After a dramatic qualifying session yesterday, the first race of the 2025 IndyCar season got underway at St. Pete.
Pre-race
Sunny yet unseasonably cold weather greeted the drivers on race day. Scott McLaughlin took an emphatic pole position during qualifying for Penske. Colton Herta’s Andretti lined up behind him.
However, many big names were eliminated in the early qualifying stages, including reigning champion Alex Palou. He needed a champion’s drive to salvage a result. Veteran Will Power also suffered qualifying misfortune.
Meyer Shank were the stars of qualifying, with both cars in the top six. Demonstrating pace all weekend, Marcus Armstrong and Felix Rosenqvist were likely to challenge Herta and McLaughlin,
Tyre performance would be the biggest unpredictability ahead of the green light. Concerns about the degradation of the alternate compound might not last the 30 laps needed when accounting for fuel, which meant strategists would need to think on their feet.
The circuit promotes close racing, and the potential for full course yellows and reds is always high. As the cars took to the track, it was time for the season to begin.
Race underway – and carnage
At green, McLaughlin stormed into the first corner, followed by Herta. But there was a massive crash at the back between Louis Foster, Will Power, and Nolan Siegel. Power hit the Arrow McLaren of Seigel, and the two collided heavily. Foster’s RLL was also eliminated
Those on the softer compound tyres had a sudden gift, they could now pit for fresh rubber. When the pit-lane opened, Herta and Josef Newgarden pitted, and 13 other cars dived in to change tyres. Pato O’Ward was another who chose to stop, but he dropped to the back of the field.
Now fitted with harder compound tyres, a disadvantage became an advantage in a matter of seconds. Those now running the alternate tyres now had a very different race, with McLaughlin now at the front, but needing to stop.
Herta was now committed to a two-stop race. Everyone from P1 to P9 now had to run a different set of tyres, while everyone below now had met the regulations.
Race restart
At the green light, the top nine disappeared into the distance, with McLaughlin and the two Meyer Shanks pushing hard. Felix Rosenqvist tried to take the lead but ultimately failed.
Santino Ferrucci locked up and almost took out A.J Hoyt teammate David Malukas but was able to continue. Herta had moved to P9 on the second lap of running, and had brought himself back into contention for victory.
McLaughlin, seemingly realising this, began to push his Penske hard. Try as he could, he could not drop the two Meyer Shanks.
Rosenqvist had closed dramatically by lap 15, and began to put the Penske under pressure. Armstrong did not have the pace at this stage and started to drop back.
Herta’s progress had stalled, and remained in ninth. However he had the luxury of simply needing to run the primaries to the end.
Further down the order, Callum Illot for Prema greatly benefitted from the carnage at the start, and was able to run in 10th.
Pato O’Ward’s disastrous day continued he forced to pit on lap 23 due to a puncture. His second stop of the day, he now had the prime tyres on, but needed a miracle to bring himself back into contention from 24th.
By lap 27, McLaughlin had pulled two seconds on Rosenqvist, now in a rhythm and no longer pushing as hard as the opening laps.
The front nine pit – and then pit again
Rosenqvist pitted on lap 31, for the soft tyres, McLaughlin following the next lap. Both needed to warm up their new rubber, but with a lifespan of just 14 laps, staying out front would be difficult.
Armstrong now took the lead, and as others pitted. Alexander Rossi chose an alternate strategy, placing hard tyres on his car. As these pitted Herta was now up to third.
Armstrong lapped a second quicker than McLaughlin, but pitted on lap 31, having an issue with his fuel rig.
This put Herta into the lead on the alternate strategy. He pitted at the end of the next lap, choosing the prime tyres, but the right rear tyre would not come off, delaying him.
Once Newgarden and Scott Dixon pitted, McLaughlin resumed the lead, with Armstrong seven seconds back in second place. Herta made a move on Alex Palou, but this was for a lowly 11th, but third of those running the alternate strategy.
Armstrong was forced to pit on lap 44, dropping out of the points. Teamnmnate Rosenqvist pitted once again as well, also choosing the hard tyres. McLaughlin pitted a few moments later, now also on the hards.
Herta’s trying afternoon got worse as a fuel problem forced him into the pits again. Armstrong’s race was also done, as he returned to the pits, and did not return to the track.
The strategies converge
Lundgaard now once again had the lead, from Rossi and Dixon. However, all had to run the softer tyres, while the likes of McLaughlin and Rosenqvist could use the more durable primaries. Scott Dixon was now the dark horse at the halfway point, with three different strategies converging.
Dixon closed on Rossi and prepared to make a move. With no yellow flags on the horizon, Dixon needed to clear the top two cars quickly, or risk getting stuck behind them for the remaining six laps of their stint.
Rossi pulled into the pits on lap 64, fitting the softer tyres, but he and his Ed Carpenter team expected another stop when the tyres inevitably fell away. With one less obstacle, Dixon closed to within under a second of Lundgaard.
Lundgaard pitted on lap 69, fitting the soft tyres. McLaren informed their new driver that they wanted him to take the tyres to the end of the race. This would mean the McLaren would need to do 31 laps.
His task became difficult as he lost position out of the pits to Josef Newgarden. Dixon also pitted, with McLaughlin now back at the front of the field, and pitted again, rejoining behind Alex Palou.
Newgarden passed teammate Dixon using Push to Pass, moving into second place. Alex Palou now in the lead, looked uncatchable.
However, with 11 laps to go, Newgarden had set multiple fastest laps, and had closed to within a second of Palou. As the top two closed on Sting Ray Robb’s Juncos Hollinger Racing to lap him, Scott Dixon has also closed in on the top two.
With five laps to go, Palou dived down the inside into turn 1, with Newgarden and Dixon also following him through. Their push to pass time rapidly depleting, on lap 97, four lapped cars stood between Palou and victory.
His rivals failed to pass him, and Palou took victory, but Scott Dixon dived down the inside of Newgarden to take second place, from Newgarden in third.
Polesitter McLaughlin finished fourth, with Kyle Kirkwood fifth. Marcus Ericsson, Rosenqvist, Lundgaard, Rinus VeeKay and Rossi completed the top ten.
Feature Image Credit: Penske Entertainment
