Bobby Travis · NASCAR/IndyCar-Korrespondent
After a canceled practice day and a historic pole for Louis Foster, the street race in Markham turned into a demolition derby, from which Marcus Ericsson emerged victorious.
Markham made its IndyCar debut this weekend as Toronto's successor, and the start couldn't have been more turbulent. Friday was a complete washout when track construction fell behind schedule, leaving just one packed Saturday with both practice sessions and qualifying back-to-back. Sunday brought exactly what pole-sitter Louis Foster had predicted beforehand: wall contact, debris, and a field that ended with only 14 cars running from 25 starters.
Lost Friday, Foster's dream lap
The schedule fell apart before the first lap was even turned. Promoters Green Savoree failed to complete the safety infrastructure on time, including pedestrian bridges and crew cutouts in the concrete barriers. IndyCar President J. Douglas Boles didn't mince words, expressing his disappointment with the promoter despite significant support from the series on site. For fans who sat before an empty track during Fan Friday, it was a rough start to what was supposed to be a prestigious weekend.
Everything shifted to Saturday as a result. In the first practice session, Álex Palou was fastest ahead of Caio Collet and Louis Foster. In the second session, the picture flipped completely: Foster took the top spot, with Marcus Ericsson, David Malukas, Kyle Kirkwood, and Mick Schumacher following. Rahal Letterman Lanigan and Andretti Global showed early on they were handling the tight layout best, while the other end of the field already hinted at who would struggle.
Foster converted that into his first career pole in qualifying, ahead of Christian Lundgaard and Scott McLaughlin, with Ericsson on the fourth row and Dennis Hauger fifth. Championship leader Palou had a different kind of day, landing only 12th on the grid, his first time outside the top ten in 30 races. Adding insult was Alexander Rossi's six-place penalty for an unapproved engine change, which dropped him from a strong qualifying effort to 14th on the starting order.
A race day that sows destruction
Ninety laps in the tightest of spaces, walls on both sides, no runoff. That's exactly what cost Louis Foster his dreams of a perfect weekend. On lap 43, in the thick of a duel with Ericsson for the lead, he clipped the inside wall at Turn 3 and then crashed hard into the outer concrete barrier. From pole to failure, finishing 22nd, a 21-position slide that shows the bitter flip side of a strong practice and qualifying performance.
He wasn't alone in feeling the walls. Mick Schumacher exited as early as lap 15 at Turn 4 after contact with the inside wall. Title contender Kyle Kirkwood got it on lap 53 at Turn 3 when he first touched the inside wall, then was violently thrown into the outside barrier, ending his race and damaging his championship hopes. Caio Collet took contact with Felix Rosenqvist in turn one, limped on with bent suspension and a flat tire, and rolled to a stop for good on lap 67. Alexander Rossi tangled with Palou on lap 50 after a restart, suffered a tire puncture, and had to retire with a technical failure on lap 66.
Dennis Hauger added to the chaos when he caught Scott Dixon's left rear at Turn 8. Dixon spun into Christian Rasmussen, ending Rasmussen's race immediately, while Dixon limped home six laps down with heavy suspension damage. Hauger himself, starting from fifth, spun off track on the penultimate lap and finished only 15th, a ten-position collapse that shows how quickly a strong weekend in Markham could unravel.
Ericsson completes the comeback
While the debris flew up front, Marcus Ericsson methodically built his path to victory. After his pit stop on lap 69, he initially sat seventh, but worked his way forward lap after lap before presenting Romain Grosjean with a choice four laps from home: defend or lose. Grosjean, who had led for 28 laps and stretched his fuel to the last drop, had to yield. For Ericsson, it was his fifth career win and first since St. Petersburg 2023, a comeback after 63 winless races with a statement attached.
For Grosjean came the disappointment of narrowly missing a breakthrough. He openly acknowledged after the race that the result hit him hard, mentioning a few tears, but emphasized he gave everything within his control. His second place nonetheless stands as his best result of the season and a statement for Dale Coyne Racing on a track that seemed built for the big teams.
Will Power rounded out the top three with a solid recovery for Andretti Global, and with Álex Palou in fourth came a complete Honda sweep of the podium, Ericsson, Grosjean, Power, and Palou, all with the Japanese motor at their backs. For Palou, one thing mattered most: despite starting 12th, his worst grid position in 30 races, he brought his car home cleanly and errorlessly, extending his championship lead to 133 points.
Gainers, losers, and looking ahead
Between the podium and the wreckage, there were some notable forward drives through the midfield. Pato O'Ward climbed from 20th on the grid to fifth at the finish, a 15-position jump that shows how much was possible on this chaotic track through smart driving and right-time caution timing. Santino Ferrucci turned a 21st-place start into tenth place, gaining eleven spots, while Josef Newgarden, starting last after a botched qualifying, clawed his way to 13th, a gain of twelve positions.
On the flip side were those who couldn't convert a strong Saturday into a corresponding Sunday result. David Malukas fell from seventh to 17th, Dennis Hauger slid from fifth to 15th, and with Kirkwood and Foster, two drivers who had positioned themselves for podium finishes lost their races entirely to wall contact. Scott Dixon at least saved himself with six laps down after the Hauger incident.
For the championship, the day meant one thing above all: Kirkwood's exit on lap 53 stretched Palou's points lead even further, and with a 133-point margin, his fifth crown is coming into view. How the field responds to such a chaotic race day, whether the Markham casualties seek redemption at the next event, and if Grosjean can convert his strong Markham form into his first win will have to wait for the next look at the calendar.
