Marcus Ericsson emerged victorious at the first Ontario Honda Dealers Indy held in Markham. In a thrilling finish, Ericsson overtook Romain Grosjean in the final four laps to secure his fifth IndyCar career win. Grosjean settled for second place, with Will Power in third and the season leader, Alex Palou, finishing fourth.
This year marked Markham, Ont.’s debut as the race host, relocating from Toronto’s Exhibition Place, its venue since 1986. Notably, Palou started 12th on the grid, breaking a streak of top 10 qualifying finishes in 30 consecutive races. Heading into the race, Palou maintained a comfortable 110-point lead over Kyle Kirkwood in the driver standings as he eyes his fifth IndyCar title.
Kirkwood’s race took a turn for the worse on the 53rd lap when he made contact with the inside wall at Turn 3 before colliding with the outside barrier, ending his chances of a podium finish. Meanwhile, Louis Foster shone in practice and qualifying, securing his first pole position of the season.
Foster had predicted pre-race that the 12-turn, 3.52-kilometer road course around downtown Markham, encompassing Kennedy Road, Enterprise Boulevard, Unionville GO tracks, and Highway 407, would witness intense competition, a prophecy that came true as he himself succumbed to a crash on the 43rd lap. After overtaking Ericsson, Foster clipped the inside wall and then slammed nose-first into the Turn 3 outer barrier.
