It’s a familiar story – Álex Palou and Chip Ganassi Racing have done it again. When qualifying doesn’t go their way, they know there are opportunities to be seized during the race. And what better place to make a comeback than the grueling GP of St. Petersburg, a 100-lap endurance test where the Spanish champion clawed his way from eighth on the grid to the top step of the podium, thanks to a flawless strategy.
This is undoubtedly the perfect way to kick off the season – with a win on a street circuit, which isn’t exactly Ganassi’s forte, and rubbing it in the face of Penske, the traditional powerhouse at the Florida track. Palou’s only previous win on a street course was a distant memory, but he proved that he and his team have what it takes to adapt and dominate.
A missed opportunity for McLaughlin
In fact, Scott McLaughlin was the man to beat on the streets of St. Pete, but he didn’t quite live up to his own expectations. The Penske driver failed to capitalize on a golden chance that presented itself early on – an absurd accident triggered by Will Power, which would have allowed him to pull off a masterstroke by pitting for soft tires under the yellow flag. This clever move would have minimized his time loss, but McLaughlin opted not to take the risk. On the other hand, Palou, Dixon, Herta, and Newgarden all seized the opportunity, and those precious seconds they gained would prove crucial in the end.
The first battle may have been won, but Herta, Newgarden, and Dixon were still ahead of the Spanish driver, albeit with two pit stops remaining for Ganassi to work their magic. The first pit stop didn’t quite go in Palou’s favor, despite him and Dixon pitting at the same time, later than the rest. While Dixon’s stop was smooth, Palou’s was less so, leaving him trailing the leading trio. Herta, meanwhile, had a disastrous pit stop, struggling with a wheel and fuel hose issues, which forced him to make an extra stop and dropped him down the order.
It wasn’t until the final pit stop that Palou and his team pulled off the perfect maneuver. By pitting two laps after Newgarden, Palou emerged comfortably ahead, his timing better than Dixon’s, who stopped a lap later from the lead but struggled to get heat into his tires, allowing Newgarden to pass him.
Holding on to the end
With the hardest part of the job done, Palou seemed to be cruising to victory, his lead over Newgarden stretching to five seconds at one point. However, the Spanish driver found himself stuck behind the lapped Sting Ray Robb, and before he knew it, Newgarden had closed the gap to just a few car lengths with eight laps remaining. But Palou was not to be denied. As soon as he cleared the lapped car, he opened up a gap and never looked back, securing a confidence-boosting win for the #10 car. Newgarden, on the other hand, seemed to lose his momentum, eventually surrendering second place to Dixon in the dying moments of the race.
Palou was ecstatic in his post-race interview, praising his team’s incredible work and revealing the key to his triumph: “The car was really quick, and we made the most of it. We decided to pit a bit earlier than Dixon to get a clear lap, and it paid off. I’m super happy, especially since this is a circuit where we’ve struggled in the past.” The Spanish driver’s thoughts echoed his pre-race comments, and it’s clear that this win will be a huge morale boost for the team.
The next IndyCar race is just around the corner, scheduled for March 23 at The Thermal Club in California, a track that holds fond memories for Palou. He dominated last year’s event, taking pole and victory, albeit in a non-championship race with a $500,000 prize on offer. This time, points will be on the line, and it could be one of the most favorable events on the calendar for the triple champion.
The final classification for the GP of St. Petersburg is as follows:
- Álex Palou (Ganassi)
- Scott Dixon (Ganassi)
- Josef Newgarden (Penske)
- Scott McLaughlin (Penske)
- Kyle Kirkwood (Andretti)
- Marcus Ericsson (Andretti)