On Sunday 24 May, the 110th edition of the world’s most famous oval race will take place.
With an unforgettable 24 Hours of Nürburgring now in the books, it is time for another legendary race: the Indianapolis 500. The IndyCar Series has been “on hold” since 9 May, when the Sonsio Grand Prix was held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The last race held away from the Indiana circuit dates back to 19 April with the Long Beach Grand Prix. Since then, the North American championship has moved to Indianapolis for an entire month of practice and preparation ahead of the biggest race of the season. Here is where to watch it and everything you need to know.
Traditions
Indianapolis has many distinctive features, not “just” the 200 laps completed around the oval at incredible speeds (qualifying in 2024 saw Scott McLaughlin complete four laps at an average speed of 376.941 km/h). The Indianapolis 500 has at least two other iconic traditions: milk and the “Brickyard”. The first concerns the traditional celebration: no champagne for the winner, but a bottle of cold milk.
The tradition dates back to 1936, when Louis Meyer, after claiming his third victory at the world’s most iconic oval, chose milk to refresh himself after an especially exhausting race. Legend says he picked milk because his mother used to recommend it to help cope with hot weather. Meyer was photographed drinking it, the image became iconic, and the tradition was born. When Emerson Fittipaldi broke the tradition in 1993 by drinking orange juice instead, he was heavily criticised by fans.
The other iconic element of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway is the finish line made entirely of bricks and exactly one yard wide (0.91 metres), hence the names “Brickyard” or “Yard of Bricks”. The reason lies in the origins of the circuit itself. When the speedway was built in 1909, the surface consisted of gravel and tar, a combination that proved extremely dangerous. As a result, it was replaced with 3.2 million bricks Only in 1936 was the track fully paved with asphalt, while the strip of bricks at the finish line was preserved as a symbol of a glorious past.
110th edition on tv
Starting from pole position on Sunday will be Álex Palou, winner of the previous edition. Qualifying, as tradition dictates, takes place the weekend before the race and features another unique characteristic of the American classic: instead of the fastest lap, the grid is determined by the highest average speed over four flying laps.
Joining the Spaniard on the front row for the 2026 Indianapolis 500 will be Alexander Rossi and David Malukas. Between anecdotes, history, milk, bricks and insane speeds, everything is ready for the 110th edition of the Indianapolis 500.
The world’s most famous oval race hides countless dangers and a high degree of unpredictability, with “cautions” — the IndyCar equivalent of Formula 1’s safety car — always ready to completely overturn strategies normally dictated by a frantic race pace and by attempts to use slipstreams to save fuel and avoid an extremely costly late-race “splash and go”. This year once again, the Indianapolis 500 will be broadcast live on Sky Sports F1. Sunday 24 May’s schedule includes pre-race coverage starting at 3pm, while the green flag will wave at 5:30pm.
Photos: IndyCar.com
