FOX reportedly accepts IndyCar broadcasting blunders that caused "chaos" at St. Petersburg

FOX Sports' broadcast of IndyCar's St. Petersburg Grand Prix weekend saw criticism all over social media. While the commentator trio kept the fans entertained, certain issues persisted throughout the weekend, which affected viewer experience, and reportedly, the Manhattan-based broadcaster will look to correct these issues heading into subsequent rounds of racing.

During qualifying, scoring pylons were not present for the initial phase of the session. FOX was unable to update the timing sheets instantaneously, which caused trouble in understanding the conversation of commentators as the lap times updated with a huge "lag".

Moreover, the timing sheet disappeared from the screen when the session ended, leaving viewers to ponder. This trend continued into the St. Petersburg Grand Prix as various graphic elements didn't correlate with their supposed intention.

Session time clocks were absent on multiple occasions, the heads-up display was not visible to international viewers, the hybrid element of the powertrain was not given much consideration by the commentators, and much more. This hindered the final experience on television.

This was further noted by internal IndyCar members as Trackside Legends writer Jeroen Demmendaal revealed on X (formerly Twitter):

"For anyone who was also frustrated about the messy #INDYCAR broadcast that new rights holder Fox sent out into the world: I understand through the grapevine that Fox is preparing a hefty list of improvements and that St Pete was internally seen as “chaos.” Hopefully Thermal will be better!" [Translated]

FOX Sports has taken note of the issue and is understood to take the required action by the next race weekend at the Thermal Club Grand Prix.

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FOX Sports on IndyCar era hits off strong

INDYCAR Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg - Source: Getty

While the St. Petersburg Grand Prix had some blunders during its broadcast, the hype surrounding FOX Sports' partnership with IndyCar seemingly paid off. The race averaged 1.4 million viewers and hit a peak of 1.8 million concurrent viewers.

Moreover, this resulted in a growth of 45 percent in viewership year-on-year (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!"

Alex Palou emerged victorious at the St. Petersburg Grand Prix after starting eighth on track. A lap 1 caution helped his alternate tire gamble pay off as pole-sitter Scott McLaughlin finished fourth.

Despite finishing fourth, McLaughlin is third in the interim championship standings as he earned bonus points for leading the most laps and claiming the pole. Meanwhile, Scott Dixon and Josef Newgarden rounded out the podium and gave a strong showing for Chip Ganassi Racing and Team Penske.

The second Grand Prix of the 17-race calendar will take place in Thermal Club. The race was a non-championship exhibition race last year, which was won by the Spaniard.

This year, it will be advertised as the Thermal Club Grand Prix as it will be counted toward the championship standings. The 3.067-mile track boasts 19 turns and undulating elevation changes.