The premier open-wheel racing series in North America is back from its break: IndyCar kicks off its season with the Grand Prix of St. Petersburg on March 10 - who is going to be able to take the fight to reigning champion Álex Palou?
Image credit: Honda News
The long winter break is over: Exactly six months after the 2023 season finale at Laguna Seca, the 2024 IndyCar Series season is ready to go at St. Petersburg in Florida. 27 drivers are set to take the green flag at 16:15 UTC (12:15 local time) on March 10.
Among them is reigning champion Álex Palou, who took his second title in 2023. The Spaniard enjoyed a remarkable run, particularly from the Indianapolis Grand Prix until Toronto when he scored four wins, a second and a fourth place in the span of six races.
That was not all the 26-year-old was in the headlines for, however. Contract disputes with McLaren, for which he had signed for 2023 already, and his still-current team Chip Ganassi Racing saw controversy surround Palou. After all parties had agreed that he would stay with Ganassi but still test for the McLaren F1 team in 2023, Palou chose not to honor the 2024 agreement and remain with Ganassi instead for 2024, stating that he had lost "trust and confidence" in McLaren.
However, testing showed that the engines were not quite ready yet. Instead of making their debut at St. Pete, the system is now due to be used for the first time at the Detroit Grand Prix - the race after the Indianapolis 500.
Speaking of Grosjean: The former F1 driver had a disappointing two years at Andretti after a very promising rookie season with Dale Coyne Racing in 2021. The Frenchman parted ways with Andretti as a result, finding a new home at Juncos Hollinger Racing where he replaces the outgoing Callum Ilott alongside Agustín Canapino.
The latter does not have a full-time drive lined up for 2024, but will still take to the track in St. Petersburg for McLaren. This comes at the expense of David Malukas - the Latvian American had jumped ship from Dale Coyne, but suffered a fall with his mountain bike ahead of the season, injuring his hand. Ilott was called upon to fill in for Malukas, who might have to sit out both St. Pete and the non-championship race at Thermal Club on March 24.
Meanwhile, Andretti, now officially known as Andretti Global, dropped Devlin DeFrancesco and the #29 car as a whole, reducing their lineup to three full-time cars.
The latter had suffered a monumental high-speed wreck, flipping his car multiple times at Mid-Ohio. Even though it appeared that he was uninjured, Pagenaud is still recovering from post-concussion syndrome and will not return to MSR for 2024. The other full-time driver of the team, Hélio Castroneves, stepped back to only run the Indianapolis 500.
As a result, MSR fields an all-new driver lineup of Tom Blomqvist, who had driven Pagenaud's car at Toronto and was behind the wheel for MSR at the 2023 Indy 500 as well, and Felix Rosenqvist, who comes in from McLaren.
More important, however, is the return of the Milwaukee Mile. The iconic oval had been absent from the IndyCar calendar since 2016, but now makes its comeback with a double-header ahead of the season finale in Nashville.
To close out the season, IndyCar had planned to race on a new layout of the Nashville street circuit, incorporating Broadway. However, due to construction works in the area, the race turned out not to be doable. Instead, the series will now head to the Nashville Superspeedway for the first time since 2008.
Despite Nashville and Milwaukee joining the schedule, the series only has a net win of one oval. Texas Motor Speedway does not return, making the Indy 500 the first oval race of the season.
Image credit: racingcircuits.info
Drivers then turn onto Dan Wheldon Way, named after the two-time Indy 500 winner who tragically passed away following a crash at Las Vegas Motor Speedway in 2011. This part of the track features a fast chicane, which sets up the run through the final 180-degree turn (or, officially, turns 13 and 14).
Due to its airport/street circuit layout, St. Pete is rather bumpy and does not allow much room for mistakes, with barriers looming everywhere. Grosjeand and Penske ace Scott McLaughlin found that out in 2023 when battling for the lead - the pair came together, and both ended up in the tire stacks. Grosjean retired on the spot, McLaughlin dragged home his car in 13th.
The Penske squad of McLaughlin, Josef Newgarden and Will Power is usually among the front runners as well. Andretti, meanwhile, aspired to do just that in 2023 again, but had a rough season, their highest finishing driver in the overall standings being Ericsson in sixth.
A question mark remains behind the McLaren team, as they have looked like they would have a breakout season any minute for the last few years, but never quite got there. Pato O'Ward, Alexander Rossi and Malukas (once he is back from his hand injury) will look to finally make the push that firmly puts the team among the favorites for each race.
Meanwhile, Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing can show flashes of brilliance, but has not been a continuous front runner for a few years now. Fielding Graham Rahal, Pietro Fittipaldi and Christian Lundgaard in their full-time cars, RLL has a veteran and two young, talented drivers in their stable.
Graham Rahal is the veteran presence at RLL. Image credit: Honda News
Other teams like AJ Foyt Racing, Ed Carpenter Racing or Dale Coyne Racing usually are not part of the victory conversation, but IndyCar being IndyCar, any driver could win on any given weekend - which should make for another highly entertaining season in 2024.
In the US, the races are broadcast via NBC, USA and Peacock. Canadians can keep track of the series via TSN and TSN+. For all other regional broadcasters, check out the official IndyCar broadcast guide.
Who are you rooting for in the 2024 IndyCar St. Petersburg Grand Prix? Let us know in the poll above or down in the comments!
Image credit: Honda News
The long winter break is over: Exactly six months after the 2023 season finale at Laguna Seca, the 2024 IndyCar Series season is ready to go at St. Petersburg in Florida. 27 drivers are set to take the green flag at 16:15 UTC (12:15 local time) on March 10.
Among them is reigning champion Álex Palou, who took his second title in 2023. The Spaniard enjoyed a remarkable run, particularly from the Indianapolis Grand Prix until Toronto when he scored four wins, a second and a fourth place in the span of six races.
That was not all the 26-year-old was in the headlines for, however. Contract disputes with McLaren, for which he had signed for 2023 already, and his still-current team Chip Ganassi Racing saw controversy surround Palou. After all parties had agreed that he would stay with Ganassi but still test for the McLaren F1 team in 2023, Palou chose not to honor the 2024 agreement and remain with Ganassi instead for 2024, stating that he had lost "trust and confidence" in McLaren.
Hybrid Delays
One of the bigger storylines over the winter was the introduction of hybrid systems to the 2.2-liter twin-turbo V6 engines. It was initially planned for cars to race with them all season, upping the displacement to 2.4 liters and between 150 and 200 hp of power.However, testing showed that the engines were not quite ready yet. Instead of making their debut at St. Pete, the system is now due to be used for the first time at the Detroit Grand Prix - the race after the Indianapolis 500.
Line-Up Changes
Despite this, Palou is heading into the 2024 season with a brand-new look, as DHL has come aboard as a title sponsor for his car after having been with Andretti Autosport since 2012. Most recently, Romain Grosjean was running the highly recognizable yellow and red scheme.Speaking of Grosjean: The former F1 driver had a disappointing two years at Andretti after a very promising rookie season with Dale Coyne Racing in 2021. The Frenchman parted ways with Andretti as a result, finding a new home at Juncos Hollinger Racing where he replaces the outgoing Callum Ilott alongside Agustín Canapino.
The latter does not have a full-time drive lined up for 2024, but will still take to the track in St. Petersburg for McLaren. This comes at the expense of David Malukas - the Latvian American had jumped ship from Dale Coyne, but suffered a fall with his mountain bike ahead of the season, injuring his hand. Ilott was called upon to fill in for Malukas, who might have to sit out both St. Pete and the non-championship race at Thermal Club on March 24.
Meanwhile, Andretti, now officially known as Andretti Global, dropped Devlin DeFrancesco and the #29 car as a whole, reducing their lineup to three full-time cars.
All-Swedish Lineup For Meyer Shank Racing
Further notable changes on the driver market include Marcus Ericsson, who departs Ganassi for Grosjean's former Andretti seat. His compatriot Linus Lundqvist will succeed him at Ganassi after impressing in three races for Meyer Shank Racing, replacing the injured Simon Pagenaud.The latter had suffered a monumental high-speed wreck, flipping his car multiple times at Mid-Ohio. Even though it appeared that he was uninjured, Pagenaud is still recovering from post-concussion syndrome and will not return to MSR for 2024. The other full-time driver of the team, Hélio Castroneves, stepped back to only run the Indianapolis 500.
As a result, MSR fields an all-new driver lineup of Tom Blomqvist, who had driven Pagenaud's car at Toronto and was behind the wheel for MSR at the 2023 Indy 500 as well, and Felix Rosenqvist, who comes in from McLaren.
Return Of An Iconic Track
Compared to 2023, the 2024 schedule looks a bit different. Between St. Pete and round 2 at Long Beach, the first non-championship race since 1983 will take place at Thermal Club will on March 24, with $1 million up for grabs for the winner.More important, however, is the return of the Milwaukee Mile. The iconic oval had been absent from the IndyCar calendar since 2016, but now makes its comeback with a double-header ahead of the season finale in Nashville.
To close out the season, IndyCar had planned to race on a new layout of the Nashville street circuit, incorporating Broadway. However, due to construction works in the area, the race turned out not to be doable. Instead, the series will now head to the Nashville Superspeedway for the first time since 2008.
Despite Nashville and Milwaukee joining the schedule, the series only has a net win of one oval. Texas Motor Speedway does not return, making the Indy 500 the first oval race of the season.
Image credit: racingcircuits.info
The St. Petersburg Circuit
Street circuits are nothing new in IndyCar, but the one in St. Petersburg is a bit of an odd outlier. Its main straight is actually a runway of the Albert Whitted Airport. Navigate turns 1 and 2, however, and you are already on city streets, blasting down 1st Street. Work your way through turns 4 to 9, and you are headed back towards the airport equally as fast.Drivers then turn onto Dan Wheldon Way, named after the two-time Indy 500 winner who tragically passed away following a crash at Las Vegas Motor Speedway in 2011. This part of the track features a fast chicane, which sets up the run through the final 180-degree turn (or, officially, turns 13 and 14).
Due to its airport/street circuit layout, St. Pete is rather bumpy and does not allow much room for mistakes, with barriers looming everywhere. Grosjeand and Penske ace Scott McLaughlin found that out in 2023 when battling for the lead - the pair came together, and both ended up in the tire stacks. Grosjean retired on the spot, McLaughlin dragged home his car in 13th.
2024 IndyCar Grand Prix Of St. Petersburg: Favorites Tough To Define
As always, the IndyCar season should be close and unpredictable due to the mostly spec nature of the series. Of course, certain teams and drivers cannot be ruled out despite this - 2023 Champion Palou among them, of course. But his veteran Ganassi teammate Scott Dixon is never one to dismiss, the New Zealander having an uncanny knack of coming out of nowhere to score great results.The Penske squad of McLaughlin, Josef Newgarden and Will Power is usually among the front runners as well. Andretti, meanwhile, aspired to do just that in 2023 again, but had a rough season, their highest finishing driver in the overall standings being Ericsson in sixth.
A question mark remains behind the McLaren team, as they have looked like they would have a breakout season any minute for the last few years, but never quite got there. Pato O'Ward, Alexander Rossi and Malukas (once he is back from his hand injury) will look to finally make the push that firmly puts the team among the favorites for each race.
Meanwhile, Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing can show flashes of brilliance, but has not been a continuous front runner for a few years now. Fielding Graham Rahal, Pietro Fittipaldi and Christian Lundgaard in their full-time cars, RLL has a veteran and two young, talented drivers in their stable.
Graham Rahal is the veteran presence at RLL. Image credit: Honda News
Other teams like AJ Foyt Racing, Ed Carpenter Racing or Dale Coyne Racing usually are not part of the victory conversation, but IndyCar being IndyCar, any driver could win on any given weekend - which should make for another highly entertaining season in 2024.
Where To Watch The 2024 IndyCar Grand Prix Of St. Petersburg
Despite being a series mainly focused on the United States, the IndyCar series can be followed in most countries around the world. For many, the IndyCar Live service, which requires a paid subscription, is the best alternative to catch the action.In the US, the races are broadcast via NBC, USA and Peacock. Canadians can keep track of the series via TSN and TSN+. For all other regional broadcasters, check out the official IndyCar broadcast guide.
Who are you rooting for in the 2024 IndyCar St. Petersburg Grand Prix? Let us know in the poll above or down in the comments!
