QUALIFYING REPORT: Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg
Qualifying Notes
- Following a pole-winning run for Andretti INDY NXT’s Max Taylor, the green flag waved for the first qualifying session of the 2026 NTT INDYCAR SERIES season today on the Streets of St. Petersburg as the 25-car field took to the track to set the starting lineup for Sunday’s race.
- Ahead of this afternoon’s Qualifying session, the season-opening weekend started with two practices, one yesterday and one this morning, which saw Kyle Kirkwood lead the charge for Andretti in the top four in both sessions.
- The Andretti trio all went out in the first qualifying group, and despite strong pushes by all three, only Marcus Ericsson made it past the opening round, ultimately locking in a front-row start for the team in tomorrow’s Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg.
- Fans can catch the 100-lap season opener live on FOX tomorrow at 12 pm ET.
Qualifying Results
Will Power
No. 26 TWG AI Honda
P13
- After contact with the wall in Practice 2, the TWG AI crew worked quickly to repair Will Power’s car for this afternoon’s qualifying session.
- After climbing to P2 early in Round 1, Power showed consistent pace, but limited laps prevented him from advancing into the next round.
- A two-time winner at St. Petersburg with seven podiums and 269 laps led, Power will start from 13th in his first race with Andretti Global.
“That was actually a good result for us. We had to run two sets of reds just to have a shot at moving up the grid a bit. We’ve had issues all weekend, and that was our first normal, clean laps. We had the potential to get through, but we were really just happy to have a clean run. The TWG AI Honda felt really good and really capable of making it through, it’s just one of those things when you’re that far behind in the sessions that it’s hard to go forward.”
Kyle Kirkwood
No. 27 JM Bullion / Gold.com Honda
P15
- After recording the third-fastest lap in Practice 1 and fourth in Practice 2, Kirkwood got the JM Bullion/Gold.com Honda as high as third early on in the first round of qualifying.
- Pitting for red tires after his initial laps, Kirkwood made a final push as Round 1 came to a close, but struggled to find the grip needed to advance further up the timing charts. Ultimately, the Florida native did not go on to advance to Round 2.
“The JM Bullion / Gold.com Honda felt great on the prime run, and then we went to reds, and I couldn’t get the rears to switch on. It felt like I had no grip out there. It’s still early, and with the way the track conditions were changing, it was tough to get a clean read. We don’t have a big reference yet on the alternates, so we’ll look at the data tonight and get ready for tomorrow.”
Marcus Ericsson
No. 28 Delaware Life Honda
P2
- Following a fifth-place finish in yesterday’s practice, Marcus Ericsson entered qualifying on the Streets of St. Petersburg in Group 1. Continuing to build speed, Ericsson advanced through the opening round after posting the fastest lap of the session.
- As the only driver in the Andretti lineup to make it into the second round, Ericsson was strong again, securing his third Firestone Fast Six appearance at the Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg.
- Recording his best career start at St. Petersburg and first front-row start since Long Beach in 2023, Ericsson will look to add a second victory at the Florida street circuit in tomorrow’s 100-lap race.
“I performed at my maximum today, and I was really proud of that. I think the Delaware Life crew did as well. They did a tremendous job. It’s always frustrating to miss out by that much, but it’s a huge result to start on the front row after last year, which was a bit of a disaster, really. To bounce back like this in the first weekend is really great, and I’m really proud. I’ve worked really hard for this.”
Ron Ruzewski
INDYCAR Team Principal
“We’re super happy with Marcus’ performance. We showed we were in the game, and it’s a great way to start the season off. The No. 26 had a nice rebound for the number of laps they ran. Kudos to the guys for getting all the work done and getting a competitive car out on track for qualifying. I think we had the pace to get through, but we just needed more laps. We have some people in the front and some people in the back, so we’ll look toward tomorrow and split some strategies to try to get all three cars on the podium.”
