IndyCar News: McLaughlin Tops Opening Practice at St. Petersburg Amid Incidents

The 2026 NTT INDYCAR SERIES season roared to life on the streets of St. Petersburg, Florida, with the first practice session for the Firestone Grand Prix delivering a mix of speed, strategy, and several on-track mishaps. Despite looming threats of rain, the 75-minute session remained dry, allowing teams to focus on setup tweaks and tire evaluations on the challenging 1.8-mile, 14-turn street circuit.

Scott McLaughlin, piloting the No. 3 Dex Team Penske Chevrolet, set the pace overall with a blistering lap of 1:01.1020s at an average speed of 106.052 mph. The New Zealander’s performance edged out a competitive field, showcasing Team Penske’s early strength on street courses. Close behind in the combined times was Felix Rosenqvist in the No. 60 Meyer Shank Racing with Curb-Agajanian Honda, just 0.0640s adrift.

The session was divided into groups for initial running, with Kyffin Simpson topping Group 1 in the No. 8 Sunoco Chip Ganassi Racing Honda at 1:01.1782s. McLaughlin led Group 2, setting the benchmark that would hold for the day. As teams transitioned to full-field running and later split into two 12-minute segments for high-speed simulations, the action intensified—but not without interruptions.

Multiple red flags punctuated the practice, highlighting the unforgiving nature of the St. Petersburg layout. Rookie Dennis Hauger, in the No. 19 Ault Block Chain Dale Coyne Racing Honda, triggered the first stoppage just 12 minutes in after an off-track excursion. Alexander Rossi followed suit, spinning in Turn 4 in his No. 20 ECR Java House Chevrolet and causing a brief halt.

Reigning series champion Josef Newgarden encountered trouble in the No. 2 Astemo Team Penske Chevrolet, making contact with the tire barrier in Turn 13 after sliding through the runoff area.

Josef Newgarden loses control in Turn 14 🫣

📺: Practice 1 on FS2 pic.twitter.com/hVgGF7HnfL

— NTT INDYCAR SERIES (@IndyCar) February 27, 2026

Later, during the segmented runs, six-time champion Scott Dixon damaged the left side of his No. 9 PNC Bank Chip Ganassi Racing Honda with contact in Turn 9, bringing his session to an premature end.

This angle of Dixon’s incident 😬 pic.twitter.com/nE4g6Frjhn

— NTT INDYCAR SERIES (@IndyCar) February 27, 2026

Louis Foster, driving the No. 30 Droplight Rahal Letterman Lanigan Honda, also kissed the barrier in Turn 13, adding to the list of incidents that kept teams on their toes.

Notably, Mick Schumacher, making his INDYCAR debut in the No. 47 Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing Honda with primary sponsorship from ENVE Composites, completed a session-high 37 laps. The German finished 23rd with a best time of 1:02.1707s, focusing on adaptation to the series’ unique demands after his recent tests.

With 27 cars on track, the session saw a total of over 600 laps turned, providing valuable data ahead of Practice 2 and qualifying. Teams will now analyze setups for the hybrid power units and Firestone tires, aiming to dial in performance for the 100-lap race on March 1.

Practice 1 Results