2025 IndyCar Preseason Power Rankings: Scott McLaughlin's 'Thirsty Threes' lead the way over Alex Palou

The 2025 IndyCar season is almost upon us. The series' 27 full-time drivers are refueling their mental vehicles before the first green flag falls at the season-opening race on the streets of St. Petersburg.

There are several storylines going into what will be the American open-wheel racing series' first full season with the latest hybrid power units. Two drivers looking for unique three-peats, another for a fairytale maiden championship, a fourth battling for a contract lifeline at the age of 44, and three rookies dreaming of producing something extraordinary - this is 'The fastest racing on earth'.

Let us put names and faces to those that will headline the major storylines in a preseason preview of the Top 11 drivers (two joint number 10s) most likely to taste ultimate glory.

#10 Conor Daly

NTT IndyCar Series GMR Grand Prix - Source: Getty

Conor Daly is a seasoned IndyCar veteran who has proven his worth a handful of times in the series, not to mention he's raced with nearly every team on the grid. His five-race stint for Juncos Hollinger Racing in the closing stages of the 2024 season produced two Top 10 finishes, including the team's first-ever IndyCar podium.

After a rocky couple of part-time seasons, he finds himself going into 2025 with a secure full-time ride. Though the loss of a $3.5 million sponsor seemingly threw a spanner in the works, the team remains status quo in his employment.

#10 Marcus Ericsson

Marcus Ericsson might seem like an odd choice to place in the Top 10 after the especially volatile first season he had with Andretti Global. The Swede's 2024 season was marred with DNFs. He finished 15th in the standings after three consecutive years of finishing sixth with Chip Ganassi Racing.

However, an Indy 500 winner, who is still fit enough to lock heads with the frontrunners, can never be ruled out so easily. Moreover, Ericsson has also added 10 pounds of muscle compared to the last offseason.

#9 Kyle Kirkwood

AUTO: JUN 22 NTT IndyCar Series Firestone Grand Prix of Monterey - Source: Getty

Kyle Kirkwood was the 'best worst finisher' of 2024. The Andretti Global driver finished highest in the standings among drivers who won no races (seventh, a career-best).

Interestingly, he finished one position above Josef Newgarden, who won two races, including the Indy 500. With 13 Top Tens in 17 races, he has the biggest edge needed in a title run - consistency.

#8 Santino Ferrucci

AUTO: MAY 18 NTT IndyCar Series Indianapolis 500 Qualifying - Source: Getty

Santino Ferrucci is confident that he is a championship contender going into the 2025 IndyCar season. He enters his third season with AJ Foyt Racing and has the benefit of absorbing all lessons from the team's technical alliance with Team Penske.

Ferrucci recorded a career-best ninth-place finish in the 2024 standings, with 11 Top Tens in 17 races. The 2023 Indy 500 podium finisher might produce some magic this season.

#7 Scott Dixon

AUTO: AUG 27 INDYCAR Bommarito Automotive Group 500 - Source: Getty

Scott Dixon has the most impressive resume of the current lot of drivers. With six championships to his name (second to AJ Foyt's seven on the all-time list), the 44-year-old has been in his prime since his first championship in 2003.

The Chip Ganassi Racing driver, however, hasn't won a title since Alex Palou became his teammate. Despite two wins in 2024, he finished sixth in the standings, matching his worst finish from 2016 - the only two times he finished outside the Top 5 since 2005. The fact that his worst standings finish is sixth place in nearly two decades should tell you everything about his greatness.

#6 Will Power

NTT IndyCar Series PPG 375 - Practice - Qualifying - Source: Getty

Will Power won a series-high three races in 2024 with Team Penske. The two-time IndyCar champ was also the closest to four more wins but finished in second place in those instances.

Power is also the only driver not named Alex Palou to win a championship in the last four seasons. He will turn 44 a day before the first race at St. Pete and is in the final year of his contract with Penske. With young talents like David Malukas gunning for his seat, Power has a point to prove.

#5 Josef Newgarden

AUTO: MAY 27 NTT IndyCar Series Indianapolis 500 Champion - Source: Getty

With two consecutive Indy 500 victories to his name, Josef Newgarden has already entered an elite club of winners. The Team Penske driver is the favorite to write history with an unprecedented third win at the "Greatest Spectacle of Racing".

Though he has consistently dropped in the standings over the last three seasons, rediscovering consistency shouldn't be a monumental challenge. After all, he's won two IndyCar championships too.

#4 Pato O'Ward

Formula 1 Testing In Abu Dhabi - Source: Getty

For a lot of fans, Pato O'Ward deserves to be on the top spot of the podium and the standings. However, Arrow McLaren hasn't been the most reliable team in the recent past.

The British team's struggles with tire management in 2024 and the occasional subpar strategy put a dampener on O'Ward's season. Nonetheless, he scored a series-high three victories, and that is what makes him a title contender for 2025.

#3 Colton Herta

Colton Herta comes into 2025 on the heels of a career-best P2 finish in the standings. In the last race of the season, he earned an oval breakthrough and carries the winner's momentum ahead of the season opener at St. Pete.

With a 2026 Cadillac F1 seat as a carrot at the end of a stick, Herta has a bonus to finish fourth or higher in the championship. But he isn't someone who'll settle for anything less than the title just to progress his career.

#2 Alex Palou

AUTO: MAY 11 NTT IndyCar Series Sonsio Grand Prix - Source: Getty

If it wasn't for the new hybrid power units, Alex Palou would be number one. After IndyCar introduced the hybrid systems at Mid-Ohio, race 10 of the 2024 calendar, the Chip Ganassi Racing driver won no races compared to three victories before it.

The Spaniard is eyeing a third consecutive championship in 2025. Only three drivers in the series' 100+ years have achieved the feat.

#1 Scott McLaughlin

Scott McLaughlin was IndyCar's best qualifier of 2024. He won five pole positions, including a record-breaking pole at the 108th Indy 500. The 33-year-old was Team Penske's best driver, finishing third in the championship with a series-high three wins.

His career in the American series poses an uncanny resemblance to his Supercars stint, where he consistently kept improving before winning three consecutive championships. McLaughlin and his 'Thirst threes', the name he's given to his No. 3 team, might just win it all in 2025.

Edited by Tushar Bahl