ST. PETE, Fla. — St. Petersburg is preparing for a busy weekend as the city gears up to host the Firestone Grand Prix.
Local leaders raised the flag for the race on Thursday, signaling the start of festivities for an event expected to draw hundreds of thousands of people to the area.
For defending IndyCar Series champion Alex Palou, the streets of downtown St. Pete hold a special place in his career. Palou has won three straight IndyCar Series championships and four of the last five. Last year's championship run began with a victory in downtown St. Pete.
"It was my first ever win here in St. Pete. A place that I've always loved. Especially because we always start here," Palou said Thursday morning. "The weather, it's always super-nice. It's huge to get momentum at the beginning and try to carry it throughout the season."
Palou, 28, says he likes this track in particular because it's a unique combination of a road course and a standard oval.
"It's so fast. Really high-speed corners," he added. "Normally, you don't tend to have such high speed in street courses. So it tends to be really technical."
Will Power won this race in 2010 and 2014. He's always been fast at this track, but 2026 will be a different season. Power left Penske Racing after a 17-year run. Now, he's excited for a fresh start with Andretti Global.
"As you know, this championship is incredibly difficult to win in," Power explained. "Very competitive… heads down, man. Heads down, doing the work you need to put yourself in that position."
2022 St. Pete Grand Prix Champion Scott McLaughlin echoed his fellow competitors' enthusiasm for the venue.
"I love this track. I love this place and the vibe it has," the 2022 St. Pete champion said with a grin. "The town really gets behind it. It'd be a cool place to get another win."
Power is also reflected in how much St. Petersburg itself has grown over the years.
"Always got a massive crowd. I love this town. When I first started coming here, it was definitely a quiet town. It's certainly a lot bigger now," he added.
"We see more and more boats, and more and more people throughout the years," Palou said enthusiastically. "It's one of our biggest events, by far."
The green flag for the Grand Prix of St. Petersburg is set to drop just after noon on Sunday.
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