Palou Dominates The NTT IndyCar Season Opener In St. Petersburg

St. Petersburg, Fl.(March 1, 2026)

Alex Palou started the 2026 NTT IndyCar Series season exactly the way he finished the last one. Out front.

The reigning champion opened the year with a commanding win at the Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg, continuing the momentum from a 2025 season where he dominated the championship standings. Palou claimed his third straight and fourth overall title last year by an incredible 196-point margin, and on a bright Florida afternoon he looked every bit like the driver everyone else is chasing.

Driving the No. 10 DHL Honda for Chip Ganassi Racing, the Spaniard captured his 20th career victory in only his 99th IndyCar start. When the checkered flag waved he was 12.4 seconds clear of pole sitter Scott McLaughlin, who finished second in the No. 3 Team Penske Chevrolet.

“This team keeps improving and keeps making changes,” Palou said after the race. “They just keep raising the bar. It’s a long season ahead, but this is a great way to start.”

Behind the top two, Christian Lundgaard charged from 12th on the grid to finish third in the No. 7 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet. Kyle Kirkwood spent much of the race near the front but slipped back late and finished fourth for Andretti Global. Pato O’Ward rounded out the top five, giving Arrow McLaren two cars inside the first five positions.

Strategy played a big role in the race. New IndyCar rules required teams to run at least two sets of the softer Firestone Firehawk alternate tires with the red sidewalls. The added requirement forced teams to think carefully about when to use the quicker but less durable rubber.

Palou and his longtime strategist Barry Wanser handled it perfectly.

The race turned during the pit cycle around Lap 36. McLaughlin, who had been leading, came to pit lane at the end of Lap 35. That handed the lead briefly to Marcus Ericsson in the Andretti Global Honda. Ericsson pitted one lap later, which moved Palou to the front.

Instead of bringing Palou in immediately, Wanser kept him out on track. Palou stayed out until the end of Lap 38 on the same set of alternate tires. The overcut worked exactly as planned. When Palou exited the pits he rejoined the race ahead of both McLaughlin and Ericsson.

Once the rest of the field completed their stops, Palou was back in the lead by Lap 42. From there he controlled the race, leading 59 of the 100 laps and only giving up the top spot during pit cycles.

There was a moment of tension during the final round of stops. Palou came in on Lap 67 with a 14 second lead and switched to the harder Firestone primary tires for the final stint. Meanwhile Kirkwood and McLaughlin both chose the faster alternate tires during their final stops on Laps 65 and 68.

That decision briefly suggested the leaders might close the gap.

Kirkwood pushed hard but never got closer than about five and a half seconds. Once Palou settled in, the gap started growing again.

“Those Firestones just kept going,” Palou said. “They felt like they lasted forever. I had an amazing car today.”

The closing laps brought some movement behind him. With fresher tires, McLaughlin and Lundgaard both worked past Kirkwood on Lap 94 to secure second and third place.

“Our Chevy was fast,” McLaughlin said. “It’s tricky deciding which tire to start on and when to use them. I think we made the passes we needed and got the most out of the day.”

Further back in the field, rookie Dennis Hauger impressed with a tenth place finish for Dale Coyne Racing. Hauger had qualified third and ended the day as the top finishing rookie in the race.

At the front, though, the story was familiar. Palou started fourth, took control through smart strategy, and drove away in the closing laps. His margin of victory ended up being the largest in the 23 year history of the St. Petersburg event.

For the rest of the IndyCar paddock, the opening race of 2026 delivered a clear message. The road to the championship still runs through Alex Palou.