By the Numbers: The Grand Prix of St. Petersburg

The Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg was ultimately exciting until the end, but at the same time not the most spectacular race. Winner Alex Palou did not overtake a single car for position, and there were half as many overtakes as last year. However, the race went down in history as the fastest race ever held in St. Petersburg. What else stood out? We summarize the race weekend in a series of numbers.

111 - With a total race time of 1 hour, 51 minutes, and 8 seconds (111 minutes), this was the fastest Grand Prix of St. Petersburg ever!

92 - For the OpenWheelWorld team championship, Chip Ganassi Racing performed exceptionally well. Thanks to their 1-2 finish, they scored 92 points, compared to 72 points for Team Penske.

92 - Honda took the first step toward reclaiming the engine championship title, scoring 92 points compared to Chevrolet's 72 points.

61.69 - The fastest lap of the race was set by Josef Newgarden, who completed lap 89 in 61.690 seconds.

53 - There were surprisingly few overtakes during the race, with only 53 recorded position changes. In comparison, there were 97 last year.

20 - In 20th position, Robert Shwartzman was the highest-ranked rookie.

18 - Rinus VeeKay finished ninth, marking Dale Coyne Racing's first top-ten finish in 18 races. Their last top-ten finish was an eighth place by David Malukas at Portland International Raceway in 2023.

14 - Among the drivers who saw the checkered flag, Colton Herta lost the most positions. The driver, who started second, lost significant time in his second pit stop due to an issue with the right rear wheel and had to make an extra pit stop ten laps later due to insufficient fuel. He ultimately finished 16th—losing 14 positions!

12 - Pato O'Ward gained the most positions during the race, starting 23rd and finishing 11th—gaining 12 positions!

12 - This marked Alex Palou's twelfth IndyCar victory. He is now tied for 23rd place in total wins, alongside Tommy Milton, Gil de Ferran, and Christiano da Matta.

8 - Scott Dixon secured his eighth podium finish in St. Petersburg, but he has never stood on the top step.

7 - Despite not being the most spectacular race, seven different drivers led at some point: Scott McLaughlin (40 laps), Alex Palou (26 laps), Christian Lundgaard (23 laps), Scott Dixon (5 laps), Marcus Armstrong (3 laps), Josef Newgarden, and Colton Herta (1 lap).

6 - The pace car was only deployed for six laps during the race, three fewer than last year.

3 - Despite the short circuit and the fact that the race ran under green from lap seven to the finish, only three drivers were lapped by the leaders.

3 - For Josef Newgarden, the race lasted three corners too long. The Penske driver seemed set for a strong second-place finish until he encountered an electronic issue three corners before the finish, allowing Scott Dixon to pass. He still finished third.

2 - The alternative, softer tire was not popular during the race. The winning strategy was to use it for only the first two laps. Drivers who did this could switch tires under caution. Those who started on the standard, harder tire had to run a longer stint on it and make an extra pit stop under green, causing them to drop down the order.

1.1 - A key moment in the race was the final pit stops of Alex Palou and Scott Dixon. Before the stops, Dixon was leading, with Palou behind him. Palou pitted one lap earlier than Dixon, who rejoined the track behind the Spaniard after his stop. Where did Dixon lose time? First, he encountered traffic on his in-lap, making it 0.5 seconds slower. He also lost 0.6 seconds in the pits, bringing the total lost time to 1.1 seconds. Additionally, Dixon’s out-lap was 0.7 seconds slower than Palou’s, but by then, he was already behind.

1.1 - Prema Racing had a solid debut in the IndyCar Series. Despite some early technical issues in practice, Callum Ilott and Robert Shwartzman had a strong race, finishing 1.1 seconds apart in 19th and 20th place.

0 - To highlight how crucial strategy was for the victory: winner Alex Palou did not overtake a single car for position during the race.

0 - Race control had a quiet day in St. Petersburg, as not a single penalty was issued!