Pato O'ward figures in reshaped title battle as IndyCar season opens in St. Petersburg
The NTT INDYCAR SERIES kicks off its season on the Streets of St. Petersburg, and among the storylines is how pato o'ward and McLaren intend to press their championship push after a runner-up finish last year. The opener matters because an early performance on a tight 25-car street-course field will set tones for an 18-race calendar that compresses the schedule in March.
Pato O'ward's runner-up finish last season
Pato O'ward finished second in the standings last year, a result that positions him and McLaren as immediate championship threats entering the downtown St. Petersburg opener. That runner-up placement framed offseason expectations: teams and drivers watched McLaren and O'Ward for signs they could close the gap on the defending class leaders. The timing matters because the series stages four races in March, meaning early points in St. Petersburg can quickly influence momentum across the condensed opening month.
Alex Palou pursues a fourth straight title and more
Alex Palou arrives at the season opener as the defending race winner at St. Petersburg and as a front-runner for another championship, seeking a fourth consecutive series crown. Palou claimed the opening street-course victory at this venue last year as the first of eight wins that season, a tally that included the Indianapolis 500 and contributed to what was described as a third straight IndyCar title. He returns with Chip Ganassi Racing intact after a breach-of-contract lawsuit with McLaren was resolved, a legal outcome that left him back with his team and focused on repeating that rare run of success. If Palou secures a fourth straight championship, he would match a historic benchmark reached only once before in series history.
Team moves, personnel and the competitive landscape
The field for the opener comprises 25 drivers, and several team-level changes reshaped competitiveness over the winter. Team Penske, which also owns IndyCar and the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, is aiming to rebound after a difficult previous season when Josef Newgarden finished 12th in the standings and Scott McLaughlin wound up ninth. Penske replaced Will Power in its lineup with David Malukas, who is 24, giving the organization a younger option in one seat.
Will Power re-emerges in the series on a different path: he turns 45 on race day and debuts this season driving for Andretti Global rather than Penske. Andretti’s roster and leadership were further altered when owner Dan Towriss hired Ron Ruzewski, one of three former Team Penske executives dismissed after an Indianapolis 500 inspection infraction, as the team principal of its IndyCar program. Those hires intentionally transfer institutional knowledge from Penske into Andretti’s operations, a change that could produce immediate strategic gains on weekends when setup and pit execution matter most.
McLaren’s presence also looms large. The team is expected to be a contender after O'Ward’s second-place run in the standings last year, and its off-season posture places it among the primary challengers to Palou and Chip Ganassi Racing out of the gate. The interplay of returning champions, high-profile transfers and freshly configured pit crews makes for an opener where small differences will have outsized effects: a good qualifying on the tight street circuit can avoid mid-pack traffic and yield a tangible points advantage at the end of a compressed March run.
The season formally begins Sunday on the downtown streets of St. Petersburg, with the broader season stretching to an 18-race schedule, the largest slate since 2014. The calendar includes a return to Phoenix Raceway and introduces three new venues, ensuring teams must rapidly adapt both to street circuits and renewed ovals. What makes this notable is how quickly fortunes can shift early: with multiple races in the first month and a deep field of experienced and newly assembled teams, the opening weekend will reveal whether last season’s order holds or the offseason moves have already altered the pecking order.
