
By midday, the schedule tightens. Indy NXT qualifying takes place at 12:00 p.m. ET. Fans can catch the action live on the FOX One App, before the series returns to the track for its second practice at 1:05 p.m. ET on FS1.
The afternoon then shifts toward competition mode, with the Indy NXT race going green at 4:06 p.m. ET, setting the stage for the day’s main event, IndyCar qualifying at 5:35 p.m. ET on FS2.
Saturday follows a more direct path to the race, but keeps the pressure high with IndyCar’s final warm-up session scheduled for 11:40 a.m. ET on FS1. The Indy NXT field returns to action at 2:36 p.m. ET on FS1, but by late afternoon, the focus fully shifts to the main event.
Pre-race coverage for the Sonsio Grand Prix begins at 4:30 p.m. ET on FOX, leading directly into the green flag at 4:57 p.m. ET. With an 85-lap distance on tap, the Indy road race is one that generally tends to reward discipline just as much as outright pace.
Why the Indy road course sets the tone for May
It’s easy to frame this weekend as a lead-in to the Indianapolis 500, but that doesn’t really do it justice. The road course has become its own measuring stick ever since it became a part of the series schedule in 2014.
A big factor for the hype is Alex Palou. With five races down, his 2026 run is now bordering on routine dominance. In fact, over the last 22 races, the Spaniard has recorded 11 wins, five second-place finishes, and a third, with an average finish of 4.5.
Come to this season, he’s taken three wins from five races, including the last two. And at Indianapolis, that form hasn’t dipped. He’s won three of the past four road course races here, including last year when he controlled 29 laps and still had enough in hand to finish more than five seconds clear of Pato O’Ward.
That kind of consistency changes the way the entire weekend is approached. And even though his championship lead is tighter this time around, with Kyle Kirkwood within striking distance, the pressure is still on the rest of the field to actually take it to him. Especially at a place where he’s already proven how to control a race from the front.
But this 14-turn track has never been a one-driver show, at least not historically. Before Palou’s recent run, it was the playground of Will Power and Simon Pagenaud, who split the early years with Team Penske doing most of the damage.
Who can knock Palou off rhythm?
Power alone still owns five wins here and has stood on the podium a total of nine times. Kiwi ace Scott Dixon has his own footprint on the place too, with two wins and multiple runner-up finishes, and remains one of the few drivers to break through during Palou’s recent stretch.
Then there’s the wider group, drivers who’ve either won here or come close enough to know what it takes. Rinus VeeKay has won and earned multiple podiums, Alexander Rossi has been consistently in the mix, and even drivers like Josef Newgarden and Romain Grosjean have had their moments here.
That’s what makes this race deceptively tough to call. On paper, the field is deep with experience at Indianapolis. In reality, someone still has to knock Palou off rhythm, and lately, that’s been easier said than done.
