After a long six month off season, IndyCar returned last weekend for its first foray into the 2026 season on the streets of St. Petersburg. For those who hoped that Alex Palou wouldn’t continue in the same vein as last season, there was crushing disappointment as the four-time Champion obliterated the opposition to win from fourth on the grid.
But there were glimmers of hope for the season ahead as others demonstrated their willingness to take the fight to Palou. Elsewhere, there were crashes galore, moments of misfortune and feel good storylines that brought a smile to everyone’s face. Here are The Paddock Chronicle’s Key Takeaways from St. Petersburg.
Back with a Bang in St. Petersburg
When IndyCar got its first practice session underway for the 2026 season in St. Petersburg, it didn’t take long for the drama to unfold. Josef Newgarden found himself making an unwelcome call-back to Team Penske’s 2025 season by ending up in the wall and bringing out the red flag. Suffice to say, it’s not the way Newgarden will have wanted to start what is, according to Fox Sport’s Will Buxton, a contract year.
The American wasn’t alone though. Scott Dixon and Louis Foster also had sizeable incidents in the same session. Both cars needed significant repairs ahead of the second practice session and qualifying on Saturday.
But the drama wasn’t over as the crashes kept on coming in second practice too. This time, Will Power was the first driver to fall victim to an incident. A combination of both being out early and being on a mixed condition track saw him end up in the barriers. Not one to be left out of the action, Christian Rasmussen followed suit later on, smashing his car into the wall early on in the lap.
More Where That Came From
It was a theme that carried over into Sunday’s race. Sting Ray Robb lost control of his car almost immediately as racing got underway. Unable to brake and turn in time for T4, Robb steamed into the side of Santino Ferrugi, eliminating the American immediately from the race. On debut too, Mick Schumacher found himself caught up as an innocent bystander in this incident and his race was over before it got the chance to start properly.
Will Power produced an almost carbon copy of his practice incident during the race too. Forced to manage issues with the car throughout the weekend, it just wasn’t meant to be a dream start for Power in St. Petersburg. Scott Dixon’s unwanted record of never having won in St. Petersburg continued as a rogue wheel nut came loose and sent his rear right tyre tumbling away from the car following a pit stop. A lot of these incidents could be put down to first weekend back errors – but none of the teams or drivers will want a repeat of them next time out on the oval in Arizona.
Qualifying – A New World Order?
Qualifying for the opening round of the 2026 IndyCar season in St. Petersburg threw up plenty of surprises. Established names such as Alexander Rossi and Josef Newgarden were knocked out immediately, having to settle for P25 and P23 respectively. Two of the new drivers on the grid for this year, Schumacher and Collet, struggled to make an impression too. While O’Ward and Lundgaard found themselves in the top twelve, Nolan Siegel languished down in P22 – not how the third Arrow McLaren driver will have wanted to start a year where his bosses expect him to finish in the top ten overall.
The same can also be said of Kyle Kirkwood and Scott Dixon. Neither driver made it into the top ten and instead gave themselves plenty of work to do come Sunday’s race. P13 for Will Power on paper may not look like much for his Andretti Global debut but after his crash in practice, the turn around was actually a rather solid one. It was a shame then that the Australian’s race went the way it did.
New Blood
Louis Foster and Kyffin Simpson snuck inside the top ten with good performances. But their thunder was rightly stolen by both Dayle Coyne Racing (DCR) drivers. On his return to IndyCar after time away, Roman Grosjean qualified in an impressive P6. His rookie teammate, 2025 Indy NXT Champion Dennis Hauger, bested him though and put in an almighty lap time to qualify third – ahead of Alex Palou in fourth. The last time DCR qualified this well was back in 2022. Is this the start of something special for the smallest outfit on the grid in 2026?
“Was hoping for two guys in the top 12, but two in the top six is fantastic,” – Dayle Coyne
After a tumultuous season in 2025, Marcus Ericsson got off on the right foot in 2026 by qualifying in second. On his call up to Team Penske, David Malukas proved his worth by qualifying in fifth. But it would be Scott McLaughlin who took first blood in 2026. Following on from his pole position at the season finale in Nashville last year, McLaughlin made it back to back achievements and would start Sunday’s race from P1. Is this a statement of intent for McLaughlin as we wonder who’ll attempt to topple Palou this year?
Alex Palou Returns…with a Vengeance
During the race, the commentators discussed the mindset of those working on Palou’s side of the garage inside Chip Ganassi. While many hailed Palou’s eight victories in 2025, there were those that focused on the other nine races that Palou lost. In what was the most dominant season in IndyCar history, the team were already looking at ways to improve. That mindset was on full display in St. Petersburg. In 2025, Palou qualified in eighth before going on to win. This year, he bettered his starting position by four, priming himself for an even better launch pad from which to go and fight for the win on Sunday.
“This team keeps on improving, keeps on making new changes, and they just keep on raising the bar,” – Alex Palou
Come race day, Alex Palou did what Alex Palou does. Cold. Calm. Calculated. Cunning. Running close to the front runners for the first third of the race, his and the team’s Jedi like ability to predict the future saw them play an excellent hand with the strategy when the Safety Car came out for Dixon. Now leading the race, it was Palou’s to lose. The trouble is, Palou rarely loses. The Spaniard edged out what turned into a thirteen second lead that none behind him could mount a challenge to. Palou won the race and immediately became a threat to everyone around him hoping to fight for the title in 2026.
Who can take the fight to Palou?
With only one race down, it’s impossible to know for certain who’ll be Palou’s biggest rival this year. But if St. Petersburg is anything to go by then Team Penske and Arrow McLaren are at the top of the list. Scott McLaughlin looked like a driver reborn last weekend after a character building 2025. Focused on consistency this year, he may be playing the long game in the hopes of beating Palou. P2 on Sunday is a good way to start that strategy.
“I knew this was going to be a strong track (for us), so I had to make the most of it.” – Scott McLaughlin
Starting his second season with the Papaya outfit, Christian Lundgaard’s raw speed and ruthlessness was present during Sunday’s race. His clinical and unflinching overtakes on drivers such as Kyle Kirkwood and his own teammate, Pato O’Ward, showed that the Danish driver means business this year. P3 at the end of the race is proof of that.
Rogue’s Gallery of Contenders
“Once I destroyed my tires, I think we raced very admirably…Good day overall for the 27 car.” – Kyle Kirkwood
But you’d be a fool to count out the likes of Kyle Kirkwood, Pato O’Ward and Josef Newgarden too. P4 for Kirkwood after having to save fuel late in the race didn’t fully represent his capabilities. P5 for O’Ward in an anonymous race may be the quietly solid start he needs to build up a Championship campaign. Newgarden had a brilliant race of redemption too as he rose from P23 to P7. Never take your eye off the terminator that is Newgarden.
Marcus Ericsson may have finished sixth after qualifying in second but the Swede may be another driver back in the zone. This result was his best since Toronto last year. Perhaps the pressure of a contract year is what Ericsson needs to return to form. Time will tell.
You’d also be incredibly silly to keep Will Power and Scott Dixon out of the equation. While St. Petersburg didn’t go their way, they are both absolute powerhouses behind the wheel of an IndyCar. If we’re lucky, we’ll get to see all eight of them in the fight with Palou in 2026.
Dayle Coyne – Teases of a Resurgence?
Both Dayle Coyne Racing cars qualified inside the top six for the first time since 2022. Back then, at the Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix, it was David Malukas and Takuma Sato driving for the team. They went on to finish in P11 and P13 respectively. In 2026, rookie Dennis Hauger and returning IndyCar veteran Roman Grosjean surpassed that result. P10 for the rookie after a phenomenal P3 result in qualifying was still an incredibly solid debut for the Norwegian nightmare. P8 for Grosjean after a year on the side lines was a delicious twist to the St. Petersburg narrative too. With such a strong start to the season, the only question now is – can Dayle Coyne retain this level of form?
IndyCar in St. Petersburg – Final Thoughts
Plenty of other noteworthy moments happened in St. Petersburg. Rinus Veekay sneaking into P9 on debut for Juncos Hollinger is a prime example of that. Is he the missing puzzle piece that team needs to transcend? Will ECR be a threat once more when we go oval racing next weekend as both Rasmussen and Rossi proved in 2025? Don’t let their sub par performances in St. Petersburg fool you. What can we expect from drivers like Schumacher and Ferrugi who we have yet to see properly turn a wheel in anger in 2026?
We don’t have all of the answers yet and while Palou may have outright stolen the show in St. Petersburg, there’s a lot to still be excited for before we have to consider the inevitability of a fifth title for the Chip Ganassi driver. But who can stop him? The good news is, we have less than a week to find out if someone can.
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IndyCar returns March 6th in Avondale, Arizona.
Feature Image: Joe Skibinski, IndyCar Media Centre