Alex Palou manages a masterful Indycar victory at St. Petersburg

The 2025 Indycar Series begins with two-time defending champion, Alex Palou, standing tall above the rest. This, the first race of the season, the Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg, is a street circuit with 14 turns.

He drove his No. 10 DHL Chip Ganassi Racing Honda to a 2.9sec victory over teammate and six-time series champion Scott Dixon. The Kiwi said he completed all but the first ten laps of the 100-lap race without radio communication.

Spaniard Palou, who started eighth, earned his 12th career victory in the series. The Ganassi team also secured its first 1-2 finish since July 2023.

Two-time series champion Josef Newgarden rounded out the podium finishers. Scott McLaughlin was fourth in the Team Penske Chevrolet, which also had two drivers in the top four. McLaughlin led for 40 laps.

Palou took the lead for good on Lap 75. He produced sizzling in and out laps surrounding his final pit stop at the end of Lap 72. After his final stop, Dixon exited the pits behind a charging Palou.

“We were just kind of flying blind out there,” Dixon said of his radio problems. 

Palou was held up for a bit but got by a lapped eventually and extended his lead. Meantime, Dixon made a pass on Newgarden on the final lap just before the chequered flag.

The next race on the calendar is The Thermal Club Indycar Grand Prix on Sunday, March 23 at Thermal, California.