IndyCar Season Opener at St. Petersburg: Qualifying Results and Race Preview
The 2026 NTT INDYCAR SERIES season officially kicked off with practice and qualifying rounds at the Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg on February 27th and 28th. The event, held under sunny skies, saw Scott McLaughlin secure the NTT P1 Award, setting the stage for a competitive race on Sunday, March 1st.
Qualifying Recap
Qualifying took place on Saturday afternoon, following the inaugural NASCAR Craftsman Series Truck race, which presented a unique challenge for drivers due to the shifting shadows across the 1.8-mile street course.
Top Qualifiers
Scott McLaughlin of Team Penske topped the Firestone Fast Six qualifying round, earning the pole position. He was followed by Marcus Ericsson, rookie Dennis Hauger, Alex Palou, David Malukas, and Romain Grosjean.1
Notable Performances
Santino Ferrucci, driving the No. 14 Homes For Our Troops Chevrolet, qualified in 17th position. Despite being slightly off pace during qualifying, Ferrucci expressed confidence in his car’s setup for the race.2 “We unloaded pretty good given that the car was decent. We just were a little too free on both (qualifying) runs,” Ferrucci explained.
Caio Collet, making his Indy car debut with the No. 4 Combitrans Amazonia Chevrolet, qualified 24th after a minor incident during practice required repairs to his car. Collet acknowledged the learning curve, particularly the transition to red (alternate, softer compound) tires. 2
Starting Lineup
Here is the full starting lineup for the Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg:1
- No. 3 Scott McLaughlin
- No. 28 Marcus Ericsson
- No. 19 Dennis Hauger
- No. 10 Alex Palou
- No. 12 David Malukas
- No. 18 Romain Grosjean
- No. 66 Marcus Armstrong
- No. 5 Pato O’Ward
- No. 45 Louis Foster
- No. 8 Kyffin Simpson
- No. 60 Felix Rosenqvist
- No. 7 Christian Lundgaard
- No. 26 Will Power
- No. 21 Christian Rasmussen
- No. 27 Kyle Kirkwood
- No. 9 Scott Dixon
- No. 14 Santino Ferrucci
- No. 15 Graham Rahal
- No. 76 Rinus VeeKay
- No. 77 Sting Ray Robb
- No. 47 Mick Schumacher
- No. 6 Nolan Siegel
- No. 2 Josef Newgarden
- No. 4 Caio Collet
- No. 20 Alexander Rossi
Broadcast Information
The Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg will be broadcast on FOX starting at 12 noon ET. It will also be available on FOX One, FOX Deportes, the FOX Sports app, and INDYCAR Radio, powered by OnlyBulls.1
INDY NXT by Firestone
In the INDY NXT by Firestone series, Alessandro de Tullio qualified eighth in the No. 14 AJ Foyt Racing entry, while his teammate Nicholas Monteiro qualified 11th in the No. 4 machine. The 24-car field will race on Sunday morning at 10 a.m. ET, with the 45-lap race broadcast on FS1, FOX One, the FOX Sports app, and INDYCAR Radio, powered by OnlyBulls.2