The only drivers besides Alex Palou and Pato O’Ward who still have a shot at the 2025 IndyCar championship

The Chip Ganassi Racing driver Alex Palou is currently leading the IndyCar drivers' championship, with Arrow McLaren's Pato O'Ward following him in second place. However, the championship battle is still on for Andretti Global's Kyle Kirkwood and Chip Ganassi's Scott Dixon.

Before the Toronto race weekend, Palou entered the race weekend with a 129-point lead over O'Ward in second place. But the point gap has now been slashed to 99 with four races remaining. Having said that, one cannot rule out Kirkwood and Dixon, who currently stand in third and fourth, respectively.

Kyle Kirkwood has had a spectacular season and was the only driver besides Palou to win a grand prix until Mid-Ohio. He has won three races this season so far and was placed in second in the drivers' championship until the last three races, when he finished outside the podium places. Kirkwood has a 173-point deficit to Palou.

Alex Palou's teammate, Scott Dixon, has had an anonymous season until Mid-Ohio, where he took his first victory. He has been on the podium once this season but has finished in the top 10 in the last few races. Dixon has a 174-point deficit to his teammate and is only one point behind Kirkwood.

The upcoming Java House Grand Prix of Monterey will be crucial for Kirkwood and Dixon, as it will be the deciding factor in the championship battle. If either driver leaves the track trailing by 162 points, they will be eliminated from the championship battle.

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Alex Palou spoke about Andretti rivals Colton Herta and Kyle Kirkwood at Toronto

Chip Ganassi Racing driver Alex Palou spoke about his qualifying session at the Toronto Grand Prix, where he qualified in second place, marking his best start at the track. He also talked about his Andretti rivals, Colton Herta and Kyle Kirkwood, and their qualifying session.

While talking to the press post-qualifying, Palou was questioned whether he was happy with his qualifying result. He replied (via ASAP Sports):

"Yeah, I mean, Colton and Kyle, they've been like on another league this weekend. To be second and to be a bit closer than what we started this morning or in P1 or anything, it's really good."

This marked the Spaniard's sixth front-row start of the season. He put in a lap at the average speed of 106.968 mph. As for Herta and Kirkwood, they had qualified in first and sixth place, respectively.

Notably, Alex Palou has had a phenomenal season so far. He has won seven out of the 13 races and is chasing his fourth championship.

Edited by Samya Majumdar