Photo credit: www.motorsport.com
Alex Palou has kicked off his pursuit of a third consecutive title in the NTT IndyCar Series with an impressive victory at the Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg. The Spanish driver executed a perfect tire strategy, enabling him to maintain his lead over Josef Newgarden during the closing laps, ultimately earning his 12th career win and first this season.
“What an amazing job by everyone at Chip Ganassi Racing, HRC, and everyone working on the 10 car,” Palou expressed in an interview with FOX Sports. “They provided everything I needed this weekend to secure the win. I mentioned yesterday that our car was very fast, and I was looking forward to the race.”
Palou expressed his satisfaction, stating, “It’s huge. I’m incredibly happy. We’ve put in a lot of hard work, especially here where I’ve faced challenges in the past. Starting the 2025 season with a victory is just fantastic.”
Two pivotal moments contributed to the 27-year-old’s success, beginning with a crash early in the race involving Will Power, Nolan Siegel, and Louis Foster, which created an opportunity for an early pit stop.
During the race’s only caution period, many drivers who had chosen the softer alternate tires switched to the primary tires. This tactical decision proved critical, as the alternate tires quickly lost grip, prompting frequent pit stops for those who started on them. According to the rules, all teams had to complete a minimal number of laps on the alternate tires, which allowed teams that initiated their strategy with primary tires to take a full advantage by running longer on them.
Palou emerged in third after the pit stops, closely trailing Colton Herta and Scott Dixon. However, Herta’s race was marred by pit road complications, which permitted Palou to capitalize by overtaking Dixon during the final round of stops, propelling him to victory once again.
Newgarden, following a similar strategy, passed Dixon for second place during the final phase of the race. Although lapped traffic impeded Palou’s pace, Newgarden was unable to capitalize on the opportunity to overtake before the finish line. In a dramatic final lap, Dixon edged ahead of Newgarden as the latter faced fuel limitations, securing his spot in the top three.
The top five was rounded out by Scott McLaughlin and Kyle Kirkwood, while drivers Marcus Ericsson, Felix Rosenqvist, Christian Lundgaard, Rinus Veekay, and Alexander Rossi completed the top ten. Competing for the championship, Pato O’Ward made a significant comeback from a 23rd-place start and a mid-race tire puncture to finish 11th. Herta, unfortunately, fell to 16th due to tire issues during his pit stops.
The only caution of the race stemmed from the early incident on lap one, with Marcus Armstrong from Meyer Shank Racing hitting the wall, but he was able to resolve his vehicle issues without needing an additional caution period.
IndyCar action will resume on March 23 at The Thermal Club, as the season continues to unfold.
St. Pete Race Highlights
Source
www.motorsport.com