IndyCar returns for the final five rounds of the 2026 season, with a new street circuit in Markham, Canada, which produced the most chaotic race of the 2026 season so far.

The inaugural Ontario Honda Dealers Indy at Markham took place, marking the 14th round of the 2026 season. 

The street circuit was a nail-biting race for fans, as collisions, a steep hairpin, surprise names struggling and an old but familiar face back in victory lane rounded out the most chaotic event of the season. 

With a wealth of stories to dissect, here are the top five storylines from Markham:

Marcus Ericsson ends 1260-day winless drought in style

The 2022 Indianapolis-500 winner entered the weekend positively, with a confirmation that the Swede would be staying in blue overalls for 2027.

Ericsson qualified in fourth, setting up a promising Sunday race. Cautions and chaos provided an opening for the Swede. But the significant moment happened without the aid of a caution flag, as Ericsson headed into the pits on Lap 68, despite leading the race.

He returned out in seventh, but his fresher soft tyres proved to be the cutting edge he needed. The Swede passed a slowing Grosjean on Lap 85. From there, he built a steady gap of seven seconds before taking the chequered flag for his first victory since St. Petersburg 2023.

A first race victory slips out of Romain Grosjean’s gloves

Hurt and disappointment are feelings Romain Grosjean knows all too well when it comes to having a win fall out of grasp. The Frenchman has been on the hunt for a victory since his last win in GP2 back in 2011. He’s come close six times before in IndyCar but has been denied the celebrations each time. 

While he’ll be frustrated about missing out on the victory once again, he can be proud of placing the smallest IndyCar team, Dale Coyne Racing, at the front of the field. A disappointing qualifying meant the Frenchman started the race in 13th. But he avoided the early chaos that caught out several drivers, putting him in a better position. 

Grosjean showcased his skills throughout the 90-lap race, taking the lead on Lap 40 and controlling the pack for 28 laps. But he had to conserve fuel, which hindered his chances of a first IndyCar victory. The result is still something the team and Grosjean should be proud of, as it marks Grosjean’s first podium since 2023, and the team’s first podium of 2026. 

Organisational setbacks reduce IndyCar schedule

While track action was a major talking point of the weekend, the off-track side was another significant topic of discussion after organisational issues postponed Friday’s practice session. 

As the teams began heading to the track mid-week, images surfaced online showing that the circuit still hadn’t been fully prepared, with no safety barriers, fencing ports for marshals to wave hazard flags, or pedestrian bridges ready. 

The promoters responsible for Markham are the well-established brand Green Savoree Race Promotions, the organisers of St. Petersburg, Ohio and Portland.

The disastrous start to the weekend meant IndyCar were forced to postpone its Friday practice session until Saturday as the track awaited FIA approval.

From top to bottom, Louis Foster ended the weekend in disappointment

Louis Foster claimed a magnificent pole position on Saturday, his second in IndyCar. The Briton was almost knocked out of the Round of 12 after a significant mistake meant he only cleared into the next stage of qualifying by a marginal 0.0770s.

The 23-year-old entered The Fast Six with determination, which he capitalised on as he claimed his second pole position. He did so ahead of Christian Lundgaard and Scott McLaughlin.

A clean getaway and controlling the opening stint of the race opened the possibility of Foster claiming his maiden win. But an unfortunate timed safety car meant the Briton was caught out after pitting earlier. This subsequently dropped him down the pecking order. After two more cautions, Lap 43 rolled around, where he was battling with Ericsson for track position.

Foster attempted an inside-line overtake but lost control of his car and hit the wall at Turn 3, bringing what could’ve been a standout weekend for the No.45 to an abrupt end.

Will ‘Powers’ through to podium finish

Adapting to the Andretti Global life hasn’t been as plain sailing as Power would have hoped for. During the practice before qualifying, the string of bad luck following the Australian continued as Power suffered a major shunt.

Despite getting his mechanics getting the car ready for qualifying, a spin in the session meant Power started the Markham race from the back of the grid. The No.26 took a new engine for the race, with the prospect of a podium finish slipping out of grasp.

But if there’s one thing about IndyCar, it is never to write a driver off. Power drove up the pecking order and made crucial up-track positions during the race restarts. The incredible comeback meant Power earned his fourth podium of the season, one which he will be proud of.

“At the end there you had to make a lot of passes to move yourself forward, which we were able to do.”

“My tires were pretty done at the end there. Just sort of holding on. But the others had to save fuel, so that helped get us up to third… Just didn’t quite have the pace ’cause I had that many more laps on my tires. I really hustled to make track position. Kind of hurt my tires early. Tried to conserve.” – Will Power

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IndyCar heads to a new street circuit for 2026, with the paddock heading to Washington for the Freedom 250.

Featured image credits: Joe Skibinski