Winners and losers from IndyCar's Long Beach Grand Prix
The third round of the 2025 IndyCar season is completed, and the race proved to be a portrayal of driver skill and team performance due to the event being a caution-free race. With the increased emphasis on green flag running, some teams and drivers shone through, while others dulled into the background.
With the race being an eventful one at both ends of the grid, it poses a question of which teams and drivers maximized their results or plummeted in the pecking order. So, without further ado, let's take a glance at the winners and losers from the IndyCar Long Beach Grand Prix.
IndyCar Long Beach Grand Prix 2025 winners and losers
Winner: Kyle Kirkwood
First things first, Kyle Kirkwood led an almost flawless race. The 26-year-old bagged the pole position a day earlier, when his teammate, Colton Herta, looked feisty for it. He then fended off the lead into turn one and controlled the race.
Despite the late race charge from Alex Palou, the Andretti driver used his push-to-pass strategically and took the chequered flag to break Palou's winning streak in 2025.
Loser: Colton Herta
On the other hand, it was an equally subpar race on Andretti teammate Colton Herta's end. The 25-year-old started on the front row but was unable to capitalize on the opportunity.
Moreover, mid-race drama and the faster cars of Christian Lundgaard and Alex Palou led him to finish a disappointing seventh at the chequered flag behind a myriad of drivers.
Winner: Alex Palou
The reigning champion is on a run. Alex Palou won the first two races in an enticing fashion and came to the Long Beach Grand Prix to assert his dominance over the grid.
While the Spaniard was unable to make it three wins in a row, he moved up one spot on the grid and brought home a P2 finish.
Loser: Josef Newgarden
Josef Newgarden had an underwhelming start to the Long Beach race weekend after getting knocked out in Q1. However, he showcased a stellar pace during the first two stints and was slated for a top-five finish.
However, fate had something else in store for him. His seatbelts loosened mid-way through the race, and when the issue was resolved by the pit crew, he had lost a lap. The 34-year-old eventually finished the race in last position, putting an end to an abysmal weekend.
Winner: Felix Rosenqvist
On paper, Felix Rosenqvist's race might seem boring. He started the race in P4 and finished the race in the same position.
However, with Herta's dismal early half of the race, the Swede moved up one place and held P3 for a fair chunk of the race. Though he was unable to hold back Christian Lundgaard for the last spot on the podium, his valiant efforts saw him bring a P4 home for Meyer Shank Racing.
Loser: Marcus Ericsson
Amidst all the Andretti drivers soaring at the front end, Marcus Ericsson remained an outlier. He qualified P5 for the race, a few spots adrift from his teammates up ahead.
Regardless of his efforts in the race, he ended up moving backward like many other drivers at the front of the field and eventually finished the race in P12. His dismal result plunged him down the championship table and is 53 points behind Kyle Kirkwood in the intra-team battle.
Winner: Andretti
Though Ericsson's performance downplayed the Andretti name, no other team seemingly had a better outing. Bagging the victory is already the biggest feat a team can achieve, and the trio of drivers finished the caution-less race unscathed, calling for the outfit to be regarded as one of the best for the entire weekend.
Loser: Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing
PREMA Racing and Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing jostled for the loser spot, but the Italian outfit was redeemed due to its inexperience in the IndyCar series. RLL's trio suffered a dismal race.
Team's star driver, Graham Rahal, finished 22nd and was outpaced by rookie Louis Foster, who finished 16th. Meanwhile, Devlin DeFrancesco was nowhere to be seen and stamped in an underwhelming IndyCar race weekend for the team.
Winner: Juncos Hollinger Racing
While Conor Daly finished a lonely 25th, Sting Ray Robb brought in the team's first top-10 finish of the 2025 IndyCar season. This helped the team showcase its prowess, and the 33-year-old will be hoping to follow in the footsteps of his younger teammate at the next race at Barber Motorsports Park.
Loser: Dale Coyne Racing
Dale Coyne Racing had a torrid race weekend. Jacob Abel suffered a crash with Colton Herta during the warm-up, and in the race was not on the same pace as his peers.
On the other hand, Rinus VeeKay did not leave the same impression as his St. Petersburg IndyCar Grand Prix effort and claimed a dismal 19th-place result. Closing the curtains on Dale Coyne Racing's day at Long Beach.