The IndyCar season is finally back! The season opener was held in St. Petersburg, with 100 laps of pure racing. Discover what happens during the first race of the season.
As Will Buxton would say, “the greatest racing on earth” is back this weekend. After testing less than two weeks ago at the Sebring International Raceway, the street circuit of St. Petersburg, Florida, is the host for the first race out of 17 in the IndyCar season. There were plenty of surprises on the grid, as Pato O’Ward, Alexander Rossi, and Will Power found themselves starting further back than expected. On the other end of the grid, Scott McLaughlin took pole position yesterday in qualifying.
Drivers, Start Your Engines
Sixteen of the twenty-seven drivers chose to start on alternate tyres. McLaughlin managed to maintain the lead at the start. Unfortunately, it wasn’t long before a full-course yellow came out. Will Power made contact with the Arrow McLaren of Nolan Siegel, and both cars ended up in the wall. It was not the kind of race the Australian driver had hoped for, especially since he doesn’t have a contract for next year yet. Louis Foster also picked up damage after being hit from behind, and he was forced to retire. Pato O’Ward suffered damage as well, getting a puncture, which led him to switch to optional tyres for his second stint. Fifteen drivers pitted under the full-course yellow, which lasted for 7 laps. At the restart, Santino Ferrucci was late on the brakes but managed to keep his car on track. McLaughlin, however, kept the lead, with a solid second ahead of Rosenqvist.
A Strategic Race
Pato O’Ward was the first to pit for primary tyres during his next stint. On lap 31, several drivers came into the pits. Colton Herta had an issue with his right rear tire, which cost him valuable time. Scott McLaughlin pitted again on lap 45, exiting in 10th place, just ahead of Callum Ilott. McLaughlin successfully closed the door on the Prema driver to maintain his strategy. Marcus Armstrong, who had been having a great race and was virtually on the podium, retired due to a suspension issue with his rear tires.
On lap 70, Josef Newgarden exited his pit stop just ahead of Lundgaard and maintained his 5th position despite the difference in tyre temperatures. Alex Palou also managed to undercut both Josef Newgarden and Scott Dixon, giving him the lead of the race. Newgarden and Dixon then battled for second place, with Newgarden overtaking Dixon. Scott Dixon later declared that he didn’t have access to his radio for the entire race. Pato O’Ward asked to be put on optional tyres for the end of the race in hopes of staying within the top 10.
A Close Finish
With eleven laps to go, Alex Palou decided to save fuel by staying behind Sting Ray Robb, who was in 21st place. However, Josef Newgarden took advantage of the situation and attacked, closing the gap to less than a second. With no obligation to let the leaders pass, Robb blocked Palou for several laps, keeping him behind. Both Newgarden and Dixon lightly brushed the wall, but neither sustained significant damage. Palou finally managed to pass Robb with just five laps remaining. Scott Dixon attacked Newgarden in the closing stages, but with only a few meters to go, Alex Palou crossed the line to win the Firestone St. Petersburg Grand Prix for the first time, after starting in 8th position. A win that the Spanish driver is happy to take for the season-opener to show the good work the team did during the break : “I couldn’t be happier, the team has been working really really hard. We were talking about it on friday but it’s a place where we struggled in the past, so I wanted to be here, on the podium today”.