Defending NTT IndyCar Series champion Alex Palou picked up right where he left off in 2024 by claiming victory in the season-opening Firestone Grand Prix of St Petersburg presented by RP Funding.
What can I say about Palou? His nickname is The Surgeon due to his precision and driving style, which has brought the Spaniard three IndyCar championships in four years.
It was a pretty good day for @AlexPalou.#INDYCAR | @CGRTeams pic.twitter.com/QVNdGI6mAu
— INDYCAR on FOX (@IndyCarOnFOX) March 3, 2025
Palou took the lead of the race on lap 74 after overtaking his teammate Scott Dixon on pit strategy, and from there, he did not look back. Dixon, in the No. 9 PNC Bank Chip Ganassi Racing Honda, just missed claiming what would have been his 59th career victory but came home in second place following a last-lap pass on Team Penske’s Josef Newgarden.
The Iceman completed the entire 100-lap event without a radio. Dixon did what he does best, which is Scott Dixon things, simply put.
“We were just flying blind out there,” he told Fox Sports after the race. “I think they were trying to call me in because on that last lap, before we pitted, there was just so much traffic and we lost two or three seconds and that’s where the No. 10 car got us.”
P2 for @scottdixon9 at St. Petersburg … with no radio. #INDYCAR pic.twitter.com/V5poCITZOr
— INDYCAR on FOX (@IndyCarOnFOX) March 2, 2025
Chip Ganassi Racing showed on Sunday that they are once again going to be the team to beat this year; however, it is only the first race of the season.
Let us briefly talk about Dale Coyne Racing; the team only confirmed Rinus Veekay just before the Sebring pre-season test.
The Dutch driver made it into the Firestone Fast 12 in qualifying on Saturday, started the race from 12th, and finished in ninth place. It is a huge step forward for DCR, and the team hopes to carry this forward to the next race at The Thermal Club. VeeKay expressed his delight with how his first race for the team went in a post-race debrief.
“What a great first race with Dale Coyne Racing for me.,” VeeKay said. “It was a tough but good race—moving up from 12th to ninth was a solid step. My goals for this weekend were to get into the Firestone Fast 12 and finish in the top 10, and that is exactly how it went.
“We had great teamwork, and there is always room for improvement because it is still only our first weekend together. With time, we will get better. Thanks to Dale, the team, and Honda for their support this season, and thank you to askROI for their support for a second season in a row.”
Dale Coyne Racing’s top-10 finish with VeeKay was a great result particularly as it showed what the team is capable of. Team owner Dale Coyne is known for finding talented drivers and engineers. Palou, who contested his rookie campaign with the team in 2020, is a case in point.
VeeKay’s new teammate, Jacob Abel, had a solid day as he came home in 23rd place. It will be interesting to see what he can do over the course of the season.
In total, Honda had six cars finish in the top 10 in St. Petersburg on Sunday, one more than last season.
The other big talk of the race was Alexander Rossi and Ed Carpenter Racing’s impressive performance. In their first race together, Rossi and ECR started the race from 20th place and came home 10th, which shows the incredible work that the team has done throughout the off-season.
With a new owner involved in the team in the form of Ted Gelov, Ed Carpenter Racing has an opportunity to be fighting for top-10 finishes throughout the season. They also have a proven race winner in Rossi, who will help to push Christian Rasmussen this year.
PREMA Racing, the newest team on the grid, made its race debut on Sunday with Callum Ilott and series rookie Robert Shwartzman. The pair had a solid race, with both drivers completing the full race distance of 100 laps. This was fantastic for the team given that they only had a handful of days testing ahead of the start of the 2025 season.
A. J. Foyt Racing’s new signing, David Malukas in the No.4 Chevrolet, had a wonderful day. He finished the race in 13th place, just ahead of his teammate Santino Ferrucci. This shows that the Speedway, Indiana-based team continues to reap the rewards of its technical partnership with Team Penske.
The team led by Larry Foyt had a solid start to the season with both drivers finishing the race on the lead lap, showing that the team made continued progress in the offseason. They will be a team to watch over the coming races as they look to build on the momentum they had in 2024.
Arrow McLaren’s Pato O’Ward, the defending race winner from a year ago, endured a tough qualifying on Saturday and lined up in 23rd place but showed that the team has sold pace. He was able to come through the pack to finish the race just outside the top 10 in 11th place. Barring any unforeseen changes, the No. 5 team will be fighting at the front through the season.
Love him or love him, he was MOVIN’ in St. Pete 🚀@PatricioOward secures the @Jostens Biggest Mover Award after going P23 ➡️ P11 pic.twitter.com/OLd7hSh52T
— NTT INDYCAR SERIES (@IndyCar) March 3, 2025
O’Ward’s new teammate, Christian Lundgaard, who joined the team from Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing over the offseason, started the race from fifth place and led 23 laps. He showed he has settled in well at his new team and ended the race in eighth place.
Nolan Siegel is hopeful that he can get up to speed for The Thermal Club, given that his teammates both had strong races, but the team has plenty of work to do.
Meyer Shank Racing has work to do following a tough day, with Marcus Armstrong retiring from the race. However, the team has shown that they are extremely fast, given that they locked out the second row in qualifying. It is just a case of unlocking their pace in the races.
Team Penske had a tough day in St Petersburg despite Josef Newgarden picking up a podium. The Tennessee native lost out on a second-place finish on the race’s final lap after Dixon overtook him.
It was an all-out fight to the finish ⚔️ pic.twitter.com/zdUn4rENLc
— NTT INDYCAR SERIES (@IndyCar) March 3, 2025
Scott McLaughlin may have taken the NTT P1 Award on Saturday; however, he was unable to convert it into a victory in the race. Nevertheless, the New Zealander and his teammate, Will Power, who is in a contract year, will be fighting upfront with Chip Ganassi Racing this year.
Juncos Hollinger Racing showed solid pace during the weekend. With Sting Ray Robb able to hold off Palou for a time, it will be interesting to watch what the team can do throughout the season. They are my dark horse to spring a surprise during the season because of Conor Daly’s experience in the series.
Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing went into the opening race of the season with Devlin DeFrancesco returning to INDYCAR. The Canadian finished the race in 22nd place, so he will be looking to improve his performance during the season.
Graham Rahal had a great race, coming from 21st place to finish in 12th place! Rookie Louis Foster retired from the race due to the first-lap crash involving Power and Siegel. Having said that, RLL has worked hard over the off-season, so they are hoping that this work will help them move forward and compete for podiums and wins in 2025.
It is only the opening race of the season, but one thing is sure: we are in for a competitive and exciting year ahead!
