Alex Palou has done something no driver in the 118-year history of American open-wheel racing has ever done before: win five IndyCar championships. The 29-year-old Spaniard clinched the 2026 title Sunday at the Milwaukee Mile, adding a fifth crown to his unprecedented collection and tying the all-time record for most championships in the sport—a mark previously held by A.J. Foyt, Al Unser, and Rick Mears. Palou didn't need to win to seal it; a fifth-place finish in the second race of the weekend's doubleheader was enough. He's now won four consecutive titles, a streak that speaks to a level of sustained excellence that has redefined what dominance looks like in modern IndyCar. And if his comments afterward are any indication, he's already thinking about number six.
While Palou consolidated his legacy, Pato O'Ward stole the spotlight on track, sweeping both Milwaukee races for Arrow McLaren. O'Ward won the first race by 1.75 seconds over David Malukas after a bold late-restart move with 19 laps remaining, then claimed the second race by 0.79 seconds over Scott McLaughlin. It marked O'Ward's second and third podium finishes of the season—a stark contrast to his earlier struggles, which makes the timing of this double victory all the more significant as the season winds down.
McLaughlin, meanwhile, delivered a gutsy recovery in Race 2, starting eighth and executing a bold strategy to lead 28 laps and finish second. But the Team Penske driver's focus afterward was less on his own comeback and more on his frustration with lapped-traffic etiquette—a pointed criticism of how backmarkers were defending aggressively against faster cars trying to lap them.
Malukas, who started from pole in the first race, suffered an engine sensor issue that led to a plenum event during Race 2, costing him a potential victory and handing the win to O'Ward. Chevrolet later confirmed the mechanical failure to RACER, and Malukas walked back his initial criticism of the engine supplier, acknowledging his frustration had been sharper than warranted.
Christian Lundgaard, the Danish rookie, delivered a breakthrough performance on ovals, scoring his first podium finish on the high-speed oval with a third-place result in Race 2, then backing it up with a sixth-place finish in the rain-delayed first race on Sunday.
Honda clinched its 12th INDYCAR manufacturers' title—its first in that category since 2025 and the 30th anniversary of the company's first American open-wheel championship in 1996. Chip Ganassi Racing, the team that carried Palou to all five of his titles, claimed its record 18th IndyCar series championship.
F1
McLaren is bringing firepower to Monza this weekend in the form of a rotating rear wing it's calling the H-Wing. The innovation—a rear wing that flips 180 degrees between cornering mode and straight mode—is McLaren's answer to Ferrari's own version, which the Maranello team first introduced during winter testing. McLaren had been working on its interpretation for some time and is now ready to debut it at the Italian Grand Prix.
The technical arms race at Monza will extend beyond just McLaren and Ferrari. Red Bull, meanwhile, is reshaping its leadership structure: the team has confirmed the hiring of Tom McCullough, a long-time Aston Martin engineer, to replace Gianpiero Lambiase as head of racing. Lambiase will leave Red Bull in 2028 to join McLaren as chief racing officer, reporting to team principal Andrea Stella. Until then, Lambiase will continue his dual role as Max Verstappen's race engineer.
Haas has acknowledged that it's been overtaken in development by its rivals this season, despite a strong start to 2026. Team boss Ayao Komatsu and driver Oliver Bearman both expressed hope that the team can catch back up "soon," though Bearman remained "sceptical" about the VF-26's current performance trajectory. The team is bringing updates to Monza in an effort to reverse the trend.
Alpine will field rookie Paul Aron in Friday's opening practice session, with Pierre Gasly missing FP1 due to other commitments.
Pirelli has unveiled the trophies for this weekend's Italian Grand Prix, continuing a six-year partnership with the Pirelli HangarBicocca Museum of Contemporary Art. The pieces, titled "FRAGILE" and created by the artist duo Vedovamazzei (Stella Scala and Simeone Crispino), are made via 3D printing using nylon powder—a departure from the traditional trophy designs the sport is accustomed to seeing.
MotoGP
The title fight in MotoGP is tightening into a battle of nerves as much as speed. Gigi Dall'Igna, Ducati's general manager and the architect of the manufacturer's technical operation, offered a stark assessment of the 2026 campaign: the championship will go "not to the fastest rider, but to the one who keeps the coolest head." That observation carries particular weight given Marc Márquez's dominance at Aragon, where the eight-time world champion claimed his fourth victory and third double of the season. Márquez is plausibly in contention for the title, but he's already looking ahead with caution, saying he's approaching the rest of the season "race by race" and naming an upcoming event as particularly concerning.
The Aragon weekend also exposed the fracturing relationship between Fabio Quartararo and Yamaha. The 2021 champion has announced he will no longer assist Yamaha with development work for the 2027 season, citing his frustration at being treated as a "test rider" rather than a race driver. Quartararo was denied an opportunity to test Pirelli's new tires while Yamaha evaluated new components, and he's had enough. Yamaha has responded by calling him to order over his behavior, but the damage to the partnership appears done—Quartararo is leaving the manufacturer at season's end anyway.
Jorge Martín, the 2024 champion, had an uncharacteristically poor outing at Aragon, qualifying half a second off pole and finishing fifth, well behind the podium runners. However, his struggles appear track-specific rather than symptomatic of a deeper problem with his Aprilia, a marked downturn from his performance at Silverstone just three weeks prior.
Brad Binder endured a rough opening lap at Aragon, caught up in two separate incidents that left him "proper screwed" early on. He fought back through the field to finish tenth. Alex Márquez, Marc's brother, was also hampered by an early mistake—a gearshift error—that, combined with poor grip, prevented him from matching his Sprint podium result in the main race. MotoGP rookie Toprak Razgatlioglu crashed late in the race and left empty-handed, but the Ducati rider was no longer "riding alone" and set the tenth fastest race lap, suggesting he's finally getting the support and setup he needs to be competitive.
Jack Miller offered a nuanced assessment of Yamaha's new V4 engine: it's capable of impressive corner speed—"quick as Marc" in that regard—but the bike's straight-line performance remains a major handicap. Pedro Acosta, who has eight runner-up finishes this season, surprisingly rates his fifth-place result at Silverstone as his best race so far, suggesting he values the quality of his performance and racecraft over pure finishing position.
WEC
The Radical Cup North America season is heading into its championship-deciding finale this weekend. After five rounds spanning from Sebring to Sonoma, Road America to Road Atlanta and Lime Rock Park, the 2026 season concludes September 4-6 at a legendary venue. The title will be crowned in front of the FIA World Endurance Championship, adding prestige to the championship fight.
IMSA
Full-length replays of Rounds 9 and 10 from Road America are now available for GT America powered by AWS, allowing fans to catch up on the action from the sports car series' recent doubleheader at the Wisconsin road course.