The three drivers who could make the 2025 Indianapolis 500 historic

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There are many reasons why the Indianapolis 500, which takes place tomorrow (18:45 hours, #Vamos), could go down in motorsport history, but three of them would stand out above the rest… and all of them have a serious chance of happening.

Alex Palou in search of glory

Let’s start with the closest one: the one that would happen if the Spaniard Alex Palou achieves his first victory in the Indy 500. From the moment he receives that checkered flag, he would become a part of Spanish motorsport history, on the same level as Fernando Alonso, as the winner of the Monaco GP, or Marc Gene and Miguel Molina, winners of the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Palou would give Spain the triple crown of motorsport.

And it’s not at all far-fetched that it could happen. The Catalan arrives in his best form, with four wins in five races: “The 500 is a different animal, it’s like a championship within a championship,” says Palou who, despite this, admitted to MARCA that he is more confident than ever in the chances of his Ganassi #10. Against him is the fact that he has never won on an oval track (although he has come close several times) and that – as he has already experienced on a couple of occasions – the race can turn against you in an instant.Palou has already come close to victory on the gigantic Indiana oval. It was in 2021 in that masterful final maneuver by Helio Castroneves that left him with a bitter second place which, nevertheless, is the best historical classification of a Spaniard at Indianapolis.

Castroneves and an unprecedented fifth

That victory was one of the most special in the history of the Indy 500 because the Brazilian became only the fourth driver to achieve four wins, joining the legendary AJ Foyt, Al Unser Jr and Rick Mears.

So… if he adds one more, he will be a legend among legends. And he could do it, why not? Not only because the 500 is always a race quite open to surprises, but because Castroneves has a competitive car in his hands: the Meyer Shank Racing which is really a ‘Ganassi B’ (both teams share settings and information, for example).

In qualifying he was discreet (he starts on the eighth row), but he is an old dog and knows all the tricks. If he gets to the front at the end, he will be one of the drivers to watch… even though this is his only race of the year and he has had little experience with hybrid IndyCars.

Newgarden wants to make history… with history against him

Many drivers and fans know how difficult it is to win a single Indy 500. Even more so to do it twice and consecutively, as Josef Newgarden did in the last two editions.

It took him a decade, but the American chained two in a row, something that only five other drivers have achieved (the last before Newgarden, precisely, Helio Castroneves at the beginning of this century).

If the Penske driver repeats… he will be the only one capable of achieving that feat. And although he starts on the last row (32nd position) due to the penalty to his team (they illegally modified a part of the rear to obtain an aerodynamic advantage), he has the fastest car on the grid and should be able to recover positions.

When asked about his chances of winning, he was blunt: “Absolutely, absolutely,” he said. Palou does not rule it out either… but the history of the race does, because the winners from the furthest back starting position were Ray Harroun in 1911 and Louis Meyer in 1936… from 28th place.

Of course, these three will not be the only candidates for victory. In the front row are two of them: Takuma Sato, a double winner, and Pato O’Ward, who has come close in the last two years. Scott Dixon, who starts with Palou in the second row, has been very much in tune throughout May, as have Andretti’s Herta and Kirkwood, despite their poor qualifying. Nor should we forget the other two Penske drivers, Scott McLaughlin (who wrecked his car before qualifying and will run the spare) and Will Power, who like Newgarden was penalized and will have to come from behind.

Schedule and where to watch

The name of the winner of the 2025 Indianapolis 500 will be known at around 21:30. This is about two and a half hours after the start, which will be at 18:45

The 109th edition of the Indy 500 can be followed on television from 18:15 on #Vamos. MARCA.com will be present at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and will provide special coverage with live coverage of the race.

This news was originally published on this post .

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