Scott McLaughlin demonstrated his speed advantage by clocking the fastest time during the first practice session of the Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg on Friday. Driving the No. 3 DEX Team Penske Chevrolet, McLaughlin secured the top spot with a lap time of 1:01.1020 on the 1.8-mile street circuit, setting the pace for the NTT INDYCAR SERIES season opener.
The two-time NTT P1 Award recipient at this event, from 2022 and the previous season, led both the full-field 85-minute practice and the subsequent group session, improving his times consistently during the morning runs. This performance positions him as a strong contender as the competition intensifies through the weekend.
Strong Performances by Florida Natives and Top Drivers
Felix Rosenqvist came in second with a close 1:01.1660 in the No. 60 SiriusXM Honda for Meyer Shank Racing w/Curb-Agajanian. His car carried a tribute livery celebrating Florida native and rock legend Tom Petty on the 50th anniversary of Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers. Continuing the Florida connections, local driver Kyle Kirkwood ranked third at 1:01.1777 in the No. 27 JM Bullion/Gold.com Honda for Andretti Global.
Kyffin Simpson maintained his upward trajectory shown last season by placing fourth with a 1:01.1782 in the No. 8 Sunoco Chip Ganassi Racing Honda, while 2023 St. Pete winner Marcus Ericsson completed the top five at 1:01.1967 in the No. 28 Delaware Life Honda. Andretti Global stood out by having two drivers in the top five, a promising sign for the team early in the season.
Additional Notable Runs and Rookie Highlights
Reigning St. Pete winner and four-time series champion Alex Palou settled into sixth place at 1:01.2614 in the No. 10 DHL Chip Ganassi Racing Honda. Meanwhile, among rookies, 2025 INDY NXT by Firestone champion Dennis Hauger led the trio, posting 17th fastest at 1:01.8680 in the No. 19 Ault Block Chain Honda of Dale Coyne Racing.
Formula One veteran Mick Schumacher, son of seven-time F1 world champion Michael Schumacher, was the second-fastest rookie, finishing 23rd at 1:02.1707 in the No. 47 Rahal Letterman Lanigan Honda. This rookie performance adds an international dimension to the field’s competitiveness.
Practice Session Marked by Incidents and Red Flags
The session was disrupted multiple times by incidents involving three drivers crashing into barriers. Two-time St. Petersburg champion Josef Newgarden, six-time series champion Scott Dixon, and 2025 Rookie of the Year Louis Foster each triggered red flags when their cars made contact with the track’s concrete walls.
Dixon suffered the most severe crash approximately 57 minutes into the session when his No. 9 PNC Bank Chip Ganassi Racing Honda slid at Turn 9, striking the barrier head-on and sustaining heavy front-end damage. Fortunately, Dixon escaped uninjured. Incidentally, Malukas narrowly avoided Dixon’s disabled car by slipping between the barriers and the damaged vehicle.
“I got loose on entry and tried to save it and then kind of got into an overcorrection. Luckily it slid off a lot of the speed before it hit the wall. Sometimes you can tub a car and destroy them. Hopefully this isn’t too bad.”
Scott Dixon, Driver
Upcoming Sessions and Competitive Overview
Practice at St. Petersburg will continue Saturday morning at 9:30 a.m. ET, followed by NTT P1 Award qualifying at 4:30 p.m. Both practice and qualifying will be broadcast on FS1 and FS2 respectively, with additional live coverage available on FOX One, the FOX Sports app, and INDYCAR Radio, powered by OnlyBulls.
The close times in the opening practice indicate intense competition lies ahead. The top five drivers were separated by a mere 0.0947 seconds, less than a tenth of a second, while the top 21 drivers were all within one second on the 25-car grid, signifying a tightly matched field at the start of this season.
McLaughlin’s early lead at the Firestone Grand Prix points to a promising start for the DEX Imaging Chevrolet team, but with strong performances from Meyer Shank Racing, Andretti Global, and Chip Ganassi Racing, the battle for supremacy could stay heated throughout the weekend and the entire 2026 campaign.
