2025 Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg

Palou Wins Season Opener at St. Petersburg with Strategic Masterclass

Alex Palou kicked off his NTT IndyCar Series title defense in dominant fashion, securing his first career victory at the Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg with a strategic three-stop race that saw him lead the final 26 laps. The Chip Ganassi Racing driver capitalized on a well-executed pit cycle and late-race pace to edge out teammate Scott Dixon, while Josef Newgarden rounded out the podium in third.

Early Drama: Multi-Car Incident on Lap 1

The race began with pole-sitter Scott McLaughlin leading the field into Turn 1, but chaos ensued behind him as a three-car collision brought out the only full-course caution of the race. The incident eliminated Will Power (No. 12 Team Penske Chevrolet), Nolan Siegel (No. 6 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet), and rookie Louis Foster (No. 45 Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing Honda) on the spot. All three drivers were later checked and released from the INDYCAR Medical Unit.

During the caution, several key drivers — including Colton Herta, Dixon, Palou and Kyle Kirkwood — pitted for fuel and fresh tires, shifting them to a three-stop strategy while McLaughlin and others stuck to a more conventional two-stop approach.

Strategy Unfolds: McLaughlin’s Lead and the Pit Stop Shake-Up

Once racing resumed at the end of Lap 7, McLaughlin maintained control at the front, initially fending off an early challenge from Felix Rosenqvist. The Team Penske driver’s advantage grew from 1.2 seconds on Lap 10 to 4.3 seconds on Lap 30, just before making his first scheduled stop on Lap 32.

Behind him, Marcus Armstrong, Herta, Newgarden, and Dixon cycled through the first round of pit stops, but McLaughlin briefly regained the lead after Dixon’s Lap 39 stop. However, a short 13-lap stint on alternate tires forced McLaughlin into an earlier-than-expected second stop on Lap 45, effectively committing him to a three-stop strategy along with the drivers who had pitted during the opening caution.

Lead Changes and the Final Pit Cycle

As McLaughlin pitted, Christian Lundgaard inherited the lead, running at the front until his final pit stop on Lap 69. This handed the lead to Scott Dixon, who appeared to be in prime position for victory. However, Palou, who had pitted a lap earlier on Lap 72, undercut Dixon and emerged ahead when Dixon made his stop on Lap 73.

With Felix Rosenqvist making his final pit stop on Lap 75, Palou cycled to the lead with 26 laps to go and never looked back.

Final Laps: Palou Holds Off Teammate Dixon

Palou extended his lead to 1.7 seconds over Newgarden as he took the white flag, but Dixon made a decisive final-lap pass on Newgarden to claim his fifth career runner-up finish at St. Petersburg. Palou took the checkered flag by 2.8 seconds, securing his 12th career IndyCar victory and extending his streak to five consecutive seasons with at least one win.

Top Finishers and Key Takeaways

1. Alex Palou (No. 10 Chip Ganassi Racing Honda) – First career win at St. Petersburg and his first since Laguna Seca in June 2024.
2. Scott Dixon (No. 9 Chip Ganassi Racing Honda) – Another near-miss at St. Pete, finishing second for the fifth time.
3. Josef Newgarden (No. 2 Team Penske Chevrolet) – Strong podium finish after starting 10th.
4. Scott McLaughlin (No. 3 Team Penske Chevrolet) – Led a race-high 40 laps but fell to fourth after tire strategy complications.
5. Kyle Kirkwood (No. 27 Andretti Global Honda) – Top Andretti finisher after starting ninth.

Looking Ahead: The Thermal Club INDYCAR Grand Prix

The NTT IndyCar Series now shifts to The Thermal Club INDYCAR Grand Prix on March 23, marking the series’ first visit to the private circuit in California. Coverage begins at 3 p.m. EDT on FOX as Palou and Chip Ganassi Racing look to continue their early-season momentum.

Newgarden Leads Final Practice Before Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg

With just hours remaining before the 2025 Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg, Josef Newgarden set the pace in the 25-minute morning warm-up session, posting a best lap of 1:01.1952 in the No. 2 Team Penske Chevrolet. The two-time IndyCar Series champion edged out Scott Dixon and Alex Palou, who finished second and third, respectively, as teams made their final adjustments ahead of today’s 100-lap race on the 1.8-mile, 14-turn street circuit.

Smooth Session Sets the Stage for Race Day

Unlike the previous practice sessions, warm-up ran incident-free, allowing teams to focus on race-day preparation, full-fuel runs, and tire management. Behind Newgarden, Dixon’s 1:01.5426 lap in the No. 9 Chip Ganassi Racing Honda put him 0.3474 seconds behind the leader, while Palou, Rosenqvist, and David Malukas completed the top five.

Key Takeaways Heading into the Race

• Newgarden Finding Speed Late – After qualifying 10th, Newgarden’s warm-up performance suggests Team Penske’s race pace may be stronger than its single-lap qualifying form.
• Dixon and Palou Ready to Battle – The Ganassi duo finished second and third, indicating they will be strong contenders in the race. Palou, the defending series champion, starts eighth, while Dixon rolls off fifth.
• Meyer Shank Racing Continues Strong Weekend – Felix Rosenqvist, who starts third, finished fourth in warm-up, reinforcing MSR’s breakout qualifying performance.
• Tough Session for McLaughlin – Pole-sitter Scott McLaughlin finished 21st, but warm-up times do not always reflect outright race performance. The Team Penske driver will lead the field to green but may need to fend off aggressive challengers early.

Next Up: The Race

With final adjustments complete, teams now turn their attention to the season-opening 100-lap battle, set to go green at 12:29 p.m. EST. McLaughlin starts from pole, with Colton Herta alongside on the front row. Race coverage begins at 12:00 p.m. EST on FOX, with additional streaming options available on FOX Sports Deportes and the FOX Sports App.

McLaughlin Claims Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg Pole

Scott McLaughlin powered to NTT P1 Award honors in qualifying for the 2025 Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg, securing his 11th career pole with a blistering lap of 59.4624 seconds in the No. 3 Team Penske Chevrolet. The 2022 St. Pete winner edged out Christian Lundgaard, while Meyer Shank Racing teammates Felix Rosenqvist and Marcus Armstrong locked out the second row in an impressive showing for the Honda-powered squad.

IndyCar’s knockout qualifying format saw 27 drivers battle for grid positions over three segments.

Round 1

• Group 1 saw McLaughlin set the pace early with a 59.4678-second lap, leading Colton Herta, rookie Nolan Siegel, Josef Newgarden, Lundgaard, and Rinus VeeKay into Round 2.
• Group 2 ran cleanly but briefly came under INDYCAR review after a reported issue between Devlin DeFrancesco and Robert Shwartzman. Ultimately, no action was taken, and Alex Palou (59.6003), Scott Dixon, Rosenqvist, Ericsson, Armstrong, and Kirkwood advanced.

Round 2

The 10-minute session proceeded without incident, with the six fastest drivers—Herta, Lundgaard, Armstrong, Dixon, Rosenqvist, and McLaughlin—progressing to the Firestone Fast Six.

Firestone Fast Six: McLaughlin Delivers

With six minutes of green-flag running, McLaughlin delivered under pressure, posting a 59.4624-second lap to claim pole position for Team Penske.

Behind him, Herta secured second, followed by Meyer Shank Racing’s Rosenqvist and Armstrong, giving the MSR team an impressive second-row lockout. Lundgaard and Dixon rounded out the top six.

Key Storylines from Qualifying

• McLaughlin’s Redemption:After crashing in Practice 1, McLaughlin bounced back in style, giving Team Penske its 12th St. Petersburg pole in 22 races at the circuit.
• Surprise from Meyer Shank Racing:Rosenqvist and Armstrong’s second-row start marks a strong qualifying performance for the team, which has been working to establish itself as a consistent front-runner.
• Palou and Newgarden Start Further Back:Defending series champion Alex Palou will start eighth, while last year’s St. Pete pole-sitter Josef Newgarden qualified 10th, leaving both drivers with ground to make up in Sunday’s race.
• Siegel’s Strong Start to Full-Time Campaign:Nolan Siegel, entering his first full season with Arrow McLaren, impressed by advancing into Round 2 and qualifying 11th. The 19-year-old, who made select starts in 2024, continues to show steady progress.

Looking Ahead to Race Day

The next on-track activity is the morning warm-up session, scheduled for 9:02 a.m. EST on Sunday. It serves as the final chance for teams to fine-tune their race-day setups before the 100-lap Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg later in the afternoon.

With McLaughlin leading the field to green and several championship contenders starting deeper in the pack, the season opener is shaping up to be a strategic and high-intensity battle. Will McLaughlin convert pole into victory, or will strong challengers like Lundgaard, Dixon, and Herta rise to the occasion?

Race coverage begins at noon EST on FOX, with the green flag set for 12:29 p.m. Stay tuned for what promises to be a thrilling start to the 2025 NTT IndyCar Series season.

Ericsson Leads Session, but Kirkwood Remains Fastest Overall

The second practice session for the 2025 Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg saw Marcus Ericsson post the fastest lap of the session with a 1:00.5151 in the No. 28 Andretti Global Honda. However, his time fell just short of Kyle Kirkwood’s Practice 1 benchmark of 1:00.4409, keeping Kirkwood atop the combined practice results heading into qualifying.

Session Delays and Red Flags

Originally scheduled to begin at 10:15 a.m. EST, the session started 13 minutes late at 10:28 a.m., as track repairs delayed the prior on-track activity.

Early in the session, Will Power brought out a five-minute red flag at 10:32 a.m. when his No. 12 Team Penske Chevrolet came to a stop in Turn 1. Per IndyCar rules, Power was penalized five minutes of track time for causing the stoppage.

Later, at 10:49 a.m., a four-minute red flag was thrown due to surface conditions in Turn 11, temporarily pausing on-track activity.

The only other incident came when Santino Ferrucci was assessed a drive-through penalty for passing under yellow in his No. 14 AJ Foyt Racing Chevrolet.

Top Performers in Practice 2

Behind Ericsson, Rinus VeeKay posted the second-fastest time of the session at 1:00.6081, followed by defending series champion Alex Palou, rookie Nolan Siegel, and Conor Daly, who completed the top five.

Kirkwood, who led Practice 1, placed ninth in Practice 2, but his earlier lap remained the best across both sessions.

Combined Results: Kirkwood Leads Heading into Qualifying

With both practice sessions completed, the fastest overall times from the combined results show Kirkwood leading the way, with Ericsson, Palou, VeeKay, and Siegel rounding out the top five.

Drivers will now shift their focus to NTT P1 Award qualifying later in the afternoon, where Will Power, a nine-time St. Pete pole winner, will be looking to reclaim his dominance after a difficult morning.

With Andretti Global and Chip Ganassi Racing appearing strong, and Team Penske still searching for pace, the battle for IndyCar’s first pole of 2025 is shaping up to be an intense showdown on the streets of St. Petersburg.

Kirkwood Leads as 2025 IndyCar Season Kicks Off in St. Petersburg