The 2026 NTT IndyCar Series season kicked off in sunny Florida at the St. Petersburg Grand Prix, where waterfront streets, roaring engines, and packed grandstands set the stage for a brand-new campaign. With fresh liveries, new driver lineups, and championship ambitions on full display, St. Petersburg marked the first true test of speed, strategy, and consistency. For teams and fans alike, it was the moment when offseason speculation turned into on-track reality. The road to the title truly began.
Qualifying
Qualifying followed a knockout-style format, similar to the Formula E World Championship, but with IndyCar’s own unique structure. The session began with the field split into two groups. Each group ran separately. Only the fastest six drivers from each group advanced to the next round. This created a Top 12 shootout.
The top 12 drivers competed again. From there, just the quickest six progressed to the final round. This round is known as the Fast Six. In this final session, all six drivers battled for pole position. Like in Formula E, pole position was rewarded with championship points. In IndyCar, the pole sitter earned two valuable points, adding extra importance to qualifying performance.
Results
Group 1: Romain Grosjean, Marcus Ericsson, Pato O’Ward, Louis Foster, Scott McLaughlin, and Felix Rosenqvist advanced to the Top 12. Group 2: David Malukas, Alex Palou, Marcus Armstrong, Dennis Hauger, Christian Lundgaard, and Kyffin Simpson also moved through to the Top 12.
From the Top 12, McLaughlin, Palou, Ericsson, Hauger, Grosjean, and Malukas advanced to the Fast Six. There, they fought for pole position. They also competed for two crucial championship points. Pole position ultimately went to McLaughlin, who claimed the valuable two-point bonus.
Race
McLaughlin flew through the section while staying firmly on the defensive. Behind him, a major incident unfolded between Turns Three and Four. Ferrucci, Schumacher, and Robb ran wide and collided with the barrier. The crash brought two of the drivers’ races to an end.
The caution ended on lap six. Robb managed to return to the pits and served a penalty, while Simpson made a move on Power. Lap 12, Malukas brushed the wall and suffered a tire issue, causing him to miss the apex.
On lap 18, Foster, Rosenqvist, and O’Ward battled closely for seventh, eighth, and ninth positions. On lap 23, Power hit the wall and damaged his rear suspension. His team was unable to repair the car quickly enough, forcing him to retire from the race.
On lap 27, Rasmussen spun but rejoined safely without bringing out a caution. Between laps 28 and 40, Ericsson brushed the wall but stayed ahead of McLaughlin. A few corners later, Ericsson and Armstrong made light contact but continued without issue. Shortly after, McLaughlin and Armstrong also touched, yet both drivers managed to get through the corner.
On lap 40, Dixon lost his right-rear tire due to a loose wheel nut. The incident caused another caution and brought his race to an early end. Racing resumed on lap 44. Robb made a stop, but he managed to keep the car running. He did this without causing another yellow flag.
From lap 65, Ericsson battled Armstrong for the final podium position. As they fought for third place, Armstrong braked late, allowing Lundgaard and O’Ward to slip between them. Later in the race, contact occurred between Kirkwood and McLaughlin as they battled for seventh and eighth positions.
Last ten laps, Lundgaard, Kirkwood and Mclaughlin were battling for the final podium spot, whilst Palou was zooming ahead. Mclaughlin and Lundgaard overtook Kirkwood to go second and third, whilst Kirkwood dropped to fourth, with seven laps to go. Alex Palou wins at S Petersburg, with Mclaughlin and Lundgaard in second and third.
Top Ten
- Alex Palou
- Scott Mclaughlin
- Christian Lundgaard
- Kyle Kirkwood
- Pato O’Ward
- Marcus Ericsson
- Josef Newgarden
- Romain Grosjean
- Rinus Veekay
- Dennis Hauger
Feature Image Credit: big14news.com
Edited by Alexandra.
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