Christian Lundgaard recorded the fastest time in the second practice session for the Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg on Saturday morning, setting the pace at 1 minute, 1.6157 seconds in the No. 7 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet. The session was marked by slow starts due to overnight rain, which left damp patches on the 1.8-mile, 14-turn street course, delaying most drivers from pushing until later in the 64-minute run.
This session’s timing positioned Lundgaard as a favorite heading into the NTT P1 Award qualifying later that afternoon, an event that is crucial ahead of Sunday’s 100-lap race. The qualifying session was scheduled to begin at 4:30 p.m. ET and will be broadcast on FS2, FOX One, FOX Sports app, and INDYCAR Radio, powered by OnlyBulls.
Strong Competition Among Drivers Sets Up a Tight Pole Battle
The top six times from the second practice session belonged to drivers from six different teams, signaling an open and competitive fight for pole position. Marcus Armstrong impressed again with the No. 66 ROOT Insurance Honda run by Meyer Shank Racing w/Curb-Agajanian, securing second place with a time of 1:01.6592, continuing his upward momentum after finishing seventh in the first practice session.
Alex Palou, the reigning and four-time NTT INDYCAR SERIES champion and last year’s winner of the St. Pete race, posted the third-fastest time at 1:01.6947 in the No. 10 DHL Chip Ganassi Racing Honda. Kyle Kirkwood also showed consistency by placing fourth in the No. 27 JMBullion/Gold.com Honda for Andretti Global, making him a serious contender for the pole given his third-place pace on Friday.
Rounding out the top five was 2016 Indianapolis 500 winner Alexander Rossi, clocking 1:01.7653 in the No. 20 ECR Java House Chevrolet, demonstrating strong speed in his ECR entry.
Notable Performances and Incidents During Practice
Other notable performances included David Malukas, who was sixth fastest at 1:01.7894 during his debut weekend with Team Penske Chevrolet, followed by Friday’s leader Scott McLaughlin in seventh at 1:01.7921 in the No. 3 DEX Team Penske Chevrolet.
The session wasn’t without mishaps. Christian Rasmussen, Rossi’s teammate in the No. 21 ECR Splenda Stevia Chevrolet, experienced significant wall contact after spinning in Turn 2. Fortunately, Rasmussen escaped unharmed despite moderate front-end damage to his car. He stated,
“Unfortunate way to start our qualifying day here. I just lost the rear in Turn 2.”
– Christian Rasmussen, Driver
Similarly, Will Power crashed in Turn 10, impacting the concrete barrier in his No. 26 TWG AI Honda for Andretti Global. This was Power’s debut with the team after 16 full-time seasons at Team Penske. He remained uninjured but sustained considerable front-end damage. Power commented,
“I wasn’t braking late. We had a lot of (brake) locking issues yesterday, so we changed brakes. We were hoping to fix the issue.”
– Will Power, Driver
Implications for Qualifying and the Upcoming Race
The mixed conditions and competitive lap times suggest that the NTT P1 Award qualifying at St. Petersburg will be fiercely contested, with multiple drivers and teams positioned to challenge for the top spot. Lundgaard’s pace, despite track challenges, indicates he could be a frontrunner, while consistent performers like Armstrong, Palou, and Kirkwood pose significant threats.
Following the qualifying session, all eyes will turn to the Sunday race at noon ET, which will be broadcast across FOX platforms and INDYCAR Radio. Performance in qualifying will be essential, given the tight field and the complexities of the temporary street circuit, emphasizing the importance of precision and speed in the final race day.
