Kyffin Simpson reflects on 'worst to best' turnaround in Toronto for 1st IndyCar podium

While the Toronto race was won by Pato O'Ward, the racing world soon turned to the third-place finisher, Kyffin Simpson, to congratulate him on his maiden IndyCar podium. However, it was not an easy race for the 20-year-old, but he had a sudden turnaround, which saw him become the biggest mover at the 90-lap race.

Chip Ganassi Racing had promoted Simpson from Indy NXT to IndyCar with the hopes of the Caymanian learning from his seniors, Scott Dixon and Alex Palou, at the team. While he had a torrid rookie year with the squad, securing not even a single top-10 finish, despite this, the team owners showed faith in him and retained Simpson for the 2025 season.

Though the 2025 campaign started similarly to the previous year, Simpson matured as a driver in the upcoming rounds. He claimed his first top-10 result at the Long Beach Grand Prix earlier in the year, at a street course, and continued showing his prowess in the following race weekends.

This helped him secure his first podium result in the premier open-wheel racing series, as he went from possibly being in the worst spot on the track to the best, as he told Georgia Hennebery:

"Incredible. It was a crazy race. So many ups and downs at one point, and we thought we were in the worst position and very quickly it turned to one of the best positions. Huge thank you to journey and Chip Ganassi Racing and Honda; did an incredible job today on pitlane, and just incredible." "At Mid-Ohio (Simpson qualified) , I was really bummed because, realistically, we could have even won that race. So to not even be on the podium I was super bummed there, but to comeback here and get it done, is incredible."

With his podium in Toronto, Kyffin Simpson has now secured two top-five finishes in the 12 rounds held so far.

---

The Mid-Ohio Grand Prix became the turning point in Kyffin Simpson's 2025 season

Kyffin Simpson at the NTT INDYCAR Series Iowa Race Weekend - Source: Getty

Before the Mid-Ohio Grand Prix, Kyffin Simpson had clinched three top-10 results, which was already better than his 2024 efforts. However, he desired more in his IndyCar campaign and finally nailed a qualifying session at the race in Ohio, qualifying a lofty third around the 2.258-mile track.

Opening up about how that race weekend was a turning point in his 2025 campaign, with his comfort level in the No. 8 charter increasing every race weekend, as he told Motorsportweek:

"I think everywhere I’ve gone, I’ve been the most comfortable [I’ve ever been]. Mid-Ohio, Road America, the test here [in Iowa] a couple weeks ago, I felt the most comfortable I’ve ever felt on an oval."

Simpson was the highest finishing Chip Ganassi Racing driver at the Canadian race, as Scott Dixon finished 10th and Alex Palou was a further two spots below him.

Edited by Rupesh