Four-time and defending IndyCar champion Alex Palou now has 20 career wins, taking a dominant victory in the 2026 season-opener on the streets of St. Petersburg.
After securing the lead through a cycle of pit stops, he drove away from the field, winning by almost 13 seconds and leading 59 of 100 laps.
The battle for second was spirited as Kyle Kirkwood tried and failed to hold on against a charging Scott McLaughlin and Christian Lundgaard. Both drivers made their way through with six laps to go, with McLaughlin finishing second and Lundgaard right behind him in third.
As for the rookies, Dennis Hauger led the way with a tenth-place finish, while Caio Collet was 17th, and Mick Schumacher finished last after being collected in a Lap 1 crash.
2026 Grand Prix of St. Petersburg Race Results
| cla | # | driver | team | laps | time | gap | int | retirement |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 10 |
 Alex Palou |
Chip Ganassi Racing | 100 | - | |||
| 2 | 3 |
 Scott McLaughlin |
Team Penske | 100 | 12.4948 | 12.495 | 12.495 | |
| 3 | 7 |
 Christian Lundgaard |
Arrow McLaren | 100 | 12.9154 | 12.915 | 0.421 | |
| 4 | 27 |
 Kyle Kirkwood |
Andretti Global | 100 | 25.2738 | 25.274 | 12.358 | |
| 5 | 5 |
 Patricio O'Ward
|
Arrow McLaren | 100 | 26.0754 | 26.075 | 0.802 | |
| 6 | 28 |
 Marcus Ericsson
|
Andretti Global | 100 | 26.2563 | 26.256 | 0.181 | |
| 7 | 2 |
Josef Newgarden
|
Team Penske | 100 | 26.4219 | 26.422 | 0.166 | |
| 8 | 18 |
 Romain Grosjean
|
Dale Coyne Racing | 100 | 28.0389 | 28.039 | 1.617 | |
| 9 | 76 |
 Rinus VeeKay
|
Juncos Hollinger Racing | 100 | 28.7151 | 28.715 | 0.676 | |
| 10 | 19 |
 Dennis Hauger |
Dale Coyne Racing | 100 | 29.8722 | 29.872 | 1.157 | |
| 11 | 66 |
 Marcus Armstrong
|
Meyer Shank Racing with Curb-Agajanian | 100 | 30.4683 | 30.468 | 0.596 | |
| 12 | 60 |
Felix Rosenqvist
|
Meyer Shank Racing with Curb-Agajanian | 100 | 30.8105 | 30.811 | 0.342 | |
| 13 | 12 |
David Malukas
|
Team Penske | 100 | 33.7756 | 33.776 | 2.965 | |
| 14 | 45 |
 Louis Foster
|
Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing | 100 | 38.0390 | 38.039 | 4.263 | |
| 15 | 8 | Kyffin Simpson | Chip Ganassi Racing | 100 | 38.9093 | 38.909 | 0.870 | |
| 16 | 20 |
Alexander Rossi
|
Ed Carpenter Racing | 100 | 49.6127 | 49.613 | 10.703 | |
| 17 | 4 |
 Caio Collet |
A.J. Foyt Enterprises | 100 | 1'01.9774 | 1'01.977 | 12.365 | |
| 18 | 15 |
Graham Rahal
|
Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing | 100 | 1'03.1343 | 1'03.134 | 1.157 | |
| 19 | 21 |
Christian Rasmussen
|
Ed Carpenter Racing | 100 | 1'03.1912 | 1'03.191 | 0.057 | |
| 20 | 6 |
Nolan Siegel
|
Meyer Shank Racing with Curb-Agajanian | 99 | 1 lap | |||
| 21 | 77 |
Ray Robb Sting |
Juncos Hollinger Racing | 93 | 6 laps | |||
| 22 | 26 |
Will Power
|
Andretti Global | 55 | 44 laps | Retirement | ||
| 23 | 9 |
Scott Dixon
|
Chip Ganassi Racing | 39 | 60 laps | Accident | ||
| 24 | 14 |
Santino Ferrucci
|
A.J. Foyt Enterprises | 0 | 99 laps | Collision | ||
| 25 | 47 |
 Mick Schumacher |
Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing | 0 | 99 laps | Collision |
