Who can dethrone Palou as the IndyCar king in 2026?

The obvious question ahead of the 2026 IndyCar season is whether anyone can dethrone four-time champion Alex Palou. The Catalan’s 2025 title was his third consecutive and most impressive to date as the Chip Ganassi Racing pilot elevated his game to win the Indianapolis 500 and emerge as the man to beat on every type of track.

Palou is realistic enough to know it’s unlikely he’ll be able to pull off another dominant eight-win campaign but sees no reason why he can’t once again contend for the title. “I wish and I hope I can repeat it, but I realise it’s probably just once in a lifetime,” says the 28-year-old. “I was very lucky having the best car and the best team around in a year where some other teams were struggling, and also just feeling confident with the car and lucky at moments.”

His biggest threat is likely to come from under the Ganassi umbrella. Six-time IndyCar champion Scott Dixon had a down year in 2025 and yet still finished third in the standings. At 45, he is tenacious as ever and determined to improve on his single-win campaign last year. “We know the benchmark; we know how to dominate the season, because I was right there to see Palou do it,” says Dixon. “I’m looking forward to it.”

The biggest off-season news was Will Power’s move from Penske to Andretti Global, where he joins Kyle Kirkwood and Marcus Ericsson in a powerful line-up. Engineer and team manager Ron Ruzewski, who was one of three Penske team members dismissed last May, also landed at Andretti, another move that will strengthen the organisation. For Power, it’s a new lease of life after 17 years in the sometimes-stifling Penske empire and it will be interesting to see whether a greater level of freedom outside the car has a positive effect on his racing. He is highly motivated to show Penske it made a mistake by casting him aside. “There’s nothing more I want to do this year than beat Penske every single weekend,” declares Power.

“It could be really good for Will,” observes Dixon. “A new challenge could be really inspirational for him. He’ll be strong, a huge addition for Andretti with his experience coming from one of the great teams.”

Kirkwood, who won three times in a breakout 2025 campaign, is another logical championship contender, while 2022 Indy 500 winner Ericsson looks to rebound from what he called the worst season of his career. Kirkwood also dispels the notion that the vastly experienced Power would serve as Andretti team leader: “I think ‘leader’ is a poor term in the sense of drivers within a team. To have the best chance of winning the most races and winning a championship, you need unity, and I think we have that. We all have attributes we can contribute to each other.”

Power's Penske exit and Andretti arrival is the biggest driver move over the winter

Photo by: Penske Entertainment

Replacing Power at Penske is 24-year-old David Malukas. Penske drivers are rarely young or inexperienced and Power is an IndyCar great, so much is weighing on ‘Little Dave’s’ shoulders. He joins Josef Newgarden and Scott McLaughlin, and McLaughlin is comfortable with the change. “Dave has been fitting in really well,” says McLaughlin. “He’s a good kid. He wants it, which is what you want, and it’s been nice to have a younger perspective.”

McLaughlin hopes to make the transition from race winner to title contender. “Everybody is going to come out on media day and say, ‘championship or bust’, but I just want a solid year,” he says. “I need to be a bit better in my execution and not making mistakes. I’ve been fast enough, it’s just a matter of putting it together.”

Similarly, McLaren drivers Pato O’Ward and Christian Lundgaard are in search of greater consistency in 2026, while Nolan Siegel is in the hot seat and needs to perform at a closer level to his team-mates to save his ride.

Ex-F1 racer Mick Schumacher is likely to attract more attention as he moves to America full-time to compete for Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing

Meyer Shank Racing also fields a strong line-up, with Felix Rosenqvist and Marcus Armstrong and technical support from Ganassi Racing, while Ed Carpenter Racing’s Alexander Rossi and Christian Rasmussen are capable of race wins. ECR is also always a force at Indianapolis. 

Indy NXT champion Dennis Hauger brings a technical alliance with Andretti to Dale Coyne Racing for his rookie IndyCar season, but ex-F1 racer Mick Schumacher is likely to attract more attention as he moves to America full-time to compete for Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing alongside IndyCar veteran Graham Rahal and Brit Louis Foster.

IndyCar’s biggest challenge for 2026 (and 2027) is to maintain interest with a stagnant product. The new chassis and more powerful engine formula promised for 2028 seem a lifetime away. The series is counting on Power’s move, a high-profile new event in Arlington, Texas, and a rebooted Canadian race on the streets of Markham, Ontario to provide some semblance of progress.

This article is one of many in the monthly Autosport magazine. For more premium content, take a look at the March 2026 issue and subscribe today. 

Schumacher lands in IndyCar as one of the highest profile rookies in years

Photo by: Penske Entertainment