Reigning IndyCar champion Alex Palou took victory at the 2025 IndyCar season opener, the Grand Prix of St. Petersburg.

Palou has never won this race before, and in doing so, he’s setting up a strong challenge for his fourth IndyCar title.

Alex Palou took victory at the Grand Prix of St. Pete

Chip Ganassi Racing driver Alex Palou qualified down in eighth place, but it was clear his No. 10 Honda had pace considering his top-three position in both of IndyCar’s pre-race qualifying sessions.

It would take a strong strategy and clean driving to bring the car home with a win, and that’s exactly what the No. 10 crew did.

A quiet player in the early stages of the race, Palou’s decisive move came in an undercut pit stop around Lap 73, giving him track position over his teammate Scott Dixon — who revealed after the race that he was competing without a functioning radio.

As the remaining challengers pitted, Palou maintained his lead despite lapped traffic and Josef Newgarden hot on his tail. No one had anything for the reigning champion, and Palou took his first win at St. Petersburg — one that cements his position in the lead of the championship once again.

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2025 IndyCar Grand Prix of St. Pete results:

• 1. Alex Palou (No. 10 Chip Ganassi Racing)
• 2. Scott Dixon (No. 9 Chip Ganassi Racing)
• 3. Josef Newgarden (No. 2 Team Penske)
• 4. Scott McLaughlin (No. 3 Team Penske)
• 5. Kyle Kirkwood (No. 27 Andretti Global)
• 6. Marcus Ericsson (No. 28 Andretti Global)
• 7. Felix Rosenqvist (No. 60 Meyer Shank Racing)
• 8. Christian Lundgaard (No. 7 Arrow McLaren)
• 9. Rinus Veekay (No. 18 Dale Coyne Racing)
• 10. Alexander Rossi (No. 20 Ed Carpenter Racing)
• 11. Pato O’Ward (No. 5 Arrow McLaren)
• 12. Graham Rahal (No. 15 Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing)
• 13. David Malukas (No. 4 A. J. Foyt Racing)
• 14. Santino Ferrucci (No. 14 A. J. Foyt Racing)
• 15. Christian Rasmussen (No. 21 Ed Carpenter Racing)
• 16. Colton Herta (No. 26 Andretti Global)
• 17. Conor Daly (No. 76 Juncos Hollinger Racing)
• 18. Kyffin Simpson (No. 8 Chip Ganassi Racing)
• 19. Callum Ilott (No. 90 Prema Racing)
• 20. Robert Shwartzman (No. 83 Prema Racing)
• 21. Sting Ray Robb (No. 77 Juncos Hollinger Racing)
• 22. Devlin DeFrancesco (No. 30 Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing)
• 23. Jacob Abel (No. 51 Dale Coyne Racing)
• 24. Marcus Armstrong (No. 66 Meyer Shank Racing) – DNF
• 25. Nolan Siegel (No. 7 Arrow McLaren) – DNF
• 26. Will Power (No. 12 Team Penske) – DNF
• 27. Louis Foster (No. 45 Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing) – DNF

Current 2025 IndyCar standings after St. Pete:

• 1. Alex Palou – 51 points
• 2. Scott Dixon – 41 points
• 3. Scott McLaughlin – 36 points
• 4. Josef Newgarden – 36 points
• 5. Kyle Kirkwood – 30 points
• 6. Marcus Ericsson – 28 points
• 7. Felix Rosenqvist – 26 points
• 8. Christian Lundgaard – 25 points
• 9. Rinus Veekay – 22 points
• 10. Alexander Rossi – 20 points
• 11. Pato O’Ward – 19 points
• 12. Graham Rahal – 18 points
• 13. David Malukas – 17 points
• 14. Santino Ferrucci – 16 points
• 15. Colton Herta – 15 poins
• 16. Christian Rasmussen – 15 points
• 17. Conor Daly – 13 points
• 18. Kyffin Simpson – 12 points
• 19. Callum Ilott – 11 points
• 20. Robert Shwartzman – 10 points
• 21. Sting Ray Robb – 9 points
• 22. Devlin DeFrancesco – 8 points
• 23. Jacob Abel – 7 points
• 24. Marcus Armstrong – 7 points
• 25. Louis Foster – 5 points
• 26. Will Power – 5 points
• 27. Nolan Siegel – 5 points

Read next: Alex Palou dominates Grand Prix of St. Pete, sets up fourth title run