Give Larson a break over his Indy 500 controversy

Kyle Larson has had a tough Month of May and might not be back at the Indianapolis 500 for a while, which made onboard footage and radio of him calling Scott McLaughlin a "f***ing idiot" for crashing on the formation lap a disappointing sign-off for now.

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— Skid (@WhoisSkid) May 26, 2025

It's not the best look. But it's not that straightforward either, and it's obviously been taken out of context by his detractors.

Larson himself crashed twice in the build-up to the Indy 500 - then crashed again, at Turn 2, to take himself out of the race.

He also spun in the Coca-Cola 600 - the NASCAR race he was doing that same night as part of 'the double' - and was classified a lowly 37th.

There was predominantly empathy towards McLaughlin even before the Larson footage emerged, with many sympathetic about an incident McLaughlin said he "wouldn't wish on his worst enemy" and that he described as the worst moment of his life.

His race-ending error was a silly one as he simply lost the rear on the formation lap - and he'd already taken himself out of the pole fight earlier in the month with another crash - but much of the IndyCar community rallied around him.

It's unsurprising, as not only is he one of IndyCar's most popular drivers but it was also a heartbreaking exit from the Indy 500, the season's biggest and most significant race, which garnered over seven million viewers.

Larson's radio remark put the bow on a disappointing month and allowed all of the Formula 1 fans who took offence to Larson stating he would beat Max Verstappen in any car outside of F1 to mock him and his four crashes/incidents across the Indy 500 and Charlotte NASCAR race.

But as is often the case with these things, context is missing.

Larson wasn't calling McLaughlin a "f***ing idiot" just because he crashed. It was because Larson was now absolutely certain that the delay caused by the crash would mean that at some point he would have to park up and forfeit the Indy 500.

In 2024, the Indy 500 was delayed due to poor weather and Larson missed the start of the Charlotte NASCAR race. Hendrick Motorsports - Larson's NASCAR team, which also sponsored his Indy 500 entry with McLaren - made it crystal clear that this could not happen again, and that in case of another delay Larson would have to withdraw and go do his 'day job' in NASCAR.

The start of the 2025 race being repeatedly delayed for rain just made it less and less likely Larson would be able to run the full Indy 500 - which he'd spent months preparing for and practicing/qualifying in.

If you look at the above video, it's unlikely Larson can even see what really happened. The only thing he knows, seeing that crashed car, is that an incident he'd played no part in has perhaps just ended his chances of doing anything big in the Indy 500.

Add to that context the fact that Larson has given multiple interviews about not being sure if he will be back at the Indy 500 any time soon and it's an outburst that's much more forgivable. Other drivers in various categories are consistently excused for venting and being generally impolite while on the car-to-pitlane radio - but somehow the nuance is being ignored here.

The Race can confirm Larson contacted McLaughlin directly to apologise for the incident.

A better 500 than it looked

The incident(s) also worked to under represent what was a more impressive month than it looked. Larson's second crash - the first came a month prior in the open test - I'm not convinced was all his fault.

His lowly qualifying run was in part down to a conservative set-up on the car. McLaren could have sent him back out there in a more aggressive trim - but instead he started 19th, having benefitted from multiple grid penalties.

I was certain he would be able to move forward in the race but he grabbed the clutch too early and selected second gear in his first stop, which dropped him down the order before his crash.

It didn't feel like McLaren was perhaps as strong in the race as it has been in the past - although Pato O'Ward reckoned his car was great in the closing stages and was just stuck in traffic - plus Larson was driving a one-off entry, and those can't match the momentum of the cars doing IndyCar full-time in terms of things like pitstops and just cohesive decision-making.

Still, Larson showed flashes of the prodigious talent that most accept he possesses. But any of those have been overshadowed by a swift exit and a harsh social media backlash, from those resenting his old comments and using his poor fortune and errors to mock him.

It's a sad end to what has been an overall positive couple of Indy 500s.

His 'double' experiment was one fans were desperate for and excited to see given that Larson is one of the best drivers, if not the best, to attempt the double, and was the NASCAR points leader heading into the event.

He'll have to wait for a while for redemption.