In a huge relief to those seeking refuge from Max Verstappen’s F1 reign of terror, IndyCar recently kicked off a brand-new season with the Grand Prix of St. Petersburg. While the Florida streets weren’t quite as chaotic as last year, they still gave us plenty to talk about, so let’s take a look at the race’s biggest standouts and slip-ups.

Newgarden leads the Penske parade

This was Josef Newgarden’s weekend, no doubt. The reigning Indy 500 and 24 Hours of Daytona champ started on pole, posted the fastest lap time in race history, and led all but eight laps to cruise to a record-tying third win in St. Pete. The rest of Team Penske turned in great performances as well, with Scott McLaughlin climbing six spots to reach the podium and Aussie legend Will Power right behind him in fourth. All three racers benefitted from quick pace, smart strategy, and a dash of good fortune—everything they needed for ideal drive—and Newgarden in particular looked much stronger on the street than he did last season. Individually, all three made strong cases for themselves as title contenders, and as a unit, Penske look ready to assert their place in the Big Three once again.

Ever wondered how #INDYCAR drivers manage a busy race weekend?

Get to know the faces behind the scenes in this edition of NTT Meet the Paddock ???? pic.twitter.com/9Obf8XUCLN

— NTT INDYCAR SERIES (@IndyCar) March 13, 2024

O’Ward aims his arrow high

Starting and finishing his day in the medals, Pato O’Ward’s second straight St. Pete silver prevented a Penske 1-2-3 and helped Chevrolet hit the ground running in its quest for a Manufacturers’ Cup threepeat. Combined with Alexander Rossi’s seven-spot ascent into 8th and fill-in Calum Illot clawing his way up to 13th, McLaren got big-time performances out of their Orange Arrows to make up for David Malukas’s preseason injury. However, from an individual standpoint, O’Ward hasn’t fully shaken the shadow of his winless 2023, and no amount of podiums will satisfy his lust for gold, especially not if he collects them while several seconds behind the next car. Still, it’s a strong first outing in his quest to return to the top step.

Herta stars, but with some asterisks

Colton Herta was Honda’s strongest soldier today, keeping his manufacturer in the top 5 and seizing on Newgarden’s second pit stop to steal a lap and a bonus championship point. Combined with the bronze he took in January at the 24 Hours of Daytona, Herta’s 2024 already looks like a rebound from the down year he just had. But it wasn’t all sunshine for the Andretti ace, whose repeated backfires in tyre strategy hampered his pace and left him vulnerable to repeated overtakes that pushed him out of the top three whenever he managed to break in. Ultimately, Herta finished a place behind where he started out and will now have to do some homework to figure out how he can build on this performance and fully recapture his winning ways.

Palou smells blood in the water

Defending two-time National Champion Álex Palou didn’t quite dominate like he did throughout last season—and given he started from 13th, it’s uncertain he would’ve been able to. But the longer the race went on, the more steam the Spaniard picked up, patiently working his way up the field. By Palou’s peak, when he was breathing down Colton Herta’s neck and looked poised to steal 5th place, you could practically hear the Jaws theme intensifying in the background. While Herta ultimately escaped the confrontation, it was a reminder of how threatening Palou can be. His 6th place finish made him a points-getter for Honda and as long as he remains Chip Ganassi’s top gun, he’ll be a plausible pick to win every time he gets in the car.

Rosenqvist peaks too early

Felix Rosenqvist had a Saturday to remember, as he ran a 59.2706 in round two of qualifying, breaking a track record Will Power set two years earlier. Unfortunately his Sunday was more forgettable, as the Swede started in second and slid down to seventh—not terrible, but not what he looked capable of either. Still, it’s his best start to a season since his 2019 Rookie of the Year campaign, and if he can recapture his highs from this weekend consistently, he may be in for his best year of IndyCar yet.

Simpson fires his first shot

Of the five rookies in the field, Kyffin Simpson was the surprise standout. While his fellow greenhorns either finished where they started or slipped backwards, the Caymanian made an impressive climb from 23rd to 14th—a relative ascent only surpassed by Pietro Fittipaldi’s double-digit climb to 15th—and posted the fastest non-Newgarden lap of the day, making Simpson an outright Driver of the Day contender. This young gun may not have been the most-hyped of his class, but at least for one day, he was quickest on the draw, and if he can keep this up, he might move up the Ganassi pecking order faster than people expected.

Lundgaard goes full Icarus

Christian Lundgaard may have had the biggest roller-coaster ride of the day, qualifying 12th but catching a tyre puncture on the first lap that forced an extremely early pit stop. On the 29th lap the Danish driver stayed out while most of the field pitted, enabling him to seize the first lead change of the day and cling on for seven laps in the sun. But once he had to pit his wings melted, and after he slid back down the ladder, he went quiet for the rest of the race, ultimately finishing 20th. Still, Lundgaard found a moment to shine and seized it for as long as he could, and if he can replicate that on a larger scale, he could find himself in Victory Lane once again.

Minor Misfortunes: fires burnin’, cars a-turnin’

Colin Braun is an incredible sports car and endurance racer—he’s bagged three IMSA titles, three 24 Hours of Daytona wins, and even a class championship at last year’s Le Mans—but the big highlight of his IndyCar debut was a close call in the pit lane, when a fuel spill briefly set his car on fire. Fortunately, the flame quickly extinguished itself, and Braun would have a much calmer ride to 22nd place.

Contact between @RGrosjean and @L_Lundqvist76 sends the No. 8 into the tire barrier.

The No. 77 has been assessed a drive-through penalty for avoidable contact.#INDYCAR // #FirestoneGP pic.twitter.com/IuQJLeWB2y

— NTT INDYCAR SERIES (@IndyCar) March 10, 2024

The day’s dishonors of “worst rookie” and “worst driver named -qvist” both go to Linus Lundqvist, who finished 23rd and three laps down, thanks in large part to a pit under caution that forced him to the back of the field.

It wasn’t all his fault, however, as his team, Chip Ganassi Racing had a strange beef with turn 10 today, with three of their drivers having incidents in the area. Lundqvist suffered the biggest driver contact of the day, as Romain Grosjean smacked the young Swede into the wall, which busted a rear wing and looked for a moment like it might end the #8 car’s race early.

Lundqvist’s teammate, the legendary Scott Dixon, got off much lighter, saving himself from a near-crash and surviving to ultimately finish 9th. As for that third Ganassi driver, well…

The Sicko’s Guide to DNFs: Florida man fights tyres, loses

Marcus Armstrong, last season’s Rookie of the Year, earned a promising top-ten spot on Saturday and was only a quarter of the way through the race when he suffered an ill-timed brake lock and smashed into a tyre barrier, making him the ignominious first DNF of the 2024 season. It’s a disappointing start, but certainly one he can bounce back from.

Eight laps later, meme machine Sting Ray Robb added to his reputation when his car decided it didn’t want to do this anymore and veered off the track, leaving him stranded. We can only hope that Pray.com, his new main sponsor, gave him solace after this calamity.

Trouble for @sting_ray_robb will bring an early end to his debut with @AJFoytRacing.

????: NBC and Peacock#INDYCAR // #FirestoneGP pic.twitter.com/5TKnzsf0aV

— NTT INDYCAR SERIES (@IndyCar) March 10, 2024

Marcus Ericsson, the reigning champ on this course and the newest driver at Andretti, had his hopes cut short a little after the halfway mark due to mechanical failure. The crew did try and make repairs, but the damage was too severe and the F1 Sauber alumnus had to relinquish his circuit crown.

Finally, the racing gods punished Romain Grosjean for his sins. After he’d already served a drive-through penalty for the hit on Lundqvist, the Frenchman’s car suffered a breakdown, ending his day after 82 laps. It’s not an ideal start to the year, especially on a one-year contract after flaming out from one of IndyCar’s top teams, and he’ll need to rebound soon if he wants to keep his career alive.

Future Flames: a rich Riverside rendezvous

There’s an odd new wrinkle in the schedule this year, as Texas drops off the list in favor of the new Thermal Club $1,000,000 Challenge, an exhibition TV special in inland Southern California. With a new locale, unique three-heat format, and a huge cash prize on the line, it should be worth a look, if only for the sheer novelty factor.