The first race of the 2025 NTT IndyCar Series season took place on Sunday with the traditional streets of St. Petersburg hosting the exciting series for the 21st time.

In what has become a recurring theme, Alex Palou ran an error-free race that allowed him to claim victory from an eighth place starting position.

Scott Dixon and Josef Newgarden rounded out the podium, with each driver battling through issues that prevented them from taking the top spot for themselves.

READ MORE: IndyCar St. Pete – Full Race Report

The wildest moment of the race took place on the very first lap, with Will Power, Nolan Siegel, and rookie Louis Foster all tangling as they attempted to get through Turn 3. The trio of drivers were all forced to retire on the spot.

Teams did all they could to utilize the softer tire compound Firestone brought this weekend, but it ended up degrading too quickly and few were able to stay on them for longer than 10 laps.

The next race on the IndyCar calendar takes place in three weeks’ time, with a tilt around The Thermal Club on the docket.

The post IndyCar St. Petersburg – Race Results appeared first on Motorsport Week.

The first race of the 2025 IndyCar season took place on Sunday afternoon under picture perfect skies on the shores of St. Petersburg, Florida.

27 drivers took the green flag, including two racing for the series’ newest team PREMA. But only one driver was able to take victory at the end of the 100-lap event.

In what is a recurring theme in IndyCar, Alex Palou was able to put on a clinic and took victory to open the season.

READ MORE: IndyCar St. Pete – Full Race Results

His methodical driving skills allowed him to take care of his tires better than his competitors, and he used the strength that was left in his car to fend off a charging Josef Newgarden in the closing laps despite lapped traffic causing issues.

Despite looking like he was going to challenge for the win in the final 10 laps, Josef Newgarden dropped off the pace dramatically in the final lap.

He revealed after the race that he had fuel miscues, which caused his pit box to call him over the radio with instructions to back way off the pace so he could make it to the finish line.

Newgarden’s sudden ‘emergency mode’ call allowed Scott Dixon to overtake him and claim the second spot on the podium.

Dixon ran the entire race with no radio communication, and he felt that he could have secured the victory himself if he were able to pit at the optimal times.

The fuel miscalculation and radio troubles were the small details that ultimately determined the order of the podium in a close battle.

Early trouble

The race was barely underway before a large incident brought out the full course yellow.

As the field of 27 drivers roared through the first couple turns, track space became a premium and cars began bumping off one another.

By Turn 3, it all came to a head. Nolan Siegel had to check up for traffic ahead and was run into by Will Power.

Both drivers spun into the wall hard, with rookie Louis Foster also spinning amid the chaos as the rest of the field attempted to avoid the chaos.

All three drivers were forced to retire on the spot, having completed zero laps in the 2025 season.

The early caution meant that drivers who started on the soft compound were able to pit on the third lap to get rid of the inferior tires. All but nine drivers took the opportunity, leading to split strategies for the remainder of the race.

Once the green flags flew for a second time, the race continued without interruption for the rest of the event.

A few drivers attempted to make the soft Guayule Firestone tires last 30 laps, splitting the 100-lap race into roughly three equal parts.

That strategy did not work well, however, and they all had to come in again to change tires less than 10 laps later.

Pato O’Ward stayed on the soft tires longer than any other driver, 20 laps on a single stint. It is even more surprising that he was able to climb through the field as quickly as he did.

The young star began the race in 23rd, but worked his way up to 11th by the checkered flag. O’Ward was the most improved driver on the day.

Drivers return to the track in three weeks when the series visits The Thermal Club for a points-paying round at the luxurious club track.

The post Alex Palou masterclass secures win in IndyCar season opener appeared first on Motorsport Week.

Chip Ganassi Racing has launched a new driver development program, which will help identify and assist young racing drivers.

The program utilizes CGR’s wide array of relationships and partnerships across the racing landscape to help put young talent on the right track.

The goal is to train and develop young drivers with the intent of having the best talent available to place into the team’s top-level IndyCar seats.

CGR will partner with other teams around the globe, and drivers that are part of the development program will complete work in the team’s Indianapolis location.

Training will compose all aspects of a driver athlete’s skillset, including physical, mental, and business improvement. Young drivers will also have a chance to shadow the team at select IndyCar events.

“Young race drivers should have unselfish support to develop from a young age,” said Mike Hull, Managing Director at Chip Ganassi Racing.

“The defined ladder steps are only the first chapter. The match of an open mind with a diversified plan becomes the best avenue for career development. To become successful at the highest level starts with a disciplined structure.

“The creation of the separation mindset starts away from the race track which feeds the on-track choices. Finding the best functional race team avenues speeds career development. Mentoring within the CGR ethic feeds on-going growth.”

Driver development from multiple different directions

A couple specific teams are outlined as partners in the development program, including Palou Motorsport, a team founded by three-time IndyCar champion and CGR driver Alex Palou.

Palou Motorsport competes in Eurocup 3, and finished third in the series’ inaugural season in 2023.

Kiwi Motorsport, which competes in the Formula 4 and Formula Regional series, is named as another partner team.

The team is well established in the lower formula categories and has been part of the development of Formula 1 drivers Brendon Hartley, Daniil Kvyat and Franco Colapinto.

CGR is also competing in the IndyNXT series this upcoming season, which is the final step on the progression ladder before the top-level IndyCar Series.

The IndyNXT effort will no doubt factor into the development program as a stepping stone into the team’s championship winning efforts in the premiere series.

The post Chip Ganassi Racing announces driver development program appeared first on Motorsport Week.

Chip Ganassi Racing announced its full 2025 IndyCar line-up on Wednesday, confirming that Kyffin Simpson will pilot the team’s third car.

Simpson, who completed his rookie season with CGR in 2024, will remain with the squad and will move into the #8 entry.

The young Cayman Islands national did not record any top ten finishes in this rookie year, with his best result coming in his debut race on the streets of St. Petersburg where he finished 12th.

Simpson will drive alongside the reigning series champion Alex Palou and six-time champion Scott Dixon, both of whom were already confirmed on long term contracts with the team.

“By all accounts 2024 was another stellar year for our organization with five IndyCar Series wins and our third championship in the last four seasons,” said team owner Chip Ganassi.

“So, as we move toward 2025, we are looking to defend the championship with a strong lineup of drivers and look to continue Kyffin’s development and the development of our young drivers through our INDY NXT program.”

Lundqvist left out

The announcement confirms that Chip Ganassi Racing is leaving Linus Lundqvist off its roster for the upcoming season.

With a new charter system in place, CGR has only three guaranteed places on the grid. Details of the arrangement further disincentivize teams from fielding more cars than they have charters, so the team is only running three entries from 2025.

Downsizing from five full time entries to three has meant that two drivers have effectively lost their ride, including Linus Lundqvist.

The Swedish driver was the 2022 IndyNXT champion and earned the 2024 Rookie of the Year title while putting forward some impressive drives in the team’s #8 entry.

Two podiums, five top ten finishes, and a pole were not enough to allow him to keep his place at the team, and he continues to search for a place to land next year.

Lundqvist already struggled to find a race seat in 2023, with funding issues being the main reason he was not able to jump directly into a full time ride after earning the title in the main feeder series.

Ganassi’s other driver from 2024 Marcus Armstrong has already found a home at Meyer Shank Racing for next year alongside Felix Rosenqvist.

Chip Ganassi Racing also used the announcement to finalize the driver line-up for its new IndyNXT effort, with Jonathan Browne and Niels Koolen piloting the team’s two cars.

The post Ganassi finalizes IndyCar lineup, confirms Kyffin Simpson return appeared first on Motorsport Week.

Chip Ganassi Racing is fielding five full entries in the NTT IndyCar Series this year, the first time it has ever done so.

Many were surprised when the team announced in September that Kyffin Simpson would be joining the team, as four other drivers had already been announced.

Questions immediately followed about how CGR planned to ensure that all of its entries would have the staff and support needed to run the largest team in the series.

The team’s veteran drivers were quick to point out ahead of the season that the personnel were able to easily handle the task, and Chip Ganassi related virtually the same message at last weekend’s St. Pete opener.

“Yeah, going with five cars with the team of people we have, I don’t think it was a huge challenge,” said the experienced team owner. “We had the people. We had to augment each team with one person or so, two people sometimes.

“We don’t look at it as a big challenge. We run multiple cars out of our race shop. In some sense it’s almost easier when they’re all at the same place as opposed to two or three different places. We’re not in Extreme E this year.

“We have plenty of people on the team that understand our system and how we work. So far it’s seamless. It’s a lot of work, but it’s seamless.”

Ganassi has been competing in CART and IndyCar as a team owner since 1990. In that time he has fluctuated between one and four drivers per year, with an occasional fifth being brought in for the Indy 500 alone.

To add a fifth full time entry with relative ease this season speaks to how mature his race organization is, and how well he keeps every aspect of the operation staffed.

The 65-year-old even went so far as to say this year’s setup is easier to manage than last year, simply because all five cars are going to one event.

“We’ve run multiple cars,” Ganassi continued. “We run multiple cars out of our race shop. The fact that instead of three going here and two going here, all five going one place, it’s somewhat easier from a logistics point of view.

“Whether the team expands and contracts, a lot of times it’s dependent on driver situations, sponsor situations. But if the opportunity is there, if there’s a good opportunity for us to take advantage of it, we do.

“I think everyone can see we have two really solid, solid veterans that can win at any racetrack we go to. So it’s nice to have this group of younger guys coming up that they’ll have the opportunity to work with Alex [Palou] and Scott [Dixon], learn from them.

“So it’s a great opportunity. I challenge anybody to say that it’s taking anything away from anybody by going from four to five. It’s just not the case.”

In addition to his large IndyCar squad, Ganassi also runs a team with Cadillac factory support in the top level prototype class of IMSA, often allowing his drivers to compete in both series for a portion of the season.

The post Ganassi: Expansion to five cars on IndyCar grid has been ‘seamless’ appeared first on Motorsport Week.

Chip Ganassi Racing’s Cadillac prototype programme in the IMSA WeatherTech Sportscar Championship and the FIA World Endurance programme is no different to the team’s Ford GT programme in the same championships last decade, according to Chip Gansssi.

Speaking to MotorsportWeek.com before the 24 Hours of Daytona last weekend, Ganassi said, “There’s no difference, no difference. It’s still racing. You have competitors, it’s very close and you’re trying to get the most out of your car, all the time. 

“It’s the same. I don’t notice any difference in our cars other than we don’t get passed by 10 to 12 cars all night long.”

Ganassi’s eponymous team runs the Cadillac V-Series.R, as a factory programme, in both major sportscar championships globally, using drivers from the Cadillac factory pool, plus the team’s contracted drivers, such as Scott Dixon and Alex Palou.

Last decade, Chip Ganassi Racing ran the Ford GT factory programme for the Blue Oval, also racing in both championships with the GT car. The team won the 2016 24 Hours of Le Mans with Joey Hand, Dirk Muller, and Sebastien Bourdais behind the wheel at various points during the race.

The team is now heading into the second year of racing the Cadillac in GTP and WEC’s Hypercar class. However, Ganassi is taking a practical approach when it comes to taking learnings from last year into this year.

“I think it’s taking the learnings that we’ve learnt over 19 years, and not just last year,” he said.

“We’re approaching it like any other race. You gotta run all night. You gotta have a clean race. You gotta have your car in one piece. Nothing hanging off. Be there in 23 hours and see what happens.”

However, the Chip Ganassi Racing-run Cadillac retired partway through the event, with what the team said was a “powertrain malfunction”. 

And, naturally, Ganassi has one objective going forward.

“Winning. Just winning,” he said, evoking his famous ‘I like winners’ stance. When asked how his team can go about that compared to last year, when they struggled in comparison to the other Cadillac factory team, Action Express, Ganassi was similarly bullish.

“I think last year we were getting our arms around the hybrid system more,” said the American.

And I think this year, we’ve had a little opportunity to work on the car a little bit. We’ve worked on the handling, worked on the things that we’re good at.”

The team’s next race with the Cadillac V-Series.R is the season opener for the WEC, the 1812km of Qatar, on Saturday 3rd March.

The post Chip Ganassi: ‘No difference’ between Ford and Cadillac programmes appeared first on Motorsport Week.

Chip Ganassi Racing’s Alex Palou has said that the different mindset required for endurance racing is “tough”, due to his extensive single seater experience.

“It’s tough for me,” said the Spaniard when asked about needing to take less risks while racing the Cadillac V-Series.R in the IMSA WeatherTech Sportscar Championship.

“I have the mindset of sprint races and Indycar — as soon as you get a chance, you need to attack because you don’t know when it’s gonna be your next.

“So I’ve been trying to dial my mindset down a little bit. it’s a long race and and also the stints I’ll be doing, you don’t really need to take risk, it’s all about maintaining position, maintaining lead lap, and just keeping the car in one piece.

As I said, different mindset having two different categories on track, with very different speeds. There’s the GTs, they are like 12 seconds slower than us. So the closing rate is it’s really different. But it’s fun. It’s a lot of fun.

The 2021 and 2023 IndyCar champion will drive the #1 Chip Ganassi Racing Cadillac V-Series.R alongside Chip Ganassi’s regular IMSA drivers, Renger van der Zande and Sebastien Bourdais, plus Scott Dixon, the team’s driver for the IMSA Endurance Cup rounds.

Palou, then, was a late addition to the squad — so much so that he had prior IndyCar testing commitments that kept him away from Daytona for a few days this week. However, the fact it’s one off doesn’t diminish his competitive spirit.

“So far, I’m not treating this as less important because it’s a one-off — but it is a one off. I’m just trying to get the experience that I didn’t get in when the other teams and drivers were testing in December.

“Just trying to maximise all the opportunities that we have during the amount of time that we have on track, which is not much. So yeah, just getting as comfortable as possible for the race,” said the 26-year-old.

As we’ve heard previously from other drivers, the driving characteristic differences between an Indycar Dallara IR-18 and a GTP are not that pronounced, which has helped Palou to learn the car.

“It’s not too difficult,” he told MotorsportWeek.com when asked how easy it is to switch from driving one to the other in such quick succession.

“In terms of speed they are pretty similar, in terms of engine and downforce, maybe not that much. But honestly, it’s it’s very similar. It’s not like jumping from IndyCar to a GT car, that maybe would be a lot of difference. But it was, it was quite easy.

“The biggest difference, basically, is you see a lot more in the Indycar, and you have a lot more control. There’s no power steering. There’s no TC. There’s no hybrid system. So it’s all a lot more raw. You can be a little more aggressive because of the weight and the size of the car.

“The tyre as well. It’s more like a sprint tyre that we have in IndyCar so the grip is a lot better in the car and, and it’s a single seater. So, yeah, they’re both fun but obviously you have a lot more control in the Indycar than you do here in the GTP.”

The post Palou: Endurance racing mindset “tough for me” appeared first on Motorsport Week.

2023 IndyCar Champion Alex Palou is set to make his second career start in the Daytona 24 Hours next weekend, swapping his Chip Ganassi single-seater for a Ganassi run Cadillac V-Series.R in the IMSA season-opener and he believes the #01 cre can “fight for a win.”

Palou’s previous start at Daytona came in the DPi era in 2022 and the Spaniard posted the fastest lap of the race en route to a 14th-place finish.

In 2024, Palou will be reunited with the same three drivers, his IndyCar teammate Scott Dixon, who will be contesting the five Endurance Cup rounds in the #01 Cadillac in IMSA this year – and full-time drivers Renger van der Zande and Sebastien Bourdais.

Dixon, van der Zande and Bourdais competed as a three-driver squad in the V-Series.R’s debut in the GTP category in last year’s edition of the Daytona enduro, finishing third overall and completing the second-most laps (198) and Palou is looking forward to helping the team get on the top step of the podium this year.

“I’m very excited to return to Daytona after competing with the team in the DPi era in 2022,” the two-time IndyCar Champion said.

“I can’t wait to get behind the wheel of the new Hybrid and it will be a great way to start the year early with such a great team and with such great teammates.

“I’ve had the privilege of racing with Scott, Sebastien and Renger and I’m sure with all the preparation and knowledge that the team has, we’ll be able to fight for a win and maybe bring home some new watches at the end of January.”

Palou’s teammates share his excitement heading into the Daytona event, with each of his three co-competitors setting their sights on a win and an all-too-valuable Rolex watch.

Dixon holds four wins (three overall) and is looking forward to taking his 21st Daytona start.

“I always look forward to Daytona; it’s a great way to kick off the season,” the New Zealander said.

“I feel like we had a really good shot last year and the car speed was really good.

“The team has done a good job in the offseason to make things a little bit smoother and better.

“The key is always to stay out of trouble and make sure you finish the 24 hours first and then hopefully have a good shot at trying to get a win.”

Two-time (one overall) Daytona winner Bourdais, set to make his 15th start added, “I am really excited to get 2024 going.

“I think the traditional start of the season with Daytona is always a fun one.

“It gathers a ton of drivers that you might not see the rest of the season, so it is a bit of an international event and gathering with a great atmosphere.

“Everybody wants to leave with a watch on their wrist.

“We finished third last year, but we felt like we were in it to win it.

“I feel like Cadillac has given us a very good car and we have a good understanding of the system.

“We feel even more prepared and with the team that we can lean on, I think we have all the necessary ingredients to go for the win.”

Two-time victor and four-time podium finisher van der Zande also brings experience to the Cadillac/Chip Ganassi Racing outfit and believes his team has the necessary ingredients to be successful.

“We have been developing this car for a year now and lately we have found a lot of set-up options that work for us,” he said.

“Reliability is the most important thing and that is certainly what Chip Ganassi Racing and Cadillac Racing bring.

“Anything can happen at Daytona, but we feel prepared with a nice blend of drivers to win this race.

“It’s the biggest race of the season, the one you want to win and a big part of a championship. We’re there to win.”

They’re there to win and they know how to win – Ganassi has won eight times and holds a record six overall victories at Daytona, with the last coming in 2015 and CGR Director of Operations Mike O’Gara wants to end the squad’s near-decade wait for a seventh triumph.

“The 01 Cadillac team is anxious to kick off the 2024 IMSA SportsCar Championship,” he said.

“We are ready to build on our Rolex 24 At Daytona success with the Cadillac V-Series.R after finishing third and fourth there in its debut race in 2023.  

“It has been a few years since Chip Ganassi Racing has won overall at Daytona, but we feel confident that we can compete for another win and add to our eight victories there.  

“We have been working hard in the offseason both at the racetrack testing, as well in the race shop, to be ready.  

“It’s exciting to be returning with our IMSA veteran drivers Renger van der Zande and Sebastien Bourdais, and it is great to have Scott Dixon back again and then with a pleasant surprise in being able to add Alex Palou to lineup this year, as well.

“Having the opportunity to work with drivers, engineers and a crew of this caliber is an honor.”

The warm-up Roar Before the 24 event kicks off on January 19, culminating in qualifying for the Daytona 24 Hours on Sunday, January 21.

The green flag will wave for the endurance race itself at 1:40 p.m. ET on Saturday, January 27.

The post Palou: Cadillac can ‘fight for a win’ in Daytona appeared first on Motorsport Week.

Marcus Armstrong is about to begin his second season driving in IndyCar, and he is preparing for the new challenge laid before him.

He will be piloting the #11 entry for all 17 races of the year, meaning he will be running races on an oval for the first time in his career.

Last year, Armstrong came over to IndyCar following a three-year stint in Formula 2, and was tasked with driving the season’s road and street courses for Chip Ganassi Racing.

He quickly warmed up to the idea of running some of the ovals as the season progressed, but the team chose to have its veteran racer Takuma Sato drive the team’s fourth car for all five oval rounds.

This year the 23-year-old will get to try his hand at the new discipline, and he is grateful to have such a large talent pool within his team to gather information and advice from.

“Yeah, there’s a lot of people in the team with a lot of experience with winning races and championships,” said Armstrong. “Certainly Scott [Dixon], I share a driver lounge with. He’s more than happy to share everything with me, as far as I know, which is extremely helpful.

“Dario [Franchitti], as well, like I said. I have to say that all the strategists, all the engineers, they have very good information to share.

“When it comes to race day, usually I will go to a few people that I usually go to to get a second opinion on, whether it be strategy or race craft in one way or another, and then it’s down to me to go and do it.

“I’ve always been one to study data, so I would say that it’s business as usual, really. Last year when I was having my first race weekends, it was quite a lot of information coming at me.

“Ultimately you just need to drive the race car as fast as you can around the circuit, if you put it really simply. Certainly this year I’m going to try and get into the details as much as possible and improve.”

Chip Ganassi Racing is running five full time cars this season, and is said to have roughly 180 people at its Indianapolis race shop, including plenty of personnel with specialized experience to draw from.

Whether that’s the six-time series champion Scott Dixon, four-time champion turned driver coach Dario Franchitti, or a number of tenured engineers assigned to his car, there is always someone that can answer Armstrong’s questions as he thinks of them.

As a young driver who is going to be tasked with a completely new type of racing format this year, Armstrong will certainly benefit from having nearly every resource he needs within reach.

“Certainly there’s a lot to be learned from Scott [Dixon] and Alex [Palou], who have obviously proven themselves. I think there’s eight championships between them. Clearly there’s some expertise there to be drawn upon.

“I’m in a very fortunate position really where, yeah, I’m surrounded by fantastic people and a great team, strong teammates to work with, share data with, and push forwards with.”

The first race of Armstrong’s sophomore season is less than two months away, with his first oval race coming at the 108th Indianapolis 500 on May 26.

The post Ganassi’s vast resources helping Armstrong expand IndyCar skillset appeared first on Motorsport Week.

Cadillac has elected to rotate its third seat in the #2 V-Series.R entry between multiple drivers during the 2024 FIA World Endurance Championship.

So far Earl Bamber and Alex Lynn have been confirmed as full-time drivers for the collaboratively run Chip Ganassi/Cadillac entry, carrying on from their efforts in 2023 which saw them compete with full-time third driver Richard Westbrook, who is competing in IMSA in 2024 – driving JDC Miller’s Porsche 963 GTP machine.

Cadillac, part of the General Motors automotive group is opting for a “new flexible approach” with its WEC driver lineup, which GM Sports Car Racing Programme Manager Laura Wontrop Klauser explained to Autosport.

“We have a great driver pool within GM sportscar racing,” she said.

“We have some really cool people that we can tap on the shoulder if we need their help.

“We are not going to be announcing a full season driver for that seat; as it makes sense we will announce it race by race.”

Cadillac’s pool of drivers who will have first-hand experience of the V-Series.R will all be competing across the Atlantic in IMSA and IndyCar throughout 2024.

The factory-run Ganassi #1 entry in the IMSA series will be piloted by full-time drivers Sebastien Bourdais and Renger van der Zande, with IndyCar legend Scott Dixon opting in as third driver for Michelin Cup Endurance rounds and Alex Palou suiting up for a Daytona-only drive.

The IMSA reigning champion #31 Action Express entry will be driven full-time by Pipo Derani and Jack Aitken, with Tom Blomqvist competing as an Endurance Cup driver alongside an IndyCar campaign with Meyer Shank Racing.

The busy schedules for Cadillac’s driving roster in the Americas see numerous clashes with the FIA WEC calendar, which begins with the Qatar Prologue on February 24-25.

With that being said, Klauser didn’t rule out proceeding with just two drivers in the WEC without a third competitor.

“It is allowed, so it gives us an option if that is what we want to do for those races.”

Klauser also said bringing in a driver from outside of the Cadillac set-up “has yet to be determined.”

The #2 Cadillac V-Series.R had a promising debut season in FIA WEC last year against stiff competition from the likes of Toyota, Ferrari, Porsche and Peugeot.

The entry debuted with a fourth-place finish in the 1000 Miles of Sebring and scored a best result of third in the Centenary 24 Hours of Le Mans.

The post Cadillac set to rotate third driver for 2024 FIA WEC campaign appeared first on Motorsport Week.