2025 IndyCar St. Petersburg GP: Preview and Predictions

The 2025 IndyCar season kicks off with the St. Petersburg GP this weekend as Alex Palou aims to secure a hat trick of titles. The 2020s have seen the Spaniard rise above everyone else in the pecking order and showcase brilliance in a manner that his legendary teammate Scott Dixon is used to.

Heading into the 2025 IndyCar season, it all kicks off at the St. Petersburg GP. Last season saw Josef Newgarden pick up the win of the inaugural race, only to lose it to Pato O'Ward due to technical infringement. What can we expect this time around in the first race of the year? Let's take a look.

2025 IndyCar St. Petersburg GP: Preview

Key Storylines

#1 The overall pecking order

Team Penske topped the timesheets in the only test at Sebring, and while there's always a question because IndyCar doesn't race here, the order has somewhat carried over in the years gone by. The last couple of seasons have seen Josef Newgarden especially do well at the St. Petersburg GP, but as is often the case, things are very close and unpredictable in this series, and we'll see where the chips fall this weekend.

#2 Colton Herta's F1 overtures

It's not a secret in any way that Colton Herta is a favorite to take the seat at Cadillac's F1 team in 2026, especially with Mario Andretti confirming the same. The American finished second in the championship last season, and he was horribly unlucky at various stages. While he begins his campaign to dethrone Alex Palou, he would be faced with questions about his future.

#3 That McLaren lineup

Pato O'Ward has been the flag bearer at McLaren for a while now, but this time around he will have someone younger than him stepping into the cockpit next to him. What Christian Lundgaard has been doing at RLL in the last three seasons of IndyCar has caught the eye of a few. The pace is there, so is the consistency to a large extent. Is he one of the top talents that people would need to keep an eye on? The 2025 season will surely give that answer.

Form Guide

On Form

It's three titles in 4 years for Alex Palou, and what stood out the most for the Spaniard last season was not just the fact that he won; it was the maturity that continues to be a feature of his racing. Palou might not win every race in the season; in fact, he only won thrice in 2024, but what stood out when it came to him was the ability to bag a strong haul of points every race and, most importantly, play the long game.

He would still be the title favorite in 2025, and all eyes are once again on him as he gets ready to defend his IndyCar crown.

Out of Form

This one is a bit tough to take a call on, but IndyCar legend Scott Dixon might have a point to prove this season as he comes off one of his worst career finishes in a while. With his teammate becoming a champion, a P6 finish is not ideal, and that's something the legend would be looking to rectify.

2025 IndyCar St. Petersburg GP: Predictions

Who will win the race?

Josef Newgarden's love for the St. Petersburg GP is hard to hide. He is a former winner on this track, it was almost cruel to take the win away from him due to a technical infringement last season. The form guide suggests that Team Penske would have a strong enough pace to challenge for the win, and with Newgarden being the odds-on favorite, it's hard to look beyond him this time around.

Surprise of the weekend (Team)

Keep an eye out on McLaren this weekend because, for the first time in a while, this is a championship-winning organization. The F1 counterpart of the same brand won the championship in 2024 and will be a contender this time around as well. The 'Arrow' in the name is also gone now as Zak Brown's squad holds the complete ownership.

Watching the F1 team win the title would have been a kick up the backside for the IndyCar outfit, and this season might just be the one where the motivation ends up boosting the squad to new heights. Keep an eye on the orange and black cars at the St. Petersburg GP, a track where they are the former race winners.

Surprise of the weekend (Driver)

Pato O'Ward has been rated very highly by everyone that has seen him race in the series for years now. There is a new rivalry within teammates that would be worth keeping an eye on, though, and that rivalry is with Christian Lundgaard. A former 'Renault-sponsored' talent destined for a slot in F1, the Danish driver's career took a turn in a completely different direction, and he has seemingly made the most of it.

For the St. Petersburg GP, keep an eye on the young Danish driver who finally had the car worthy of his talent. We're backing him to make a splash in the first race at McLaren and get the better of Pato O'Ward.

Disappointment of the weekend (Team)

Andretti has gone through a lot in the background in the last year especially with the TWG takeover. The team potentially could have won the championship last season if it wasn't for an ample dose of bad luck that hurt Colton Herta and heading into the first IndyCar race at the St. Petersburg, the team could find itself on the backfoot.

Disappointment of the weekend (Driver)

It's a bit surprising for everyone involved that the Team Penske and Will Power partnership is potentially in the doldrums. The former champion's contract situation is not clear at the moment, which is probably a concern. The driver has signed with Fernando Alonso's management team to sort things out, but we might see the driver start on the back foot with stuff going on in the background.