The front row for the 109th Indianapolis 500 will feature a rookie, a two-time winner, and last year’s runner-up.

Robert Shwartzman is the 25-year-old on pole position, who will lead the field to the green flag on debut.

The Prema Racing driver has been quietly chipping away at qualifying runs all through practice and showed his hand at just the right time come qualifying.

Alongside him, Takuma Sato. The last time the ex-Formula 1 driver started the Indianapolis 500 from the front row he went on to win it.

That was during the height of COVID-19 in an empty Indianapolis Motor Speedway. He’ll no doubt want to win in front of a raucous crowd.

Then there’s Pato O’Ward, the man who finished second in 2022, crashed out of second in 2023, and finished second again to Josef Newgarden in 2024. Fourth time’s the charm?

Who are the Indy 500 favourites?

The aforementioned O’Ward has to be the favourite to win this year’s race. Bookies have him at the shortest odds, but not far ahead of Chip Ganassi Racing’s Alex Palou who has dominated the start of the IndyCar season.

Palou’s teammate Scott Dixon is another favourite. With so much experience and Chip Ganassi Racing setting the pace in practice, there’s no doubt he’ll be in the mix.

Team Penske’s trio of Scott McLaughlin, Josef Newgarden, and Will Power are certainly contenders too – in that order.

McLaughlin starts 10th after he wrecked the fastest car at the speedway in practice right before qualifying, and his starting spot perhaps isn’t indicative of his speed.

Newgarden and Power will have to break a 90-year-old record to win it this year. They start from 32nd and 33rd respectively.

The lowest any driver has started and won the race from was 28th. The last time that happened was 1936.

What time does the Indy 500 start in Australia?

The 109th Running of the Indianapolis 500 gets underway at 2:45am AEST on Monday, May 26.

How to watch the Indianapolis 500 in Australia

The Indianapolis 500 will be live and exclusive on streaming service Stan Sport from 12am AEST on Monday, May 26

Indianapolis 500 race day schedule (AEST)

Monday, May 26
1:47am – Driver introductions
2:24am – US national anthem
2:36am – Back Home In Indiana
2:38am – Command to start engines
2:45am – Green flag for 109th Running of the Indianapolis 500

Indianapolis 500 live timing

Live timing for the Indianapolis 500 is available via the official IndyCar website HERE or HERE.

Who is on pole position for the Indy 500?

Russian-born Israeli Robert Shwartzman will start the 2025 Indianapolis 500 from pole position after he set a four-lap average of 232.790 mph.

It’s the first time a rookie has won the pole since Teo Fabi in 1983. Coincidentally, Shwartzman is running #83 this year in his debut IndyCar season. It’s the first time #83 has won the pole.

It’s also the first time an Israel-born driver has competed in the Indianapolis 500.

This year is Prema Racing’s first in the IndyCar Series.

How many rookies have won the Indy 500 pole position?

Robert Shwartzman (2025), Teo Fabi (1983), and Walt Faulkner (1950) are the only Indianapolis 500 rookie pole position winners.

Other rookies have started from pole position, including Tony Stewart in 1996 after Scott Brayton suffered fatal injuries in a crash after qualifying.

Lewis Strang began from the pole for the inaugural 500 in 1911 when starting position was determined by entry postmark date.

Jean Chassagne also started from pole when the grid was determined by a random draw.

Where is Scott McLaughlin starting in the Indy 500?

Scott McLaughlin will line up 10th on row 4 in the #3 Pennzoil Chevy after he missed the Fast 12 following a crash in the final practice before qualifying.

Where is Will Power starting in the Indy 500?

A penalty will mean that Will Power starts the 2025 Indianapolis 500 from 33rd after Team Penske were sanctioned for illegally modifying the rear attenuator.

Power will share the back row with teammate Josef Newgarden and Dale Coyne Racing’s Rinus VeeKay.

What is the lowest starting grid the Indy 500 has been won?

Ray Harroun in 1911 and Louis Meyer in 1936 both won the Indianapolis 500 from 28th.

How many previous winners are in the 2025 Indy 500 field?

There are eight Indianapolis 500 winners in the starting 2025 field. They include Helio Castroneves (2001, 2002, 2009, 2021), Scott Dixon (2008), Ryan Hunter-Reay (2014), Alexander Rossi (2016), Takuma Sato (2017, 2020), Will Power (2018), Marcus Ericsson (2022), and Josef Newgarden (2023, 2024). They have 13 victories between them.

The record for the most winners in a field is 10 in 1992. The fewest previous winners the Indy 500 field has had is zero, which, other than the inaugural race, are 1912, 1913, 1915, and 1916.

How many rookies are in the 2025 Indy 500?

The 2025 Indianapolis 500 features three rookies: Robert Shwartzman, Nolan Siegel, and Louis Foster. It was set to be four until Jacob Abel was knocked out on Bump Day in Last Chance Qualifying.

Who are the returning drivers in 2025?

David Malukas, Devlin DeFrancesco, and Jack Harvey all missed the 2024 edition. They all last raced in the 2023 event.

Who has the most Indy 500 starts in the 2025 field?

Four-time winner Helio Castroneves has 24 starts to his name. He will drive for Meyer Shank Racing in 2025.

AJ Foyt has the most starts with 35 between 1958 and 1992.

Who has led the most laps at the Indy 500?

Is Scott Dixon the unluckiest man at Indy? The stats seem to suggest though. Despite having led 677 laps, he’s only won the race once. That’s more than three time the race distance.

Helio Castroneves is next on that leaderboard with 326 laps led at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

Who are the oldest and youngest drivers in the Indy 500?

At 50 years old, Helio Castroneves is a bonafide IndyCar veteran. The youngest driver is Nolan Siegel at just 20 years old.

The oldest driver to ever race at the Indianapolis 500 was AJ Foyt at 57 years and 128 days old in 1992. AJ Foyt IV remains the youngest starter, celebrating his 19th birthday in 2003.

Castroneves (50) and Takuma Sato (48) could become the oldest winners of the Indianapolis 500. That record is held by Al Unser Sr who was 47 and 360 days when he won the race in 1987.

If Nolan Siegel (20), Kyffin Simpson (20), or Louis Foster (21) win the Indy 500, they’ll become the youngest drivers in history to win it, breaking the record held by 1952 winner Troy Ruttman who was 22.

Why do drivers drink milk after winning the Indy 500?

The winner of the Indianapolis 500 drinks milk in victory lane because of a tradition dating back to 1936 when Louis Meyer requested buttermilk after his win. It’s been a tradition ever since for the winner to take a swig of milk as part of post-race celebrations.

Each year, drivers select what kind of milk they’d like to drink. This year, 28 drivers picked whole milk while the other five picked two percent fat milk. The original buttermilk option was eventually phased out despite some drivers still wanting it.

2025 Indianapolis 500 starting grid

Indy 500 weather forecast

Early forecasts were for rain on race day, but those have shifted towards overcast conditions. Cooler temperatures could make for an intense contest, with heat soak being less of an issue.