2025 in Review: Driver Report Cards

Today’s theme music: “Movin’ On” by Infinite

After six months and seventeen races, the 2025 IndyCar Series has finally come to an end. While nowhere near as strange or suspenseful as 2024, a season I’m certain we’ll one day regard as an all-timer, 2025 will still loom large in American open-wheel history for the sheer dominance of Álex Palou and the trail of shattered dreams he left in his wake.

But as dominant as he was, the goods still spread far and wide. We saw ten different polesitters, seven unique race winners, and all but two teams represented at some point on the podium. That means there’s a lot to credit and to criticize throughout the paddock. So as we unwind, let’s go through the full-time drivers one by one and grade their seasons based on their results, expectations, and anything else I might feel like ranking them on. This isn’t an exact science, so if you think my rating of somebody is off, let me know in the comments.

Álex Palou - A++

It should not be possible for a driver whose expectations were already so high to smash them all so thoroughly. If anyone ever tried to tell Álex Palou that, he clearly wasn’t listening.

Indy racing’s King Kong went absolutely ape this year in ways that make his previous championship seasons look pedestrian. He took six poles, became the first driver since reunification to win eight races in one season, and blew up the field so completely that he clinched the championship two races early. But perhaps most importantly, he nuked the “Palou ain’t won no ovals, Pawwwwl” argument from orbit by winning the Indianapolis 500, then won another oval for good measure. This is the kind of year that lifts a driver beyond mere “best of his era” status and puts them in conversation with the all-time greats. Now consider that Palou is still in his twenties, and that the hybrid DW12 formula will be in effect for at least the next two years. Unless somebody pulls up to his house with a dump truck full of money to get him to drive something else, we can expect his reign to last a good while longer.

Pato O’Ward - A

He may not have won as many races as last year, but Pato O’Ward still put together his best overall season in IndyCar to date. The sloppiness and mistakes that defined his lows in 2024 were gone. His only DNF came from a tire exploding out of nowhere in a race he would have otherwise run away with. His consistency enabled him to stay in the hunt through the first half, then break into Victory Lane in the second and dethrone Kyle Kirkwood as Palou’s most serious challenger. If he can keep this up next year, and more of the breaks go his way instead of Palou’s, who knows what Pato might achieve?

Scott Dixon - A-

This is a bit of a weird one to compare to the year before it. In 2024, Scott Dixon won two races and was a genuine threat for the title, but finished 6th at year’s end, while this year his one win and a fight for table scraps was good for 3rd. His win came at Mid-Ohio, where he stole it from under his teammate’s nose, but his best performance of the year was at St. Pete, where he managed to scheme his way to 2nd despite having no radio to his team. With Palou going Super Saiyan every week, there just wasn’t as much room for Dixon to do his shenanigans as he usually gets. But the Iceman still had incredible consistency on his side, finishing every race and placing at least 12th everywhere except the 500, where he still scored a haul of bonus points by qualifying 4th. And speaking of consistency, this was his 21st straight season with a race win. Even at age 45, the Iceman is as cool as ever, and he’ll have a place in the #9 for as long as he wants it.

Kyle Kirkwood - A

No one pulled a bigger internal coup this year than Kyle Kirkwood did at Andretti. Regarded as a strong, but clear second driver going into the season, he proceeded to steal the spotlight, starting with his second win at Long Beach in three years. Failing tech at the Indy 500 didn’t hurt much in the short term, as Kirkwood went on a revenge tour with wins at Detroit and Gateway. Even with a second-half slump where he never finished higher than 6th after Road America, he made it a much tougher question as to whether he or Colton Herta was the team’s top gun. With Herta off to F1 and Will Power inbound, Kirkwood is now in a very strong position to solidify himself as Andretti’s long-term franchise player.

Christian Lundgaard - A-

After finally escaping Rahal Letterman Lanigan for greener pastures, Christian Lundgaard needed to show he could handle life in a top team like McLaren, and show it he did. He may not have won any races, but with six podiums and a pole, he was closer to victory on a more consistent basis than he’d ever been, and he was so quick to adapt that, in the early going, it was an open question whether Lundgaard might overtake O’Ward as McLaren’s top archer. That got settled firmly in Pato’s favor once the oval portion of the schedule got going, but being #2 at McLaren has been far more rewarding than being #1 at RLL, and he’ll be a name to watch next time around.

Felix Rosenqvist - B+

If great liveries made the car go faster, Felix Rosenqvist would have taken the title fight all the way to Nashville. Every time his car promoted a specific SiriusXM station, we were in for a visual treat, and he tended to back it up on track, peaking with a runner-up at Road America and ultimately matching his 6th-place Rookie of the Year campaign from 2019. He might still have pieces missing as far as challenging for the title, but his first win at Meyer Shank feels much more possible now than it did a year ago, and it’ll be a popular one if he pulls it off.

Colton Herta - B-

In a word, Colton Herta’s 2025 was disappointing. His talent still shone through at points—you don’t get two poles and two podiums by accident—but more often than not, if he had a chance to take a trophy home, a pit row bobble, penalty, or other cartoon anvil would hit him and throw the day away. I have to imagine that, at some point, Herta considered trapping his team in a cave and making them do pit stop drills until they could correctly change tires in their sleep. It’s not the ideal sendoff before his F1 adventure, but if he can represent IndyCar well, this year will be a mere blip on the radar.

Marcus Armstrong - B+

After two seasons and a Rookie of the Year award at Chip Ganassi, Marcus Armstrong had to prove himself on a smaller team this year by moving to Meyer Shank. In response, he put up his best season by far in this series. While his race strategy was often suboptimal, as he tried over and over to make the overcut work just to scrape up the bonus point for leading a lap, Armstrong was a regular presence in the top ten, finishing there 11 times. That included 5th at Road America and his second bronze in as many seasons, this time at Iowa. Because of his consistency, the Kiwi wound up eight points behind teammate Rosenqvist on the year. If Armstrong finds some more pace to go with it, look out.

Will Power - B+

In Team Penske’s darkest hour this millennium, its all-time winningest driver brought the most light. Even with his contract situation hanging over him all year long, Will Power tended to make the best of it, posting his 71st career pole, six top-fives, two bronze trophies, and of course, his 42nd win for Penske with a dominant performance at Portland. That all means he gets to leave the team on a high, and with another top-tier seat immediately booked at Andretti, we probably haven’t seen the last of him in Victory Lane.

Scott McLaughlin - B-

Technically speaking, Scott McLaughlin’s pole at St. Petersburg means he was the only man besides Palou to lead the National Championship all season. He also ended the year as the only Penske without a win, though not for a lack of trying, as he came agonizingly close a couple times and still matched both his teammates with three trips to the podium. Still, it’s a major step down from a man who, just last year, was one illegal button press away from winning it all.

David Malukas - B+

David Malukas may not have won any races this year, but he made people believe like never before. The move to A.J. Foyt paid off handsomely, as he seized lead driver status with ease and got the team closer to the win at the 500 than they’ve been this whole millennium. While it was Lil Dave’s only podium of the year, that doesn’t tell the whole story, as he was a strong qualifier on ovals and frequently threatened to win them until something or other went wrong. With a bit more racecraft and the right strategist in his ear, that breakthrough win feels very much in the cards. 

Josef Newgarden - B-

The way Josef Newgarden’s luck went this year, he may as well have been driving for Ferrari. Every time it looked like he was about to win, his seatbelt would come undone, or his car would break down in the pit lane, or another driver would pop him up and drop him on his head. Even his absolute dominance at the first Iowa race wasn’t enough. That said, the hometown win in Nashville to end the year did wonders to take the sting out, and seeing as it was the second Penske win of the last three races, Newgarden may have just warned us all that a return to form is imminent.

Christian Rasmussen - A-

Christian Rasmussen wasn’t on many people’s radars going into his sophomore year, but he sure is now. After spending most of 2024 sticking to the road and street races, the young Dane revealed himself as an absolute maniac on ovals, and when driving like he stole it worked, it was electrifying. Surprise finishes of 6th place at Indy and 3rd at Gateway did a lot to turn heads, but he painted his masterpiece at the Milwaukee Mile, riding the high line past anything and everything that dared to be in his way until he scored Ed Carpenter Racing’s first win in four years. If he wasn’t on the map before, he certainly is now, and he’ll have a lot more eyes on him for year three.

Rinus VeeKay - A-

This is another grade helped by low expectations, but make no mistake, it’s earned. After years as Ed Carpenter Racing’s leading man ended with a thankless drop, Rinus VeeKay snagged the last spot on the grid with Dale Coyne on Valentine’s Day, giving him almost no time to gel with a team widely considered the worst on the grid. Given the circumstances, VeeKay was a godsend. His 9th place debut for the team in St. Pete alone blew anything DCR did in 2024 out of the water, and with four more top-tens, a 4th at Barber, and a fantastic silver in Toronto, the Dutchman easily put the #18 in the Leaders’ Circle, giving Coyne a boost of cash and on-track credibility for next season. He now leaves the team in a much stronger position to negotiate for his next ride.

Alexander Rossi - C+

At the start of the year, the fact that Alexander Rossi could regularly put an Ed Carpenter machine about where he was putting his McLaren last year was a great sign for the team. A pair of top-fives towards the end of the year and a slew of races throughout where he made himself a factor also helped. But where his threats for the podium turned into mirages, Christian Rasmussen’s became real. Still, with Rossi’s more well-rounded skillset, he should remain in good standing at ECR for the time being.

Santino Ferrucci - B--

This was a tricky year to grade, because on paper, it was Santino Ferrucci’s most accomplished campaign to date. The 500 and its aftermath was good to him, with four straight top-fives, a lucky podium at Detroit, and a legit podium at Road America. But with just two top-tens outside that stretch, plus an embarrassing DNS in Toronto after he managed to total the car in morning warmups, Ferrucci soured into a walking Potential Man meme who’d get talked up at the start of each broadcast, then fade into the midfield while David Malukas moved up front and into the spotlight. These mixed signals are not sustainable, and while Ferrucci’s place at A.J. Foyt probably isn’t under threat, he needs the trends to skew more positive next year.

Kyffin Simpson - B

After surviving Chip Ganassi Racing’s downsizing to three cars while Rookie of the Year Linus Lundqvist got left in the cold, Kyffin Simpson was under heavy scrutiny coming into his sophomore season. The Island Boy responded by carving a niche as a street fighter, outdoing himself at each of the temporary circuits until he scored his first career podium in Toronto. He even pulled a Kirkwood and started transferring his highs to ovals, coming a hair’s breadth short of the bronze in Nashville and giving Scott McLaughlin absolute hell in the process. While he’s obviously not going to surpass Palou and Dixon anytime soon, Simpson is clearly taking advantage of the mentors and resources around him, and that’s making him valuable for more than just his wallet.

Conor Daly - C

In a rare season where he spent the whole year driving the same car, Conor Daly got to do what he does best: pulling sponsors out of thin air, making passes on ovals, and convincing his fellow Hoosiers that today might finally be his day. The long-sought win never arrived, but he did once again post Juncos Hollinger’s best result of the year, and that could be enough to keep their lead driver role for next year.

Graham Rahal - C-

This year, Graham Rahal was nothing if not reliable. He always brought the car home in one piece, joining Scott Dixon as the only other full-time driver to do so. He also had some genuine highlights this year, including leading most of the Indianapolis Grand Prix, taking 4th in Portland, and avoiding Bump Day at the 500 for the first time in a couple years. But outside of that, if you weren’t looking for him and he wasn’t complaining into the nearest microphone, Graham was far easier to ignore on track than his father Bobby ever was.

Marcus Ericsson - D-

Here is Marcus Ericsson’s year in a nutshell: he crashed the car less and still got worse. His big moment of the year was an Indy 500 that ended with Palou snatching his chain for the win, then Ericsson’s silver turning into 31st because he failed the post-race tech inspection. Outside of that, he posted one P6 in St. Pete, one P5 in Toronto, and hardly anything else to write home about. For a driver in his 12th year of championship open-wheel racing on the second-best team this season, that’s inexcusable. With fellow Scandinavian Dennis Hauger currently surging up Andretti’s talent pipeline, Ericsson needs to get it together fast, or he won’t get the chance to keep wasting a top-tier seat.

Callum Ilott - C

Having already built a reputation as a good hand who can put a smaller team’s car in high places, Callum Ilott was a natural pick for Prema’s inaugural lineup. It took him a bit to deliver on that front, but late in the season, Ilott caught fire, scoring four top-tens in the last five races, including a team-best 6th at Laguna Seca and Portland. For a brand-new team with no access to charter or Leader’s Circle money, that’s a big deal. The question now is if he can finally make his first podium next year.

Nolan Siegel - D+

I want to be clear here. Nolan Siegel is not a total hack. The fact he won his class at Le Mans last year is proof of that, and he did show flashes of his talent from time to time, particularly on tricky and technical road courses like Barber, Road America, and Laguna Seca. But given the way he got his seat at McLaren last year, who he got it from, and the fact he had five DNFs and a DNS in his first full year driving the #6, his pay driver allegations are nowhere near beaten. At 20 years old, there’s plenty of time for Siegel to keep learning and improving, but he should probably get some IMSA dates in the gaps on next year’s schedule to keep his sports car skills fresh. McLaren are launching a WEC team soon, and he might find he’s better suited there than here.

Louis Foster - C

Louis Foster is proof that sometimes, all you have to do is what’s in front of you. Despite not finishing in the top ten once all season, Foster was able to leverage his bonuses from leading laps at three separate races and taking pole at Road America to win Rookie of the Year honors by exactly two points. It wasn’t an inspiring campaign, but that pole is a sign that the talent he showed when he was blasting the Indy NXT field to pieces in 2024 is translating, even if an RLL car isn’t the best place to show it.

Robert Shwartzman - C

Robert Shwartzman shocked the world back in May when he scored pole position for the Indy 500 as a rookie on a brand-new team. If not for Rasmussen’s rampage in Milwaukee, that would’ve been the undisputed feel-good moment of the year, and even now it’s a close call. Shwartzman was also the first of the two Prema drivers to wring a top-ten out of his car, scoring them at Gateway and Iowa. He may not be the overall Rookie of the Year, but assuming he sticks around and Prema can get their money up, some more oval heroics may be in Shwartzy’s future.

Sting Ray Robb - D

In his third year, beloved comedy relief driver Sting Ray Robb shocked everyone by genuinely achieving more outside the ovals than his teammate. Granted, that all comes down to his run at Long Beach, where he led twelve laps and finished 9th, but if you’re going to shine at exactly one race, it might as well be one with prestige. Combined with the funding he brings and how badly Juncos Hollinger needs it, we might finally get to see Sting Ray spend consecutive years driving for the same team.

Devlin DeFrancesco - F

At the Indianapolis 500, the racing gods showed Devlin DeFrancesco some pity and allowed him to lead 17 laps on his way to his best ever finish in IndyCar. It was more than he deserved, and it still couldn’t get him in the top 10. All this man did all year was run terrible memecoin liveries, annoy Scott McLaughlin, brake-check Fox’s camera crew, and crash the car. Some might attribute this to the general state of Rahal Letterman Lanigan, but their other two drivers could at least take pole and/or threaten for the win on their day. DeFrancesco, on the other hand, was already so bad beforehand that there wasn’t much lower an RLL car could take him. Somebody put this bum in an LMP2 where he belongs.

Jacob Abel - F

From a certain perspective, Jacob Abel has done exactly what Dale Coyne’s second car needed. He’s turned it from the local rent-a-ride into something a lot more stable and consistent, and he’s even managed to land Miller as a sponsor for a couple races. But if he sticks around for 2026, that will be the only reason why. He failed to qualify for the Indy 500, failed to finish in five of the races he did get to run, and failed to crack the top 20 in all but two of the remaining 11. To find a year where his 123 points wouldn’t have put the car dead last in the Leader’s Circle standings, you’d have to go back to 2022, when the A.J. Foyt #11 pulled out halfway through the season. I’ve never heard an unkind word about Abel as a person, and he can still technically say he beat alleged best driver in the world Kyle Larson by over 100 points this year. But if somebody else takes the #51, either on merit or sheer wealth, I’m not sure how likely Abel is to find another ride.