Scott McLaughlin admits getting hit with "worst circumstance" after Will Power's lap 1 crash at St. Petersburg

Scott McLaughlin finished P4 at the 2025 Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg after starting the race in pole position on Sunday. The Team Penske driver came out after the race and detailed how the Lap 1 crash involving Will Power and Nolan Siegel hindered his chances of winning the race.

Motorsport reporter Tony Donohue spoke with Scott McLaughlin after the race at St. Pete. He asked the Team Penske driver about his weekend and how the Kiwi driver felt about finishing P4. Donohue uploaded a video of the same on social media platform X as McLaughlin replied,

“Overall a very good weekend. I think caution falls at a different time. Like the, first lap, it's just like it is what it is. That was probably the worst circumstance for me on a prime because it was just like allowed everyone on alternates that were probably going to struggle, you know.”

“It's luck of the draw sometimes. But for us salvage what we did because ultimately we did a pitstop more than everyone else. Come back fourth like, and not far off the lead, It's pretty impressive really,” he added.

Team Penske started the race on the harder compound primary tires. Colton Herta in P2 started on the alternate tires and the midfield pack consisting of Josef Newgarden, Alex Palou, and Scott Dixon, who started the race on the softer compound tires.

With Will Power, Louis Foster, and Nolan Siegel crashing on Lap 1, a caution was brought out, which led to a safety car. The soft tire runners took advantage of the same and pitted under caution, while Scott McLaughlin, who was on the harder rubber, stayed out and essentially lost a pitstop to those.

McLaughlin still had to run the alternate tires, which has caused trouble for drivers this weekend, including Pato O'Ward, while the likes of Palou and Newgarden just ran the primary tire to the end.

Scott McLaughlin on changing the focus after the safety car

Scott McLaughlin led the race up until the first round of pit stops and then put the alternate tires on for a short stint before switching back to primaries. Despite the disadvantage, McLaughlin finished P4 behind the podium finishers and only 8.6 seconds behind the winner, Alex Palou.

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

Speaking about how he changed his goal after the safety car gave an advantage to the ones who started on alternate, McLaughlin said (via Tony Donohue's tweet),

“Ultimately, as soon as that yellow came out, I knew my job, what I needed to do. And really from when the yellow came out I was like, okay, if we get top five today, I'd be stoked. So, yeah, ultimately it's just the luck of the draw sometimes. And yeah, you just gotta take it when you get it.”

Alex Palou and Scott Dixon completed a 1-2 for Chip Ganassi Racing, with McLaughlin's teammate Josef Newgarden rounding up the podium positions.