FOX clears the air over backlash from IndyCar fans for broadcasting blunders at the St. Petersburg GP

The St. Petersburg Grand Prix was the first race to be broadcasted by FOX Sports for IndyCar in decades. While the new broadcaster tried their hands on new elements for the race, they made some mistakes, leading fans to criticize the viewing experience. However, FOX has since then addressed the concerns and revealed their plans going forward.

During the St. Petersburg Grand Prix weekend, fans complained about the timing sheets not being updated and not being visible altogether at crucial moments of the sessions. Some condemned how the commentators did not glance over the hybrid element of the powertrain, and the state of charge of the drivers was not available to viewers.

This caused a massive confusion for many who were trying to understand how the race would pan out. FOX Sports producer Pam Miller has admitted that the broadcast team was trying out their hands in St. Petersburg and assured that the standard of broadcast would be higher by the end of the season, as she said (via RACER):

"We’re going to work on getting some of our technology up to speed. What you saw in St. Pete will never be what you see in the end (at the season finale) in Nashville; it’s all going to progress. We’re going to add more as time goes on. We have goals to add some of the things that the hardcore fans are used to and the new fans are going to learn about, and that’s a progression."

"I think, that will evolve a little bit more with our pit reports and our storytelling and our cadence, as far as just making sure that we cover a good balance of what that strategy is and what’s happening on the track, and get more stories on the air. Those are the main tweaks right now."

Nonetheless, the general consensus was that this year's Grand Prix was a greater success than its previous iteration, which was broadcasted by NBC Sports.

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Promising statistics for the IndyCar 2025 season opener

Scott Dixon (L), Alex Palou, and Josef Newgarden (R) at the INDYCAR Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg - Source: Getty

This consensus was proved correct when the viewership for the race was made public. The St. Petersburg Grand Prix recorded a 14-year high in viewers as the race averaged a massive 1.4 million viewers, while the peak reached 1.8 million concurrent viewers.

This put forth a massive 45 percent increase in viewership since 2023, proving FOX Sports' sacrifices resulted in a massive return (via X/@FoxSportsPR):

"FOX Sports opens the 2025 NTT INDYCAR SERIES in a big way with the Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg scoring a 14-year high and peaking at more than 1.8 million viewers!"

The next race for the 2025 IndyCar season is scheduled to take place in Thermal Club, California, on March 23.