INDYCAR: What to know after St. Pete

The opening weekend of the NTT INDYCAR Series is in the books with Alex Palou taking home the hardware.

Here’s what you should know after the opening round of the 2026 season.

New Year Same Alex Palou

What damage does six months away from an INDYCAR seat do for the defending champion?

Absolutely nothing.

Alex Palou wasted no time reminding the paddock who they chase. He begun his weekend by running top six times in both practice sessions. Those runs powered him for a Firestone Fast Six appearance on Saturday.

He missed pole, even got out qualified by a rookie, but his fourth place grid slot marked his best ever on the street circuit.

From there, his Chip Ganassi Racing strategists picked up right where they left off last season.

Palou and his strategists executed a flawless overcut during the first pit cycle, capitalizing as the leaders battled in traffic.

He took control on lap 39 and turned the rest of the afternoon into a clinic.

Palou set off to a near 13 second lead, setting a new track record for margin of victory as he successfully defended his Firestone Grand Prix of St. Pete win from a year ago.

If this is what a rusty Palou looks like, then the field is in trouble.

Whether this signals a fifth championship loading, or simply a strong start before a tougher test like Phoenix this weekend, will have to sort itself in the months ahead.

A Return to Form

After a career worst 20th in the standings last season, a disappointed Marcus Ericsson attacked the offseason with purpose.

By the time he arrived in St. Pete he looked like the marquee driver Andretti Global signed now two full seasons ago.

A fifth-placed run in the opening practice session signaled renewed pace, and a second-place qualifying run only confirmed that.

At the start of the race, Ericsson settled into second early. By the first pit cycle, his team executed brilliantly to jump leader Scott McLaughlin on pit exit.

He captured the brief net-lead, albeit after slight contact with the outside wall out of turn ten on cold tires.

His defense became more aggressive from there.

An aggressive pass a few corners before on Marcus Armstrong then a further block heading down the front straight caused both drivers to commit errors into turn one.

Unfortunately, the outcome proved too difficult to fully recover their podium chances from there.

He ultimately crossed the line sixth, mirroring his final result from last year.

The pace looked great. But in a pivotal contract year will the good results continue, or will Ericsson fold to pressures similar to 2025?

The Little Team that Could

Dale Coyne Racing entered February with personnel left to fill and seat up in the air.

Shortly after the annual INDYCAR test at Sebring, they finally confirmed Romain Grosjean in the final seat.

They arrived in St. Petersburg with more question marks than most of the paddock, but left with plenty of answers and attention.

DCR knows how to excel at the street circuit. Not too long ago the team won back-to-back events with Sebastien Bourdais in 2017 and 2018.

Even with the winning pedigree, few expected them to crack the Firestone Fast Six for the first time in four seasons.

Rookie Dennis Hauger, the reigning INDY NXT champion, delivered a breakout drive. He stormed to third on the grid, missing pole by less than a quarter of a tenth while channeling his inner Robert Wickens on series debut.

Grosjean, returning from his INDYCAR sabbatical, slotted in sixth proving his touch never left.

Both drivers converted their strong starts into top ten finishes, Grosjean eighth and Hauger tenth, in the race signaling real potential.

Now the challenge shifts to the return to Phoenix. Was St. Pete a one-off, or the start of something sustainable for Dale Coyne Racing?

Championship Favorites Find the Front

Alex Palou controlled the race, but failed to shake his championship rivals as much as he might have hoped.

Oddsmakers list Palou as the clear favorite for the championship, yet the other title contenders limited the damage and kept the standings from tilting too far after one round.

Scott McLaughlin backed up his pole with a podium finish.

McLaren teammates Christian Lundgaard and Pato O’Ward missed the Fast Six but charged forward in the race to finish on the podium in third and fifth.

Kyle Kirkwood lacked his teammate Marcus Ericsson’s qualifying speed and started 15th.

He recovered to an amazing fourth in the race by saving his tires and avoiding losing lap time to traffic during the pit cycles.

Josef Newgarden had the best rebound of all. After qualifying 23rd on Saturday he acted like a man on a mission in his climb through the field. His strong race pace combined with their sharp strategy helped him recover to seventh.

While nobody matched Palou’s dominance, his closest challengers executed when it counted most.

They left St. Pete still within striking distance and ready to capitalize if he slips, especially heading to a short-oval this weekend.

Rough Beginnings

While several contenders left the weekend reassured, not everyone had welcoming starts to the new season.

Mick Schumacher lasted only a few corners in he debut with Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing and finished last. A fate eerily similar to teammate Louis Foster last year.

Scott Dixon suffered through an uncharacteristically messy weekend. He slid in qualifying to miss the second round, then lost a right-rear tire in the race and finished 23rd.

Will Power’s first outing with Andretti Global unraveled as well.

A string of incidents throughout the weekend ended with a hard hit in Turn 10 wall that knocked him out and left him 22nd.

Reluctantly for them, its only the first weekend.

The veterans left the weekend seemingly unphased by the rough beginning and so did the veteranesque rookie Schumacher, as he looks to obtain more track time.

Will the return to Phoenix Raceway for the “Desert Double” reset their poor starts or signal deeper struggles ahead?