The winners and losers of 2025’s IndyCar season opener at St. Pete

Greater than 5 months faraway from the 2024 season finale in Nashville, the NTT IndyCar Sequence lastly returned to life in St. Petersburg, Florida. Between the beginning of a brand new period with FOX Sports activities and a strategy-heavy avenue race, there was a lot to debate leaving the weekend.

Some IndyCar names landed on the constructive aspect of issues, positioning themselves for future success. Others had been left with early holes to dig out of after an early crash and pit street woes. 

Right here’s a have a look at the winners and losers leaving the Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg.

Loser: Scott Dixon

Depart it to the Iceman to have to determine his personal technique and nonetheless practically win. Dixon ran the majority of Sunday’s race with none radio, leaving him checking his gasoline gauge and “kinda simply flying blind” on when to cease. He was on the successful technique and forward of Palou, however missed a name to pit and misplaced time caught behind lapped visitors. That opened the door for a Palou undercut that saved Dixon from an elusive first St. Pete win.

Josef Newgarden, Crew Penske

Photograph by: Penske Leisure

Winner: Former champs put themselves in competition

Any new followers tuning in for his or her first IndyCar race on FOX had been handled to a number of the sport’s greatest drivers up entrance. The rostrum finishers – Alex Palou, Josef Newgarden and Scott Dixon – mix for 11 sequence titles and 101 race wins. With sturdy runs within the opening race, they’ve every positioned themselves to be championship contenders as soon as once more. No surprises right here. 

Scott McLaughlin, Crew Penske

Photograph by: Penske Leisure

Loser: Scotty Mac’s day undone by premature yellow

Scott McLaughlin did every little thing proper to place himself in place for a second St. Pete win. The New Zealand ace certified on pole, acquired by way of the opening corners clear and ran with sturdy tempo all through the day. Sadly for him, generally luck and technique are key to wins in IndyCar. He began on the more durable main tire, which meant he couldn’t pit and be completed with the quick-shredding comfortable tires after a lap 1 crash. McLaughlin did what he might to shut the hole on those who might, however wound up fourth at race’s finish.

Patricio O’ward, Arrow McLaren

Photograph by: Penske Leisure

Loser: Herta and O’Ward endure in St. Pete

Pato O’Ward and Colton Herta have every gained in St. Pete prior to now 5 years, however their weekends didn’t go to plan within the observe’s 2025 race. O’Ward certified a distant twenty third, acquired pushed off-strategy with a lap 1 puncture and needed to rally to salvage an Eleventh-place end. Herta began sturdy however was derailed by pit street points, relegating him to sixteenth. In a sequence the place consistency is paramount, Arrow McLaren’s star driver may have a razor-thin margin for error shifting ahead. 

Felix Rosenqvist, Meyer Shank Racing

Photograph by: Penske Leisure

Winner: FOX brings the pomp for IndyCar opener

FOX Sports activities performed its playing cards proper within the weeks main as much as its first IndyCar broadcast. It nailed its early ads – showcasing three stars, bringing in NFL legend Tom Brady for crossover enchantment and airing adverts throughout the Tremendous Bowl. The corporate introduced in recognizable faces for its broadcast crew, together with fan-favorite System 1 presenter Will Buxton.

Hype was sufficiently constructed. All it had to do that weekend was stick the touchdown. And fortunately, FOX largely pulled it off. There was room for enchancment – the motive force intros have a wierd cadence, extra information might be offered and the producers went to the improper automobile just a few instances on replays. However the firm largely offered IndyCar with reverence, intelligence and respect. One thing to construct on. 

That stated… 

Loser: FOX Sports activities sticks with the superhero theme

Soccer. NASCAR. IndyCar. It doesn’t matter the game or sequence. These superhero headshots look terrible. 

Rinus Veekay, Dale Coyne Racing

Photograph by: Penske Leisure

Winner: Veekay, Rossi discover success at new properties

Rinus VeeKay had a quiet opening weekend in St. Pete, however ended it with a robust ninth-place run for Dale Coyne Racing. One of many drivers that went to his outdated residence, Ed Carpenter Racing, additionally discovered modest success. Alexander Rossi got here residence a strong tenth in his first race with the No. 20 crew. One thing to construct on. 

Will Energy, Crew Penske

Photograph by: Penske Leisure

Loser: Energy, Siegel and Foster crash out early

Will Energy got here into St. Pete celebrating his forty fourth birthday. He left after two hybrid unit modifications, certainly one of his worst qualifying performances on the observe and a crash simply seconds into the race. 

Energy nudged right into a checked-up Nolan Siegel as the sector rolled by way of the opening corners, setting off a crash that additionally eradicated rookie Louis Foster. The tip outcome? Finishes of twenty fifth, twenty sixth and twenty seventh. 

This trio waited months for IndyCar to get again to motion. They’ll have to carry on for an additional three weeks to (hopefully) race at The Thermal Membership. 

Winner: Chip Ganassi Racing scores an enormous AI associate

It’s uncommon for a partnership to catch your eye in trendy motorsports, when liveries change by the week and groups are always looking for the following associate. However Chip Ganassi Racing made waves with its “strategic analysis collaboration” with synthetic intelligence frontrunner OpenAI, introduced Friday. The crew says it’s going to “create superior effectivity as they may help automate knowledge-based duties in ways in which had been beforehand inconceivable or at the least time-consuming.” 

Like it or hate it (as a author, it doesn’t bode properly for me), AI programs proceed to enhance and may have use instances in each business. It was solely a matter of time earlier than an IndyCar crew partnered with certainly one of these corporations. Now we wait to see how lengthy it takes earlier than Google Gemini, Amazon Alexa or Claude by Anthropic make their approach into the paddock.

Pictures from St. Pete – Race