Palou Wins Indycar season opener with strategy masterclass at St. Pete

Alex Palou The search for a third-east NTT Indycar series title is closed for an ideal beginning.

Spaniard took an edge with the right tire strategy and placed Joseph Newgarden on the Bay Closing Stretch on Closing Stretch in Bay, claiming Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg on Sunday. This marked his 12th race win and in the first season-owner.

Palu told Fox Sports, “What is a wonderful work by everyone in Chip Ganasi racing, HRC, everyone (working on 10 cars).” He said, “He gave me everything to win later this week. I told you yesterday that we had a very fast car. I was waiting for the race.

“It’s very big,” he said later. “I am super happy. We are really working, it is really difficult. This is a place where we have struggled a lot in the past, especially me personally. So it is amazing to start with a win in 2025. ,

There were two major moments that took the 27 -year -old to the top of the podium, including one in the early seconds of the race. For a lap 1 crash for Will-PowerNolan Seagal and Louis Foster opened the door for a starting pit stop.

During the first (and only) caution, several drivers who were selected to start on a soft alternative tire, stood for a switch on primary tires.

Various strategies emerge

This tire change proved to be a strategy to win. The alternative tires were in a hurry to hold and leave the speed, which used to take the people running on it only after a handful of lap to the pit road. Each team had to alternately complete at least two laps, so those who started on primary, had to be alternately done in a small run, while the teams were quickly fed which were free to score a full run on primary.

Palu came in third place among those who retreated Colon horta And Scott dixonBut Harta’s day was undone from a pair of Pit Road issues and was able to move beyond Dixon with an undercut on the final set of Palu Stop, freeing her to march for another race victory.

Joseph Newgarden Followed the same strategy and extended Dixon to Turn 1 after his last stop to take the other. Laped traffic grabbed Palu and allowed Newgarden to close his rear wing at the closing laps, but Tennessee did not find any way before the checker flag flying.

Instead it was Dixon who marched forward, snatched Newgarden in the last lap as he ran out of the fuel and slowed down. Checker survived the flag to complete the newguarden podium Scott mcaloglin And Kyle Kirkwood wrapped the top. Marcus Ericsson, Felix Rousnakwist, Christian Lundguard, Rinus Vake and Alexander Rossi dropped out of the top -10.

Title hope Pato o’Ward A 23rd place qualifying attempt and 11th from an initial puncture to rescue the result. Harta was placed in 16th position behind him, his day with an issue with a right-rear tire at a stop and an additional journey for the pit road required by the fuel issue.

The incident of Lap 1 took the only precautions on the day. Marcus Armstrong of Mayor cones racing caught the wall and had to go into the garage area for a tow link replacement, but did so without another yellow.

Indycar will return to action on 23 March at Thermal Club.

Photos from Saint Peat – Race