Alex Palou claimed the Grand Prix of Portland by winning 12‑turn, 1.964‑mile Portland International Raceway with a 4.1167‑second margin, pulling further ahead of the title race.
Race Overview
Starting from second, Palou leveraged an overcut in the first green‑flag pit cycle to seize the lead, holding 60 of 110 laps on hard‑compound tyres.
Felix Rosenqvist shot from pole to finish second, while Will Power rounded out the podium in third. Rinus VeeKay and Kyle Kirkwood claimed fourth and fifth respectively.
Pit Stops and Strategy
Palou’s late‑stop strategy kept him two laps on the main table until the third cycle, when he benefited from a softer secondary compound earlier than rivals.
Rosenqvist’s eventual lead changes came after he pitted alongside Power, the latter switching to hard primaries late. Both drivers then advanced while Palou closed the gap on middle‑oriented tyres.
Pato O’Ward’s forced unscheduled stop due to a blister‑induced vibration dropped him to 22nd, and Marcus Armstrong retired after an engine issue during a pit cycle.
Key Contenders
Andretti Global’s Will Power started strong but fell to third after the cycle. Juncos Hollinger’s Rinus VeeKay remained consistent, maintaining positions ahead of Kyle Kirkwood.
Lundgaard, beginning 25th, raced across 15 positions early, joining the top ten by mid‑race, but could not challenge the front trio.
Finish and Standings
Palou’s final stint on hard primaries outpaced Rosenqvist, who ran softer alternates during the closing laps. The champion’s win extended his points advantage to 110 over Kirkwood.
Team Penske’s David Malukas, after a 12th‑place finish, fell back to third in the standings, trailing by 118 points.
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