Less than 24 hours after a practice crash left his car in pieces, Scott McLaughlin staged an incredible comeback to claim pole position for the season-opening IndyCar 2025 Grand Prix of St. Petersburg.
McLaughlin’s determined effort in Saturday’s Firestone Fast Six qualifying session saw him clock a best lap of 59.4624 seconds in the No.3 DEX Imaging Team Penske Chevrolet..
The pole position marks the 11th of his IndyCar career, adding another milestone to Team Penske’s 699th pole across all racing series. For McLaughlin, it also signifies the 70th pole of his career with Penske, underlining his deep-rooted success with the team.
After his practice incident on Friday, McLaughlin praised his team’s swift recovery and their belief in his ability to bounce back.
“Huge amount of respect; we have so much trust in each other, and they trusted I could do the job today,” McLaughlin said, after claiming St Petersburg pole. “The guys and girls on this team, they’re stars. I had to repay them. I made a little silly mistake there, and I was glad to come back with them.”
McLaughlin added: “I just wanted to get pole first race of the year. Good vibes. It’s just great vibes – immaculate vibes, we like to say. I’m very excited.”
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McLaughlin St Petersburg Pole and Stacked Front Row
McLaughlin, on St Petersburg pole, will share the front row with Colton Herta, the 2021 St. Petersburg race winner, who posted a time of 59.6393 seconds in his No. 26 Gainbridge Honda of Andretti Global.
Meanwhile, Meyer Shank Racing had a landmark qualifying session, securing both second-row starting spots, Felix Rosenqvist qualified third (59.6989 seconds) in the No.60 SiriusXM Honda, while new teammate Marcus Armstrong locked in fourth place (59.8278 seconds) in the No.66 SiriusXM/Root Insurance Honda.
Rounding out the Firestone Fast Six were Christian Lundgaard, who impressed in his first race with Arrow McLaren, qualifying fifth (59.8663 seconds) in the No.7 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet, and six-time series champion Scott Dixon, who claimed sixth (59.9216 seconds) in the No.9 PNC Bank Chip Ganassi Racing Honda.
Intense Qualifying Battles Shake Up the Grid
The Firestone Fast Six session was full of last-minute drama, with pole position changing hands twice in the final 60 seconds. Rosenqvist held provisional pole with just over a minute remaining before Herta surged ahead with 30 seconds to go. However, McLaughlin delivered the decisive lap with mere seconds left on the clock, reclaiming the top spot.
Earlier rounds of qualifying also saw surprising exits from major contenders. Two-time St. Petersburg winner Josef Newgarden failed to advance beyond the Round of 12 and will start 10th in the No.2 PPG Team Penske Chevrolet. Meanwhile, three-time reigning IndyCar champion Alex Palou also exited in the second round and will start eighth in the No.10 DHL Chip Ganassi Racing Honda.
Notably, two-time series champion Will Power, who has claimed nine poles in St. Petersburg over the last 15 years, was eliminated in the first round of qualifying, meaning he will start 13th in the No. 12 Verizon Team Penske Chevrolet. Defending race winner Pato O’Ward also had a rough session, securing only the 23rd starting spot in the No. 5 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet.
Full qualifying results and grid for IndyCar GP of St Petersburg
Check out the complete qualifying results and full starting grid for the 2025 IndyCar Grand Prix of St Petersburg.
| Pos. | Car | Driver | Time | Speed | Session |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 3 | Scott McLaughlin | 59.4624 | 108.976 | Fast Six |
| 2 | 26 | Colton Herta | 59.6393 | 108.653 | Fast Six |
| 3 | 60 | Felix Rosenqvist | 59.6989 | 108.545 | Fast Six |
| 4 | 66 | Marcus Armstrong | 59.8278 | 108.311 | Fast Six |
| 5 | 7 | Christian Lundgaard | 59.8663 | 108.241 | Fast Six |
| 6 | 9 | Scott Dixon | 59.9216 | 108.141 | Fast Six |
| 7 | 28 | Marcus Ericsson | 01:00.0034 | 107.994 | Top 12 |
| 8 | 10 | Alex Palou | 01:00.0363 | 107.935 | Top 12 |
| 9 | 27 | Kyle Kirkwood | 01:00.0491 | 107.912 | Top 12 |
| 10 | 2 | Josef Newgarden | 01:00.1424 | 107.744 | Top 12 |
| 11 | 6 | Nolan Siegel | 01:00.2257 | 107.595 | Top 12 |
| 12 | 18 | Rinus Veekay | 01:00.3086 | 107.447 | Top 12 |
| 13 | 12 | Will Power | 59.8752 | 108.225 | Group 1 |
| 14 | 30 | Devlin DeFrancesco | 01:00.1019 | 107.817 | Group 2 |
| 15 | 8 | Kyffin Simpson | 01:00.0095 | 107.983 | Group 1 |
| 16 | 45 | Louis Foster (R) | 01:00.2365 | 107.576 | Group 2 |
| 17 | 4 | David Malukas | 01:00.0128 | 107.977 | Group 1 |
| 18 | 83 | Robert Shwartzman (R) | 01:00.4609 | 107.177 | Group 2 |
| 19 | 14 | Santino Ferrucci | 01:00.0141 | 107.975 | Group 1 |
| 20 | 20 | Alexander Rossi | 01:00.4871 | 107.130 | Group 2 |
| 21 | 15 | Graham Rahal | 01:00.0513 | 107.908 | Group 1 |
| 22 | 76 | Conor Daly | 01:00.5856 | 106.956 | Group 2 |
| 23 | 5 | Pato O’Ward | 01:00.3671 | 107.343 | Group 1 |
| 24 | 21 | Christian Rasmussen | 01:00.6207 | 106.894 | Group 2 |
| 25 | 51 | Jacob Abel (R) | 01:00.8076 | 106.566 | Group 1 |
| 26 | 77 | Sting Ray Robb | 01:00.7986 | 106.581 | Group 2 |
| 27 | 90 | Callum Ilott | 01:00.8349 | 106.518 | Group 2 |
What time does the IndyCar 2025 GP of St Petersburg start?
The 2025 Grand Prix of St Petersburg begins at 12pm ET which means a 9am PT start for those on the West Coast of the USA and an 11am CT green flag.
IndyCar fans in the UK can see the start of the GP of St Petersburg at 5pm.
Where to watch IndyCar 2025 GP of St Petersburg race
The 100-lap race is set to begin at noon ET on Sunday, running through the 14-turn, 1.8-mile temporary street circuit. Fans can catch the action on FOX, FOX Deportes, and the INDYCAR Radio Network, with a 30-minute warm-up at 9 a.m. ET on FS2.
For fans in the UK, the GP of St Petersburg can be seen live on on Sky Sports F1.
