Palou Takes St. Petersburg.

Alex Palou, the reigning and four-time IndyCar Series champion, won the Grand Prix of St.Petersburg, marking a strong start to his title defense. Starting fourth, Palou utilized an early overcut pit strategy to take the lead and control the race for 62 of 100 laps, ultimately beating pole-sitter Scott McLaughlin by over 12 seconds.

McLaughlin finished second, having led 34 laps, while Christian Lundgaard climbed from 12th to secure third place. Kyle Kirkwood finished fourth after being forced to save fuel, and Pato O'Ward took fifth.

The race saw early chaos with a multi-car incident involving Sting Ray Robb, Santino Ferrucci, and rookie Mick Schumacher, leading to retirements and a penalty.

David Malukas also faced issues with a flat tire, and Will Power's race was hampered by contact. Palou took the lead on Lap 43 and maintained a significant gap, eventually pitting on Lap 67 with a 14-second lead.

Kirkwood briefly moved ahead of McLaughlin through an undercut, but McLaughlin and Lundgaard later overtook him as he conserved fuel. Palou secured the victory, with McLaughlin holding off Lundgaard for second place.