Scott McLaughlin has secured a commendable third-place finish at the Children’s of Alabama Indy Grand Prix, his third consecutive podium at Barber Motorsports Park. 
The Team Penske driver briefly led the race during the final pit cycle by running longer than the leaders, before rejoining behind eventual winner Álex Palou, who dominated by leading 81 of the 90 laps.
Christian Lundgaard also impressed, moving up from seventh on the grid to finish second and claim his best result of 2025 with Arrow McLaren. It is Lundgaard’s third consecutive podium with the team.
McLaughlin’s strong finish reinforces his consistency at Barber, having won the event in both 2023 and 2024. Speaking after the race, the Kiwi was full of praise for Palou:
“When the guy is on top of his game, you can just do the best you can, in that regard. I feel like week in and week out, we can challenge him. But if he keeps executing like this, all we can do is execute, as well.”
Scott Dixon showcased his veteran prowess by climbing 14 positions to finish 12th after starting near the back of the grid. It was another gritty recovery drive from the six-time champion, who remains in championship contention, sitting seventh overall on 104 points.
He reflected on the difficulty of racing through the field in a green-to-flag contest:
“We were hoping for some caution. It’s definitely frustrating starting 26th, and I think when you’ve got a field that’s so strong right now, to pass 14 cars is really tough.
“So, we would have loved to get a caution period at some point. Kudos obviously to [Alex] Palou for getting another one – three out of the first four races is pretty epic, so huge for the team.”
Marcus Armstrong, meanwhile, showed promising signs of pace throughout the event. The Meyer Shank Racing driver led six laps during a bold alternate strategy, ultimately coming home 17th.
While the result didn’t reflect the front-running moments, it demonstrated Armstrong’s growing confidence and willingness to take the fight forward in just his second full season of IndyCar competition. He currently sits 14th in the standings with 64 points.
The 90-lap race ran ‘green’ from start to finish, with no full-course cautions – a rarity for IndyCar and a testament to the drivers’ discipline on the technical Barber circuit.