'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
The 2025 IndyCar season got off to a great start, with multiple storylines already starting to pan out. With some teams asserting their reign over the sport and others being penalized for their actions, the month of March was a roller coaster ride for the fans:
First Big News
Starting with the first big announcement in March, Scott McLaughlin signed a contract extension with Team Penske. This extension closed off another spot at the Mooresville-based squad, as Josef Newgarden is already on a long-term contract.
However, it appears that's a luxury that not every Team Penske driver can afford. Will Power is on the last legs of his tenure with the team. Despite this news, he aimed to make some moves in the initial phase of the season in the races at St. Petersburg and Thermal Club.
Trending
The St. Petersburg Grand Prix
McLaughlin celebrated his contract extension by bagging in the pole for the race at the street circuit. Meanwhile, his teammates, Newgarden and Power were way down the field.
Moreover, Power's attempt at impressing Team Penske went south as his race ended on lap 1 and left Newgarden and McLaughlin as the flag bearers for the team.
However, the caution caused by Power's wreck ended up sabotaging the pole-sitter's race, as he was on the primary tires on his first stint and lost multiple positions in the pit stop sequence. Meanwhile, Josef Newgarden benefitted from this and moved up to second.
Scott Dixon made a resurging drive mid-way through the race after his radio was out in the initial phase of the race. He got past the Team Penske driver but was unable to challenge Alex Palou for the lead.
The Spaniard picked up from where he had left off. He asserted his dominance over the field as he was among the benefactors from the lap 1 caution and drove a calm race to take home a Chip Ganassi Racing 1-2.
Massive viewership spike at the season opener
Though FOX's first IndyCar race was littered with small hiccups here and there, FOX's marketing worked wonders as the race averaged 1.45 million viewers with a peak of over 1.8 million viewers.
FOX's feud with NHRA
While the days after the St. Petersburg Grand Prix remained calm, FOX soared in the headlines again, but due to a beef with NHRA this time. NHRA's Bob Tasca III was unhappy with FOX's claims of IndyCar being the fastest on earth.
This sparked a massive debate where drivers and fans expressed their discontent with Tasca's views. This led to the souring of relations between the two series as fans hurled anger-charged messages at each other.
An interesting Thermal Club IndyCar Grand Prix weekend
The race weekend started with Robert Shwartzman's PREMA Racing IndyCar catching on fire in the first practice session. Despite the initial setback for the team, the Italian giant readied up the Russian-Israeli driver's car for the qualifying session.
Anyhow, qualifying was the big culprit in Thermal Club, the Team Penske trio were pace leaders in the practice sessions held till then. However, this changed during qualifying, as Power, Newgarden, and McLaughlin were knocked out in the first round of qualifications, marking the first time in over three years that all Team Penske drivers were out in the first qualifying session.
This escalated other teams in the top ranks, as Marcus Ericsson and Alexander Rossi made it to the Fast 6. Moreover, in the Fast 6, Christian Lundgaard was poised to take the pole as he appeared as the lead McLaren driver since the season started.
However, the Dane's bubble was burst by Pato O'Ward, who toppled him for pole and made it an all-McLaren front row. The Mexican driver then led 51 of the 65 laps and looked the favorite for the victory.
But, Alex Palou struck back again and overtook O'Ward on lap 56, and denied McLaren a chance to recreate an almost 50-year-old feat.
A tough day for FOX at the Thermal Club IndyCar Grand Prix
While FOX enjoyed its initial success with the race in St. Petersburg, the second race came off as a nightmare for the broadcaster as the telecast witnessed an outage for over 10 laps in the middle of the race.
Fans quickly switched over to the NASCAR Homestead Miami race as IndyCar's viewership almost halved from St. Petersburg, leading experts to lament FOX's handling of the broadcast so far.
Teams being slammed with penalties
Andretti and PREMA Racing were penalized for not following the rules at the race in Thermal Club. PREMA's fire at the start of the weekend ended up costing the team 10 points and $25,000 as it had used an unapproved fire impression system in its car, which was the main cause for the fire eventually burning down Shwartzman's car.
On the other hand, Andretti's Colton Herta was docked 10 points, $25,000, and the prize money from Thermal Club due to a different rule violation. Andretti had seemingly only put one anti-intrusion plate, a safety device, on Herta's car, which intrigued the penalty, but the team questioned the assessment by the stewards afterward.
Graham Rahal mending peace with NHRA
Bob Tasca's initial comments were still fresh in the IndyCar fanbase. Despite this, Graham Rahal went over to the NHRA camp by sponsoring his father-in-law's team, John Force Racing, for the 2025 season.
This sponsorship deal struck gold as JFR claimed its 300th Funny Car victory with Jack Beckman, and ironically, the feud that started with the two series criticizing each other went on to IndyCar community rejoicing in Rahal and Force's NHRA victory and putting the beef to rest.
The underdogs that shone through
Of the two IndyCar races held so far, some drivers have been able to utilize every opportunity that has been presented to them. While Alex Palou sparks up as the best so far, some underdogs have also maximized their potential with the machinery they have.
Alexander Rossi has claimed two top-10 positions at both races, despite being in a midfield car at best. Similarly, Dale Coyne Racing's Rinus VeeKay has claimed a top-10 result at St. Petersburg and left a mark on the grid.
Marcus Ericsson and Marcus Armstrong have also had some solid races in between and deserve a shout-out. Now, the IndyCar sphere readies up for the next race at Long Beach on April 13.
