Graham Rahal's wife Courtney Force makes her feelings known after his terrific comeback at IndyCar's St. Pete race

Graham Rahal was present at the Firestone St. Petersburg Grand Prix with his wife, Courtney Force, and two children. Despite a disappointing qualifying, the 36-year-old made his way up the field to finish 12th, leading Force to share her feelings on Rahal's day in St. Petersburg.

The Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing driver started 21st for the race and others around him started on the alternate tire and were on a strategic advantage due to a lap 1 caution. Despite this, Graham Rahal kept his head down and focused on the race ahead. This made him one of the few drivers that were able to make the first stint with the primary tires work.

This helped him catapult his way up the field, and he finished in 12th place. Witnessing her husband's impressive work behind the wheel, Courtney Force wrote on her Instagram:

"Wrapped up the first race day of the IndyCar season in St. Pete and Graham and his team made some serious moves when it counted. Not the start he wanted at 21st but moved up to 12th to finish! Heading in the right direction. Hopeful for a great season for him and his RLL teammates this year!"

Graham Rahal was the lead Rahal Letterman Lanigan driver at the St. Petersburg Grand Prix.

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Graham Rahal reflects on his result at St. Petersburg

Graham Rahal at the NTT INDYCAR Series Gallagher Grand Prix - Source: Getty

While Rahal has been on a 22-race podium drought, he has been making steady progress and secured five top-10s last year. With the 36-year-old making the most out of his race after starting from an odd position, he was happy with the work he had done.

Focusing on ironing out his mistakes, Graham Rahal said (via Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing):

"It was a good race overall for the Fifth Third Bank team; we came a long way forward. We just barely got beat out of the pits by Pato and then Rossi. I kind of wished I could have just dive bombed him (Rossi) and forced the issue a little more, but I tried to play it smart and not take us both out. He was blocking and I didn’t really want to ruin two (drivers) days. In the end, it was a solid day for us and the team. There were also good, solid stops for the boys. We soldier on now and focus on Thermal."

The 180-mile race was won by the reigning champion, Alex Palou.The Spaniard has started the 2025 title bid on the front foot by claiming the victory at the season opener, which will help him in achieving a possible three-peat at the championship.

Chip Ganassi Racing had a strong outing at the fabled race, despite Kyffin Sympson's out-of-position finish, as they recorded a 1-2 result. Meanwhile, Scott McLaughlin and Josef Newgarden finished third and fourth for Team Penske.