Scott McLaughlin of Team Penske dominated the first practice sessions for the Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg, holding the fastest lap times on both the primary (black) and alternate (red) Firestone Firehawk tires. The driver of the No. 3 DEX Team Penske Chevrolet impressed early on the 1.8-mile, 14-turn street circuit, setting a strong pace in preparation for the weekend’s IndyCar events.
“Obviously being P1 is a great start. The DEX Imaging Chevy was straight away fast, and felt good and comfortable. It’s good for us. It’s the start of a long season and it was nice to have a smooth session to start. We’ll keep pressing on and see how we go,”
McLaughlin said after exiting the car.
Details of the Practice Format and Early Team Penske Highlights
The initial practice on this road and street course was divided into three segments: a full-field 40-minute session followed by two separate 12-minute stints with the field split into groups. McLaughlin led the full-field session on the primary black tires with a best lap of 61.5938 seconds.
Other Team Penske drivers also made their mark during the opening session. Rookie David Malukas ran exclusively on the alternate red tires, making the only extended red tire effort in the first 40 minutes. Meanwhile, Josef Newgarden took a rough tumble through Turns 11 and 12, lightly brushing the tire barrier near the final corner, but returned to complete his red tire run during his 12-minute segment.
Top Performers and Upcoming Sessions
McLaughlin also set his fastest lap on the alternate tires during the 12-minute session, posting a 61.1020-second lap late in his run. Other notable contenders included Christian Rasmussen in the No. 21 ECR Splenda Stevia Chevrolet, David Malukas, and Christian Lundgaard in the No. 7 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet, who were all inside the top ten Friday times.
The second practice for the NTT INDYCAR SERIES is scheduled to start at 9:35 a.m. and will be broadcast on FS1. Later in the day, qualifying begins at 4:35 p.m. with live coverage on FS2, adding anticipation for Team Penske as they aim to carry their strong start forward in the season.
