The drivers, teams and standouts that impressed and embarrassed in equal measure at the Grand Prix of Indianapolis.

Hot

Will Power – the defending series champion had one of those race weekends when he is almost unmatched. Power was smooth and dominant all weekend and despite the late onslaught from Graham Rahal, he did not look like finishing anywhere other than first. An ominous performance for the rest of the road course season.

Graham Rahal – Graham put in another mature performance that gave Honda some semblance of pride. His Barber race in isolation could be viewed as a flash in the ‘Steak & Shake’ pan. Adding in this weekend and there could be the foundations of a standout season.

Stefano Coletti and Tony Kanaan. Mid-race the two drivers got involved in some very close but clean racing. A highlight within a race that was pretty devoid of overtaking action.

Scott Dixon – running from the back of the grid, after being punted out by Castroneves, to claim a tenth place finish was a master-class in damage limitation. This was a valuable recovery for points that could well become very important at the season finish.

Not

The Indy road course – it was dull when Formula 1 raced there and it’s sadly still the case for IndyCar. It may be historic and located in the heart of the IndyCar community but that was not a race that will live long in the memory.

Andretti Autosport must be scratching their heads at the performances of the one car Rahal Letterman Lannigan Racing squad and Graham Rahal. Honda’s flagship team do not seem to be making much progress whilst RLL take the battle to Chevrolet.

Honda – their focus on winning the Indianapolis 500 has clearly compromised their teams on road courses. Graham Rahal aside, that was evident in their performances today. Unless other teams hit the sweet spot as RLL have, it looks like high tire degredation circuits are going to be the only high points for the Japanese brand for the rest of the season.