IndyCar returns to California once again with the Java House Grand Prix of Monterey at Laguna Seca! Who will come out on top at one of the most famous track on the 2025 calendar?
The track
The WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca is a technically challenging 2.238 permanent road course. Featuring 11 turns including the famous corkscrew, dropping six-stories in 450 feet. This track is home to multiple series including the NTT IndyCar season. The race at Laguna Seca will be run to 95 laps and 212.61 miles, when drivers cross the checkered flag on Sunday afternoon.
What happened in 2024?
The race at Laguna Seca began with pole-sitter Alex Palou being overtaken by the Andretti of Kyle Kirkwood. Kirkwood would hold the lead for 24 laps before handing it back to Palou with the first round of pit stops.
Lap 36 would see the first of 5 cautions. The No. 51 car of rookie Luca Ghiotto incurring contact at Turn 4, bring out a short 4 lap cautions. There would be 4 more cautions for various reasons; spins, contact, and brief moment of off-roading for now IndyCar commentator Jack Harvey .
All of the cautions would be under 5 laps of yellow flag running. In the end, there were only 14 laps of yellow flag running during the 95 lap race.
Alex Palou would take the lead for the final time on Lap 75 of the 2024 race at Laguna Seca. He would bring home P1 after just over 2 hours of racing.
Additionally, Laguna Seca in 2024 saw 7 changes in lead, between Kirkwood, Palou, Rossi, Herta, and Newgarden. This win would see Palou take the lead of the 2024 championship fight.
The 2024 race in Laguna Seca saw 564 total passes, 537 for position, and a fastest lap set by Marcus Ericsson at 116.811mph. Then Rookie Nolan Siegel was the races biggest mover, having gained 11 positions and finishing in 12th after staring 23rd.
What to keep an eye on in 2025
The championship battle is heating up as IndyCar heads to Laguna Seca in 2025. Series leader Alex Palou finished just outside the Top 10 on the streets of Toronto, allowing for Pato O’Ward to claim his second win of the season.
O’Wards second win brings the championship gap to just 99 points, with 4 races left on the calendar. With another strong showing, O’Ward could close that gap even further. However, if there’s anything the drivers have learned this season, its to never forget how good Alex Palou is at bouncing back.
Team Penske has had mixed results at this track in the past. However, could this be the race where Penske finally end their run of bad luck and sees one of their driver on the podium?
The 2025 NTT IndyCar Java House Grand Prix of Monterey takes place July 25-27, with the feature race beginning at 3pm EST (8pm BST) Sunday July 27th.
