{"id":1193,"date":"2026-08-24T14:31:39","date_gmt":"2026-08-24T17:31:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/en\/?p=1193"},"modified":"2026-08-24T14:31:40","modified_gmt":"2026-08-24T17:31:40","slug":"5-things-we-learned-from-the-2026-indycar-gp-of-washington","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/en\/indy\/5-things-we-learned-from-the-2026-indycar-gp-of-washington\/","title":{"rendered":"5 things we learned from the 2026 IndyCar GP of Washington"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Key takeaways<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Title chase re-opened:<\/strong> <strong>Kyle Kirkwood capitalized on \u00c1lex Palou&#8217;s disastrous 20th-place finish<\/strong> to cut the Spaniard&#8217;s championship lead down to 91 points.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Honda&#8217;s street course sweep:<\/strong> <strong>Honda swept all six street circuit events in 2026<\/strong>, claiming 15 out of 18 available podium spots.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Milestone for Collet:<\/strong> <strong>Caio Collet secured his first top-10 result of the year<\/strong> with a clean, zero-risk drive into 9th place for AJ Foyt Racing.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The <strong>Grand Prix of Washington<\/strong> brought new elements to the final stretch of the <strong>2026 IndyCar season<\/strong> and reinforced key trends from across the championship. A dominant victory by <strong>Kyle Kirkwood<\/strong> reduced <strong>\u00c1lex Palou\u2019s<\/strong> points lead, while <strong>Honda<\/strong> maintained its ironclad hold on street courses. Meanwhile, <strong>Caio Collet<\/strong> finally achieved his first top-10 finish of the year following a faultless performance.<sup><\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Beyond the track, the inaugural event in the United States capital proved IndyCar can deliver high-impact street events when backed by heavy promotional investment, while <strong>Scott McLaughlin<\/strong> suffered another costly self-inflicted error. Here are <strong>5 things we learned from the GP of Washington<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-video\"><video class=\"video-js vjs-big-play-centered\" data-gp-vjs=\"1\" controls src=\"https:\/\/grandepremio-portal.b-cdn.net\/2026\/08\/batida-palou.mp4\"><\/video><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">\u00c1lex Palou crashed in the end of Washington GP (Video: FOX)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">1. Kirkwood capitalizes as Palou&#8217;s race unravels<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Groomed from an early age for top-tier open-wheel racing, <strong>Kyle Kirkwood<\/strong> delivered a masterclass performance in Washington, winning without giving competitors a opening. While <strong>Andretti Global<\/strong> showcased stellar street-course setups\u2014evidenced by <strong>Will Power<\/strong> and <strong>Marcus Ericsson<\/strong> finishing third and fourth\u2014it was Kirkwood&#8217;s commanding drive on Sunday (23) that stole the show.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Kyle Kirkwood dominated the street course in Washington (Photo: IndyCar)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Kirkwood demonstrated both pure speed and championship-caliber consistency against <strong>\u00c1lex Palou<\/strong>. Taking full advantage of Palou\u2019s nightmare afternoon\u2014which included pit-lane penalties, slow stops, and a late crash resulting in a 20th-place finish\u2014Kirkwood trimmed the Spaniard&#8217;s lead to 91 points.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">2. Honda remains undefeated on street circuits<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">While Andretti\u2019s engineering setup deserves credit, the underlying power of the <strong>Honda engine<\/strong> was instrumental on temporary tracks. The Japanese manufacturer <strong>swept every street circuit race on the 2026 IndyCar calendar<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In a series defined by strict engine parity, Honda&#8217;s performance package on street layouts proved superior to Chevrolet&#8217;s. Beyond sweeping all six street victories, <strong>Honda claimed 15 of 18 available podium finishes<\/strong> across those events\u2014missing out on total podium sweeps only in St. Petersburg and Washington.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">3. Collet secures first top-10 with a zero-risk approach<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Caio Collet behind the wheel for AJ Foyt Racing (Photo: IndyCar)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Caio Collet<\/strong> finally cracked the top-10 in 2026 with a solid 9th-place finish. Despite losing time during three pit stops, the Brazilian executed a clean drive through the tight Washington street layout.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Following an up-and-down rookie campaign marked by pit-stop delays and crashes at Indianapolis, Nashville, and Markham, Collet focused on consistency.<sup><\/sup> In physical cars without power steering, simply finishing clean on bumpy street tracks often yields strong results. Collet&#8217;s patient drive rewarded him with a career-best result in IndyCar.<sup><\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">4. IndyCar proves high-stakes street events work with proper backing<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Washington GP provided unprecedented visibility for a non-Indy 500 round. Celebrating the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, the inaugural capital race attracted broad mainstream attention, driven by heavy promotion from <strong>Penske Entertainment<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Following the successful template set by the <strong>Arlington GP<\/strong>, Penske Entertainment demonstrated its event management capability when fully invested. Despite Washington being confirmed late in January, the event delivered top-tier organization, setting a higher standard for future street races on the IndyCar calendar.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">5. McLaughlin throws away podium with late mistake<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Scott McLaughlin&#8217;s late attempt to pass Kyle Kirkwood ended in the barrier (Photo: IndyCar)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Scott McLaughlin<\/strong> entered the weekend as a potential title challenger, but a late-race mistake cost him a top finish. Running in podium position for nearly the entire afternoon, the Team Penske driver misjudged his braking point while attempting a late-restart pass on Kirkwood, driving straight into the barrier.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The error comes despite added support on his pit stand from <strong>Tim Cindric<\/strong>. With three races remaining in the season, McLaughlin faces mounting pressure to regain consistent form.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">IndyCar returns this weekend with a double-header on the 1-mile oval at <strong>Milwaukee<\/strong>\u2014rounds 16 and 17 of the 2026 season\u2014in West Allis, Wisconsin. <strong><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/en\/\">GRANDE PR\u00caMIO<\/a><\/strong> provides full coverage of the event. Follow all updates on our <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/en\/news\/\">news page<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Frequently asked questions (FAQ)<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>1. How many points separated \u00c1lex Palou and Kyle Kirkwood after Washington?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u00c1lex Palou&#8217;s championship lead was reduced from <strong>133 points to 91 points<\/strong> over Kyle Kirkwood following the GP of Washington.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>2. What was Caio Collet&#8217;s previous best finish before the Washington GP?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Prior to his 9th-place finish in Washington, Caio Collet&#8217;s best result of the 2026 season was 12th at the Arlington Grand Prix.<sup><\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>3. Which street circuits did Honda win during the 2026 IndyCar season?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Honda swept all six street course events on the 2026 calendar, including victories at <strong>St. Petersburg, Long Beach, Detroit, Markham, Arlington, and Washington<\/strong>.<sup><\/sup><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Dominant victory highlights Kyle Kirkwood&#8217;s talent, while Honda maintains street course supremacy and Caio Collet achieves his first top-10 finish of the season.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":1020312895,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"42wp_featured_image_caption":"Kyle Kirkwood won at Washington","42wp_featured_image_credits":"IndyCar","42wp_featured_video":"","42wp_featured_image_hidden":false,"42wp_authors_list":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[27,43,221],"42wp_author":[14],"class_list":["post-1193","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-indy","tag-alex-palou","tag-caio-collet","tag-kyle-kirkwood","42wp_author-daniel-balsa"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1193","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1193"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1193\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1194,"href":"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1193\/revisions\/1194"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1020312895"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1193"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1193"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1193"},{"taxonomy":"42wp_author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/42wp_author?post=1193"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}