Morning Warm-Up: St. Petersburg 2024

Josef Newgarden won pole position for the season opening Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg with a lap of 59.5714 seconds in the final round of qualifying. It is Newgarden's first pole position since Belle Isle in 2022 and the 17th in his career. The Tennessean has won four times from pole position in his career, most recently at Mid-Ohio in 2021. He has never won from pole position on a street course in his career. This is his sixth pole position on a street course. Newgarden has failed to finish in the top fifteen in the last three season openers. 

Felix Rosenqvist makes his debut with Meyer Shank Racing from second on the grid, after coming up 0.0058 seconds shy of pole position. This is Meyer Shank Racing's best starting since Jack Harvey started second at St. Petersburg in 2021. This is the eighth front row start of Rosenqvist's career. Since finishing fourth on his IndyCar debut in 2019 at St. Petersburg, Rosenqvist has an average finish of 16.5 in four St. Petersburg starts. The Swedish driver's best finish when starting on the front row is fifth. 

Patricio O'Ward had the top three covered by 0.0826 seconds, as O'Ward matches his career best starting position at St. Petersburg. The Mexican driver started third last year in this race before finishing second with 23 laps led. O'Ward enters this weekend with ten consecutive top ten finishes, the longest streak of his IndyCar career. 

Colton Herta put himself fourth on the grid. This will be Herta's fifth top five starting position in the last seven races. However, he did not finished in the top five in the final seven races of last season, the longest drought since Herta went 13 races between top five finishes during his rookie season. 

Romain Grosjean will start fifth in his first race for Juncos Hollinger Racing. JHR did not have a top five start at all last season. After finishing runner-up in consecutive races last year at Long Beach and Barber Motorsports Park, Grosjean had only one top ten finish in the final 13 races of 2023.

Marcus Ericsson starts besides the driver he is replacing in the #28 Honda for Andretti Global in sixth position. Ericsson could become the fourth driver to win consecutive St. Petersburg races. Ericsson has only had podium finishes in the same race in consecutive years once in his career. That was the Indianapolis 500, which he won in 2022 and finished second in 2023.

Rinus VeeKay was 0.0119 seconds shy of making the Fast Six, and VeeKay will settle for seventh on the grid, his best street course starting position since starting fourth at St. Petersburg in 2022. The Dutchman has not finished in the top ten in his last nine street course starts. His most recent street course result was sixth in the 2022 St. Petersburg race. 

Will Power was only 0.0212 seconds outside the top six, and Power will start eighth. This is the third time in the last four St. Petersburg races Power has not started on the front row. In his first 12 St. Petersburg starts, Power started off the front row only twice. Power led 242 laps in his first eight St. Petersburg starts, including leading 50 laps or more in three races. In his last seven St. Petersburg starts, Power has led only 27 laps, and the most laps he has led in a St. Petersburg race is 17.

Scott McLaughlin finds himself starting ninth. This is the third time McLaughlin has qualified ninth in his career. He has finished worse than his starting position in the prior two occasions. McLaughlin has led 87 laps in four St. Petersburg starts. He ranks eighth all-time in laps led in the history of the Grand Prix of St. Petersburg. 

Marcus Armstrong rounds out the top ten, the top Chip Ganassi Racing driver. Last season, the only time Armstrong was the top Ganassi qualifier was in the summer race on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course. He will make his 13th career start this weekend. The most recent driver to have their first career victory come in their 13th career start was Marco Andretti at Sonoma in 2006. 

Scott Dixon takes 11th on the grid and makes it three consecutive New Zealanders in the starting lineup. Each of Dixon's three victories last year came from a starting position outside the top ten. Dating back to 2022, his last four victories have come when starting outside the top ten. Dixon's eight victories from outside a top ten starting spot are the most in IndyCar history, and double the next closest drivers. Dixon has five consecutive top five finishes in St. Petersburg and eight consecutive top ten finishes in this race.

Christian Lundgaard rounded out the second round of qualifying, his second consecutive year starting on row six at St. Petersburg. The Dane has finished 11th and ninth in his first two St. Petersburg visits. Lundgaard was the top Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing finisher in ten of 17 races last year.

Álex Palou begins his title defense from 13th starting position. Palou missed out on advancing form round one by 0.1695 seconds. He failed to make it out of the first round of qualifying only once in 2023. That was at Toronto. Palou is attempting to become the first defending champion to win the season opener of the following season since Dario Franchitti won at St. Petersburg in 2011.

Santino Ferrucci fell 0.0242 seconds off advancing from group two, and Ferrucci will start 14th, his best starting position on a street course since he started 12th for the second Belle Isle race in 2021. Since finishing third in the 2023 Indianapolis 500, Ferrucci's best finish in his last 11 starts was 13th at Gateway, his only top fifteen finish during that span. His average finish on road/street courses last year was 19th. 

Alexander Rossi leads an all-Arrow McLaren row eight. This is the fourth consecutive year Rossi will start outside the top ten in St. Petersburg. He has led 84 combined laps over the last three seasons. In Rossi's prior four seasons, he had never led fewer than 83 laps in a season. 

Callum Ilott will be to Rossi's outside on row eight. Ilott is driving the #6 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet in place of an injured David Malukas. Last year, Ilott went from 22nd to fifth, the biggest mover in the race. It was his first career top five finish. Ilott was fifth in the 2023 season finale from Laguna Seca. 

Tom Blomqvist was the top rookie qualifier in 17th. This is the best starting position of Blomqvist's IndyCar career. His previous best was 20th on debut last year in Toronto. The Brit made three starts last season driving for Meyer Shank Racing. Blomqvist had finishes of 25th, 24th and 26th in those events.

Kyle Kirkwood ended up 18th in qualifying, Kirkwood's worst starting position since he started 20th at Texas last year. This will be the fifth consecutive race and seventh in the eight that Kirkwood has started outside the top ten. His first two victories have come on street courses. The last driver to have his first three victories come on street courses was Mike Conway from 2011 to 2014. All four of Conway's victories came on street courses.

Linus Lundqvist's first race for Chip Ganassi Racing will come from 19th starting position. Lundqvist started in the top 12 in each of his three starts last year with Meyer Shank Racing. The Swede scored fastest lap in two of his first three career starts. Since 1993, the fastest to three fastest laps in a career is five starts, which Tomas Scheckter did in 2002.

Agustín Canapino rounds out the top twenty. Last year, Canapino started in the top twenty in five races, four of which were on road/street courses. Canapino had an average finish of 16.6 in the street races last season, including three top fifteen results. His best finish was 12th, which came at St. Petersburg.

Christian Rasmussen will make his IndyCar debut from 21st starting postion. Rasmussen becomes the sixth Danish driver to compete in an IndyCar race. In eight Road to Indy starts at St. Petersburg, Rasmussen had one victories and six top five finishes.

Graham Rahal starts 22nd, only the third time Rahal has started outside the top twenty at St. Petersburg. Rahal has only two top five finishes in 16 St. Petersburg starts, his first career victory in 2008 and a runner-up finish in 2018. He started 24th in that runner-up finish six years ago.

Kyffin Simpson ended up 23rd in qualifying. Born in Bridgetown, Barbados and representing the Cayman Islands, Simpson will be the first driver from a Caribbean Island to start an IndyCar race. Simpson was 11th and tenth in his two Indy Lights races at St. Petersburg.

Sting Ray Robb qualified 24th, the fourth consecutive race he has qualified 24th. Robb ended the 2023 season with his best finish of the season, 12th at Laguna Seca. Laguna Seca was only the second lead lap finish Robb had in 2023. The other was at Road America. 

Colin Braun will start 25th for his IndyCar debut. Braun will become the fourth driver born in 1988 to start an IndyCar race. The other of three drivers born in 1988 to start in IndyCar are Mario Moraes, Simona de Silvestro and J.R. Hildebrand. Of the "class of 1988," Hildebrand is the most recent to make his IndyCar debut, coming on August 8, 2010.

Pietro Fittipaldi makes his first IndyCar appearance since May 30, 2021 in the Indianapolis 500, and it will come from 26th on the grid. This will be Fittipaldi's tenth career IndyCar start. The average number of days between his ten starts is 240.4.

Jack Harvey rounds out the 27-car grid. Harvey is coming off a 30-race stretch with Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing where he had one top ten finish and an average finish of 18.4. Harvey's best St. Petersburg result was fourth in 2021 with Meyer Shank Racing. 

NBC's coverage of the Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg begins at noon ET with green flag scheduled  for 12:30 p.m. ET. The race is scheduled for 100 laps.

Track Walk: St. Petersburg 2024

The first race of the 2024 NTT IndyCar Series is on the streets of St. Petersburg, as for the 14th time the Grand Prix of St. Petersburg opens a season. Three different teams have won the last three years at St. Petersburg, and it is only the third time St. Petersburg has had three different teams winning in three consecutive years. There has never been a streak of four consecutive different teams winning this race. Four different drivers have won the last four years, the longest streak at St. Petersburg since there were five different winners from 2011 through 2015. 

Coverage

Time: Coverage begins at 12:00 p.m. ET on Sunday March 10 with green flag scheduled for 12:30 p.m. ET.
Channel: NBC
Announcers: Leigh Diffey, Townsend Bell and James Hinchcliffe will be in the booth. Marty Snider, Kevin Lee and Georgia Henneberry will work pit lane.

IndyCar Weekend Schedule

Friday:

First Practice: 3:00 p.m. ET (75 minutes)

Saturday:

Second Practice: 10:00 a.m. ET (60 minutes)
Qualifying: 2:00 p.m. ET 
Sunday:
Warm-up: 9:10 a.m. ET (30 minutes)
Race: 12:30 p.m. ET (100 laps)

* - All sessions will be available live on Peacock

Ganassi's Title Defense

Walking into this season, Chip Ganassi Racing is the team to beat. Ganassi won nine of 17 races last year, its most since 2009. Ganassi went 1-2-6 in the championship, and it enters this season on a four-race winning streak. Ganassi is looking for five consecutive victories for the first time since 1998. The team also enters as the defending St. Petersburg winners. 

Álex Palou has not finished outside the top ten since 2022. Last year, Palou's worst finish was eighth, one of which came at St. Petersburg. He completed 2,258 of 2,260 laps as he won five times with ten podium finishes. Palou was on the podium in the last three street course races, including a victory in Detroit. The Catalan driver has 13 consecutive top ten finishes in street races entering this season. 

Besides Palou, Ganassi has Scott Dixon, a driver who won three of the last four races to close out the 2023 season. Dixon had 11 top five finishes last year, and he enters this season with 14 consecutive top ten finishes. His retirement at Long Beach last April was Dixon's only result outside the top ten last season. 

Ganassi had a top five finisher in every race in 2023, and it has had a top five finisher in 19 consecutive races dating back to 2022. The team had multiple top five finishers in 11 races last year. Marcus Ericsson was one of the reasons behind those results. Ericsson is no longer with the organization, and Ganassi has two rookies and a sophomore rounding out an expanded five-car team. 

Marcus Armstrong started all 12 road/street races in 2023, and he will now be full-time in the #11 Honda. Armstrong had five top ten finishes with two finishes of 11th and a 13th allowing him to capture rookie of the year honors despite not running a full schedule. 

Ganassi will attempt to claim its second consecutive rookie of the year honors with Linus Lundqvist, who replaces his fellow Swede in the #8 Honda. Lundqvist made three starts last year with Meyer Shank Racing, where he scored fastest lap twice, including on debut, and his best finish was 12th. 

In the fifth Ganassi entry will be rookie Kyffin Simpson driving the #4 Honda. Simpson spent the last two seasons in Indy Lights where he had two podium finishes and six top five finishes in 27 starts. Simpson won the European Le Mans Series LMP2 championship last year and he also won in the LMP2 class at the 2023 12 Hours of Sebring. 

Ganassi's St. Petersburg victory last year was only its second, coming 12 years after Dario Franchitti earned its first.

Driver Changes

Ganassi is keeping its top two drivers from 2023, and it is promoting one to a full-time gig, but the likes of Lundqvist and Simpson are just two of 12 drivers that are in different seats from last year. 

We know Lundqvist replaced Ericsson at Ganassi, as Ericsson has moved to Andretti Global, taking over the #28 Honda. Ericsson replaces Romain Grosjean, who has moved to Juncos Hollinger Racing to drive the #77 Chevrolet.

Lundqvist and Simpson are two of four rookies in the 2024 field. Tom Blomqvist ran three races at the end of last year, but the IMSA champion will be full-time in IndyCar this year, driving the #66 Honda for Meyer Shank Racing as MSR underwent a re-numbering of its second full-time entry. 

Christian Rasmussen will be the fourth rookie in 2024. The 2023 Indy Lights champion, Rasmussen will drive the #20 Chevrolet for Ed Carpenter Racing in every road and street course race this year, as Ed Carpenter will drive the oval events in this entry. ECR is scaling back and not running the additional third car for Carpenter this year, reverting to the two-driver setup the team used in the #20 Chevrolet from 2014 through 2021. Rasmussen will be entered in a third ECR car for the Indianapolis 500 as well.

While Blomqvist has a new number, he will also have a new teammate as Felix Rosenqvist moves to the #60 Honda for MSR. Rosenqvist had spent the prior three seasons at Arrow McLaren.

Sting Ray Robb moves from Dale Coyne Racing to A.J. Foyt Racing's #41 Chevrolet. 

Dale Coyne Racing's other driver from 2023, David Malukas, will drive the #6 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet this season, however, a wrist injury suffered last month in a mountain biking accident will keep Malukas out of the car for St. Petersburg. Substituting for Malukas in the season opener will be Callum Ilott, who spent the previous two seasons at Juncos Hollinger Racing. 

Ilott is driving full-time this season in the FIA World Endurance Championship, where he is in the #12 Porsche 963 for Hertz Team Jota. Ilott is coming off a second-place finish in the WEC season opening Qatar 1812 km last week.

Not a rookie, and not unfamiliar to IndyCar, Pietro Fittipaldi will take over Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing's #30 Honda entry in a full-time effort. Fittipaldi has nine IndyCar starts to his name, but his most recent was the 2021 Indianapolis 500 and his IndyCar debut came nearly six years ago. Fittipaldi remains a test/reserve driver to Haas F1. He ran for Team Jota in WEC's LMP2 class last year, where he was victorious at Monza. 

Dale Coyne Racing will field Jack Harvey in the #18 Honda while Colin Braun will make his IndyCar debut in the #51 Honda. Harvey is slated to compete in 14 races for Coyne while Indy Lights driver Nolan Siegel will drive at Long Beach, the Indianapolis 500 and Toronto, as well as the exhibition race at Thermal Club in Palm Springs, California. Braun is only scheduled to run St. Petersburg and at Thermal Club, but the Texan could run additional races this season.

What Did Testing Tell Us?

IndyCar had a two-day test last week at Sebring International Raceway ahead of the season opener. The field was split over each day with half the entries testing on Monday February 26 and the other half testing on Tuesday February 27. The entire field never experienced the same track conditions. 

This split meant those testing on Tuesday swarmed the top of the combined results. The top five were all from Tuesday, as were seven of the top ten. 

Andretti Global's Marcus Ericsson led the session around Sebring's short course at 51.9512 seconds, only 0.0564 seconds ahead of Will Power. Patricio O'Ward was only 0.0592 seconds back in third with Meyer Shank Racing's Felix Rosenqvist in fourth, 0.0793 seconds behind his fellow Swede. Graham Rahal was in fifth, the first driver over a tenth off Ericsson. Álex Palou made it six different teams represented in the top six, 0.1371 back. Palou was the top Monday participant.

Christian Lundgaard and Josef Newgarden also ran on Monday, and they were seventh and eighth. Kyffin Simpson and Linus Lundqvist rounded out the top ten. Colton Herta was in 11th, only two ten-thousandths off Lundqvist. 

Santino Ferrucci was 12th ahead of Alexander Rossi, who was just over three-tenths behind Ericsson. O'Ward ran on Monday in the #6 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet in place of the injured David Malukas, and O'Ward was 14th, just two thousandths behind Rossi. Scott Dixon rounded out the top fifteen, 0.3158 seconds slower than his former teammate. 

Romain Grosjean was 16th ahead of Marcus Armstrong, Kyle Kirkwood and Christian Rasmussen. Scott McLaughlin rounded out the top twenty after competing on Monday. Seven of the bottom eight ran on Monday. McLaughlin was 0.5921 off Ericsson. Rinus VeeKay was 21st ahead of Pietro Fittipaldi, Tom Blomqvist, Agustin Canapino and Sting Ray Robb. 

Dale Coyne Racing took the bottom two spots with Tuesday's runner Colin Braun ahead of Monday's runner Jack Harvey. Braun was 0.9657 seconds off Ericsson with Harvey 1.1254 seconds back.

Street Course Guessing Game

Last season, four different drivers won the five street course races held. Dating back to 2022, there have been eight different winners in the last ten street course races.

Kyle Kirkwood was the only winner of multiple street course races in 2023. The Andretti Global driver won at Long Beach and Nashville. Marcus Ericsson, Álex Palou and Christian Lundgaard won the other three street course races, as Honda swept the street events last year. Honda has won seven consecutive street course races dating back to 2022. 

It should come as no surprise that Palou led all drivers in street course points last year with 185, 19 points more than Kirkwood and 29 points more than Ericsson. Despite not winning a street race, and having only one top five finish in the street races, Scott McLaughlin was fourth on 137 points, one more than Scott Dixon.

Last season was the second time in three seasons Team Penske failed to win a street race. It won the first three street races in 2022 with all three of its drivers, Scott McLaughlin at St. Petersburg, Josef Newgarden at Long Beach and Will Power at Belle Isle. Scott Dixon won the final two street course races that year at Toronto and Nashville.

Familiar names struggled on street courses last year. Patricio O'Ward may have been second at St. Petersburg, but his next best street result was eighth and he finished outside the top fifteen in two of those races. O'Ward was tenth in street points on 108, two fewer than Marcus Armstrong. Colton Herta had three fewer points than O'Ward, and Herta finished outside the top ten in three of five street races, including finishing 20th or worse in two of them. 

While Alexander Rossi was in the top five in two street races, he was outside the top fifteen in the other three, ending up 14th in street points on 96, one fewer than Romain Grosjean, who was second at Long Beach, but outside the top fifteen in three street races. Graham Rahal scored only 88 points in the five street races last year.

The last four first-time winners in IndyCar have all come on street courses, including Kirkwood and Lundgaard last season. For three consecutive seasons, at least one first-time winner has occurred in a street race. 

There will be 13 drivers entered at St. Petersburg looking for a first career victory. Three times has St. Petersburg produced a first-time winner. Those were Graham Rahal in 2008, James Hinchcliffe in 2013 and Scott McLaughlin 2022. 

Procedural Changes

A few things will look different this IndyCar season, and you will see them straight away at St. Petersburg, specifically in first practice. 

In an effort to increase participation in the practice session, the first 20 minutes of practice will be open to every car to participate. After the first 20 minutes, the field will be divided into two groups, determined by alternating pit boxes, and each group will get to take to the track in alternating ten-minute increments. 

Group one will get the first ten minutes before being called to pit lane where group two will get the next ten minutes. The groups will alternate until all 75 minutes of the practice session has elapsed. 

This new practice format will be trialed at St. Petersburg and future use will be decided based on how this weekend goes. 

During the race, there will be a new restart procedure. A restart line will be painted at the exit of the final turn. Drivers must remain in line and cannot pass until a driver has crossed the line. 

This has been introduced after a number of accidents on restarts, most notable in last year's season finale at Laguna Seca. Three of the eight cautions in that Laguna Seca race were due to incidents in the final corner with cars coming to the restart. 

One thing you will see on the race cars will be a new LED light strip on the edge of the rear wing endplates in an effort to improve awareness of a car ahead on track in wet conditions. With the introduction of aeroscreen and the center bar down the middle, the LED rain light on the rear attenuators was obscured to the trailing drivers. 

Road to Indy

The Road to Indy brings 64 cars to St. Petersburg this weekend for the opening road in all three series. Indy Lights has 21 cars entered, the most since July 4, 2009 at Watkins Glen, a race that J.R. Hildebrand won, and in which James Hinchcliffe was last. 

Nolan Siegel is the top returning driver from the 2023 championship, Siegel was third in points, and he already has a foot in IndyCar, as he is scheduled to run three championship races for Dale Coyne Racing this year, including the Indianapolis 500, as well as the exhibition race at Thermal Club. The Californian began last season with four podium finishes, including two victories, in the first six races, but he had only one podium result in the final eight events.

Siegel is one of ten HMD Motorsports supported drivers this season. Also in the team will be Myles Rowe, the 2023 USF Pro 2000 champion, who will be driving the Force Indy supported entry. Reece Gold, Josh Pierson and Christian Bogle are back as well. There are five other rookies with the team, including Caio Collet, a Brazilian moving over from FIA Formula Three. Callum Hedge joins the team after winning the 2023 Formula Regional Americas Championship. 

Jonathan Browne, Nolan Allaer and Niels Koolen round out the HMD lineup. 

There are seven returning regulars from last season, including three of the four Andretti Global entries. Louis Foster was fourth in the championship last year, and his 2023 season ended up the upswing. After having only three podium finishes in the first ten races, Foster was on the podium in three of the final four events. James Roe, Jr. was seventh in the championship with only one podium result, and Jamie Chadwick is back after her best finish was sixth at Portland. 

American Bryce Aron rounds out the Andretti lineup. Aron spent the previous four years competing in Europe. His best achievement was finishing fifth in the 2020 Formula Ford Festival at Brands Hatch, and then finishing third in the Walter Hayes Trophy at Silverstone later that year. 

Andretti Global is also running two cars in partnership with Cape Motorsports. Salvador de Alba and Michael d'Orlando both move up from USF Pro 2000. D'Orlando is currently only confirmed for St. Petersburg. 

Jacob Abel was fifth in the championship last year, but fell short of a race victory. Abel is back with Abel Motorsports, and he will have Josh Mason and Yuven Sundaramoorthy as his teammates. 

Lindsay Brewer and Jack William Miller round out the Indy Lights grid. Both drivers are moving up from USF Pro 2000 with Juncos Hollinger Racing and Miller Vinatieri Motorsports respectively. 

The Indy Lights race is scheduled for 45 laps or 55 minutes, and it will take place at 10:10 a.m. ET on Sunday March. 

Twenty-two USF Pro 2000 cars will be competing this weekend.

The 2023 U.S. F2000 champion Simon Sikes moves up with Pabst Racing, where his teammates will be Christian Brooks and Jace Denmark. Denmark is the top returning driver to USF Pro 2000. He was seventh in the championship last year.

Nikita Johnson was runner-up in U.S. F2000, and Johnson won two races at the end of last USF Pro 2000 season. He continues on with VRD Racing. Shawn Rashid will be Johnson's teammate this weekend. Lochie Hughes makes it the top three from U.S. F2000 graduating up a level. Hughes is one of five Turn 3 Motorsport cars on the grid along with Adam Fitzgerald, Danny Dyszelski, Tyke Durst and Ethan Ho. 

Mac Clark moves up with DEForce Racing after finishing fifth in U.S. F2000 the year before. Clark's teammate from last year Jorge Garciarce also moves up with DEForce. They will have Nicholas Monteiro join the team in a three-car lineup. 

BN Racing had two quick drivers in testing with Colombian Nicolás Baptiste and Mexican Ricardo Escotto. Exclusive Autosport sees the return of Braden Eves, a past USF Pro 2000 race winner who did not compete last year. Avery Towns will be in a second Exclusive Autosport seat. TJ Speed Motorsports has entered three cars for Liam Sceats, Hunter Yeany and David Morales. 

Jay Howard Driver Development is down to one car for Frankie Mossman. Logan Adams will drive for Comet/NCMP Racing. 

Race one for USF Pro 2000 will run at 11:55 a.m. ET on Saturday March 9 with the second race on Sunday March 10 at 8:00 a.m. ET. Each race will be 25 laps or 45 minutes.

For U.S. F2000, 21 cars will be on the grid. 

Evagoras Papasavvas was fourth in the championship last year, and he is back with Jay Howard Driver Development with Tanner DeFabis and Michael Costello as his teammates. 

Pabst Racing will be looking to retain the championship with a three-driver lineup with Max Garcia, Sam Corry and Hudson Schwartz. VRD Racing has Nico Christodoulou and Max Taylor leading the way. Cole Kleck and Xavier Kokai round out the VRD team. 

USF Juniors champion Nicolas Giaffone joins the series with DEForce Racing in a five-car lineup. DEForce has the top two from USF Juniors last year, as Quinn Armstrong will drive for the team. Lucas Fecury, Maxwell Jamieson and Brady Golan are in the other three cars. 

Exclusive Autosport is running a three-car team with Jack Jeffers, Joey Brienza and Thomas Schrage. DC Autosport has entered Carson Etter and Ayrton Houk this weekend. Sarah Fisher Hartman Racing Development continue with Elliot Cox this season. 

U.S. F2000 kicks off the racing this weekend at 4:20 p.m. ET on Friday March 8. The second race will be at 4:45 p.m. ET on Saturday March 9. Both races are scheduled for 20 laps or 45 minutes. 

Fast Facts

This will be the fourth IndyCar race to take place on March 10 and the first since Josef Newgarden won at St. Petersburg in 2019.

The other March 10 winners were Bobby Unser at Ontario in 1974 and Cristiano da Matta at Monterrey in 2002.

All three March 10 winners have gone on to win the championship in those three respective seasons. 

Chip Ganassi Racing has won three of the last four season openers with three different drivers at three different circuits (Scott Dixon at Texas in 2020, Álex Palou at Barber Motorsports Park in 2021 and Marcus Ericsson at St. Petersburg in 2023).

Chip Ganassi Racing has not won consecutive season openers at the same venue since Dan Wheldon won at Homestead in 2006 and 2007.

Last year, Marcus Ericsson won with only four laps led. It is the fewest laps led for a St. Petersburg winner. The previous lowest laps led for a St. Petersburg winner was ten laps by Dan Wheldon in 2005.

Of the ten teams on the grid, only Arrow McLaren, Ed Carpenter Racing, Meyer Shank Racing and Juncos Hollinger Racing have never won an IndyCar season opener. 

Andretti Global has not won a season opener since James Hinchcliffe won at St. Petersburg in 2013. 

Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing's only season opener victory was Homestead in 2000 with Max Papis. A.J. Foyt Racing's most recent season opener victory was the 1996-97 Indy Racing League opener at Loudon with Scott Sharp.

Since reunification, five of the 16 champions won the season opener.

Since reunification, 14 of 16 champions have finished in the top ten of the first race of the season. Nine of those 16 drivers were on the podium in the opening race and ten of 15 finished in the top five.

The average starting position for a St. Petersburg winner is 5.25 with a median of fourth. 

Last year, Marcus Ericsson became the sixth driver to win from fourth starting position at St. Petersburg. Fourth starting position has produced the most St. Petersburg winners, including in four consecutive years from 2013 to 2016.

Four times has the pole-sitter won at St. Petersburg, including in two of the last three years.

The third-place starter has never won at St. Petersburg. 

Only twice has the St. Petersburg started outside the top ten (Sébastien Bourdais from 21st in 2017 and Sébastien Bourdais from 14th in 2018).

The average number of lead changes in a St. Petersburg race is 6.45 with a median of seven. 

Five of the last seven St. Petersburg races have had seven or more lead changes. 

The average number of cautions in a St. Petersburg race is 4.15 with a median of five. The average number of caution laps is 18.15 with a median of 18.

Last year's St. Petersburg race had five cautions for 26 laps. It was the 11th St. Petersburg race to feature at least five cautions and the tenth St. Petersburg race to feature at least 20 caution laps.

Predictions

Colton Herta gets off the snide early this season and wins a thriller over Scott McLaughlin. Álex Palou continues his top ten streak. There will not be a seven-car pileup on the first lap. No car will be launched into the air. One of the Dale Coyne Racing entries will have a mechanical issue. Patricio O'Ward has no engine woes this weekend. Callum Ilott will qualify ahead of Alexander Rossi and at least make the second round of qualifying. Linus Lundqvist will be the top rookie by at least five positions and finish in the top ten. Sleeper: Marcus Ericsson.

2024 Road to Indy Preview

It is set to be a banner year for the Road to Indy series. All three divisions in IndyCar's development system have entry lists that exceed 20 cars for the season opening round. Indy Lights is set to have its largest since July 4, 2009 at Watkins Glen. 

Indy Lights will run a 14-race season while USF Pro 2000 and U.S. F2000 will each contest 18-race seasons. 

Indy Lights

The 2024 Indy Lights championship begins in St. Petersburg on March 10. The series will then have six weeks off until round two at Barber Motorsports Park. The first of two doubleheader weekends will be held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course over May 10-11. 

There will be four races in June, starting on the streets of Detroit on June 2. A week later, the series will be at Road America. The final doubleheader will be Laguna Seca, held over the weekend of June 22-23, and that will bring the series into the second half of the season. 

Mid-Ohio will be on July 7 before the first oval race at Iowa on July 13. A month later, Indy Lights will race at Gateway before heading to Portland on August 25. Milwaukee hosts the penultimate round on August 31 with the season finale being September 15 from Nashville Superspeedway. 

Teams:

HMD Motorsports

Christian Bogle: #7 HMD Motorsports Dallara

What did he do in 2023: 11th in Indy Lights on 266 points with one top five finish and three top ten finishes. 

What to expect in 2024: In three Indy Lights seasons, Bogle has finished 11th in the championship each season. He has had only one top five finish in each of the last two seasons. A fourth year should benefit him. This is a large Indy Lights field but not necessarily a stronger Indy Lights field.  

Reece Gold: #10 HMD Motorsports Dallara

What did he do in 2023: Eighth in Indy Lights on 334 points with a victory, two podium finishes, four top five finishes and seven top ten finishes.

What to expect in 2024: Gold has good spats of results, but he also stumbled into slumps. He should be more settled into the top ten of the championship, but I don't think he will enter that top group.

Nolan Allaer: #11 HMD Motorsports Dallara

What did he do in 2023: SCCA National Champion in Formula Continental and Formula F. Sixth in the BRSCC National Formula Ford Championship.

What to expect in 2024: This is a massive leap up from SCCA competition and British Formula Ford. Considering the depth of the HMD lineup alone, it will be tough to be in the top five of the team let alone the entire championship.   

Josh Pierson: #14 HMD Motorsports Dallara

What did he do in 2023: 15th in Indy Lights on 173 points after starting only nine races. Pierson was also fifth in the FIA World Endurance Championship's LMP2 class championship with a victory in Portimão.  

What to expect in 2024: Pierson will focus on Indy Lights this year, and his results should be better. He should be competing for the podium in a few races, and he has an outside shot at the championship. It will require a big step forward, as his best finish last season was sixth. 

Callum Hedge: #17 HMD Motorsports Dallara

What did he do in 2023: Formula Regional Americas Champion 13 victories from 18 races. Second in the Formula Regional Oceania Championship with three victories and nine podium finishes in 15 races. 

What to expect in 2024: Track record is hit-or-miss for drivers from Formula Regional Americas coming to Indy Lights. Other past Formula Regional Americas champions include Kyle Kirkwood and Linus Lundqvist. David Malukas won races in the series. Another past champion was Kyffin Simpson, who did not have great Indy Lights results, and then there was Benjamin Pedersen. Hedge will have competitive days, but I don't think the championship will go through him.   

Caio Collet: #18 HMD Motorsports Dallara

What did he do in 2023: Ninth in the Formula Three championship on 73 points with a victory, four podium finishes, seven top five finishes and eight top ten finishes.

What to expect in 2024: Collet did well in Europe, and he should be a sleeper. It would not be surprising if he picked up a victory or two and ended up on the podium semi-regularly. He should make the championship top ten.   

Jonathan Browne: #23 HMD Motorsports Dallara

What did he do in 2023: Eighth in the USF Pro 2000 Championship on 230 points with two podium finishes, five top five finishes and 11 top ten finishes.

What to expect in 2024: A few good days, but ending up in the back half of the field more times than not.  

Niels Koolen: #33 HMD Motorsports Dallara

What did he do in 2023: 37th in the Formula Regional European Championship on zero points with his best finish being 19th. 

What to expect in 2024: Nothing from Koolen's career in Europe shouts he will be competitive in Indy Lights. Bottom of the championship.

Nolan Siegel: #39 HMD Motorsports Dallara

What did he do in 2023: Third in Indy Lights on 415 points with two victories, five podium finishes, six top five finishes and nine top ten finishes. 

What to expect in 2024: Siegel was a surprise championship contender last year. A rocky second half knocked him out of contention. He will run in four IndyCar events this year, including the Indianapolis 500. Expectations are much higher than last year. Siegel will need to be firmly at the top of the championship. 

Andretti Global

Louis Foster: #26 Copart/Novara Technologies Dallara

What did he do in 2023: Fourth in the Indy Lights on 410 points with two victories, six podium finishes and nine top ten finishes.

What to expect in 2024: Foster found his form in the latter stages of last season. He should have the speed to be in the title mix. A few victories is the minimum.

Bryce Aron: #27 Jaguar Land Rover Chesterfield Dallara

What did he do in 2023: Fourth in the Euroformula Open Championship on 238 points with three victories, five podium finishes and 13 top five finishes.

What to expect in 2024: Aron did ok in Europe, but wasn't lighting the world on fire. He should be behind Foster, but he has a chance to be the second best of the Andretti group. Any trip to the podium will be a good sign.

Jamie Chadwick: #28 VEXT Dallara

What did he do in 2023: 12th in Indy Lights on 262 points with five top ten finishes.

What to expect in 2024: Improvements from 2023, and Chadwick felt more confident in testing. It is unlikely she will regularly be on the podium or finishing in the top five, but she should be in the top ten more and break into the top five once or twice. 

James Roe, Jr.: #29 TopCon Dallara

What did he do in 2023: Seventh in Indy Lights on 335 points with one podium finishes, four top five finishes and ten top ten finishes.

What to expect in 2024: Roe, Jr. performed better than expected in 2023. I don't expect much improvement from where he was last year. Another year in seventh would not be a surprise.  

Abel Motorsport

Jason Mason: #21 Abel Motorsports Dallara

What did he do in 2023: Competed in eight Formula Two races with PHM Racing by Charouz with his best finish being 12th. Six starts in Euroformula Open Championship with a victory and three podium finishes. 

What to expect in 2024: Tough days because Mason is coming to Indy Lights on late notice and without any real testing. All the tracks are new. Top ten in the championship would be a great year for him. That might be out of reach. 

Yuven Sundaramoorthy: #22 S Team Motorsports Dallara

What did he do in 2023: 15th in the USF Pro 2000 Championship on 121 points with five top ten finishes in 13 starts. Sundaramoorthy also started four Indy Lights races last year with his best finish being ninth.

What to expect in 2024: Sundaramoorthy has been good in the Road to Indy, but not great and it has usually taken him a few years to get up to speed. This feels like a step too soon. He should be outside the top ten in the championship. 

Jacob Abel: #51 Abel Construction Dallara

What did he do in 2023: Fifth in Indy Lights on 397 points with four podium finishes, eight top five finishes and 11 top ten finishes.

What to expect in 2024: Abel was a surprise fifth in the championship and was on the verge of a victory for most of the season. That victory should come in 2024. A championship push could be possible, but the top of the field is strong.

Juncos Hollinger Racing

Lindsay Brewer: #76 C4 Smart Energy Dallara

What did he do in 2023: 18th in the USF Pro 2000 Championship on 108 points with her best finish being 11th.

What to expect in 2024: If you were 18th in USF Pro 2000 in a full season effort, 18th in Indy Lights is the starting point. If enough drivers don't run the full season, she will end up in the top fifteen by default. 

HMD Motorsports with Force Indy

Myles Rowe: #99 HMD Motorsports with Force Indy Dallara

What did he do in 2023: USF Pro 2000 champion on 391 points with five victories, nine podium finishes, 13 top five finishes and 16 top ten finishes.

What to expect in 2024: Rowe got up to pace quickly in testing. He did show teething issues in U.S. F2000 and USF Pro 2000. He should have a few podium finishes, possible a victory or two. The championship is not out of the question, but it is not a given. 

Andretti Cape

Salvador de Alba: #2 Grupo Indi Dallara

What did he do in 2023: Third in the USF Pro 2000 Championship on 291 points with one victory, four podium finishes, seven top five finishes and 14 top ten finishes.

What to expect in 2024: De Alba had a good results in USF Pro 2000, and he should have some good days this season. A few podium results should be a good start. A victory would be great. Somewhere in the championship top ten. 

Michael d'Orlando: #3 Andretti Cape Dallara

What did he do in 2023: Fourth in the USF Pro 2000 Championship on 288 points with four victories, six podium finishes, seven top five finishes and ten top ten finishes.

What to expect in 2024: At the moment, this is d'Orlando's only Indy Lights round. He was streaky last season, but when he wasn't getting into incident, d'Orlando was one of the best in USF Pro 2000. He could be competitive in a full season effort. 

Miller Vinatieri Motorsports

Jack William Miller: #40 Patterson Dental Haven Go by SAAM Dallara

What did he do in 2023: Ninth in the USF Pro 2000 Championship on 212 points with two podium finishes, three top five finishes and eight top ten finishes.

What to expect in 2024: Miller has had good days in the Road to Indy, but he has never been the knockout driver. It will be tough to crack the championship top ten this season.

USF Pro 2000

There will be eight race weekends this year for USF Pro 2000, including one standalone event. St. Petersburg opens the calendar with a doubleheader. The lone standalone race will be a triple-header at NOLA Motorsports Park over the weekend of April 5-7. 

The month of May will start with a triple-header on the IMS road course over May 9-11. The only oval race will be at Indianapolis Raceway Park on May 24. The final triple-header will be at Road America over June 7-9. 

There will be a doubleheader at Mid-Ohio over the weekend of July 6-7. The penultimate round will be a doubleheader at Toronto over July 20-21. The season will end at Portland on August 24-25. 

Teams:

Pabst Racing

Simon Sikes: #18 Mockett/Bell Racing/Sabelt Tatuus

What did he do in 2023: U.S. F2000 champion on 447 points with six victories, 14 podium finishes and 15 top five finishes.  

What to expect in 2024: Sikes pulled through in his first full season in U.S. F2000. His testing results were not spectacular. This season could start slow before Sikes shows better results in the later stages of the season.  

Christian Brooks: #19 BUCKED UP/Deploy Surveillance Tatuus

What did he do in 2023: Brooks won the USF Pro 2000 season opener at St. Petersburg and finished sixth in the second race weekend. He only competed in one other round, Toronto, where he finished eighth and fourth. 

What to expect in 2024: Brooks has had his season fail to get through the first round in consecutive years. It feels like if he runs a full season he could be competitive. Until he does that, we should expect the season ending prematurely.  

Jace Denmark: #20 Pabst Racing Tatuus

What did he do in 2023: Seventh in the USF Pro 2000 Championship on 252 points with three podium finishes and eight top five finishes.

What to expect in 2024: Denmark was close to victory on a few occasions last year. The series has reenforced. He could be on the podium a few more times, including a victory, but not make a great leap in the championship. 

Turn 3 Motorsport

Adam Fitzgerald: #2 Turn 3 Motorsport Tatuus

What did he do in 2023: 17th in the Formula Regional Oceania Championship after starting nine races with his best finish being fourth. Competed in four rounds of the Formula Regional European Championship. 

What to expect in 2024: Testing results were good, but Fitzgerald feels like a fringe top ten championship driver. 

Danny Dyszelski: #3 Vera Guitars/Formula Imports/Charlotte Mechanical Tatuus

What did he do in 2023: 13th in the U.S. F2000 Championship on 141 points with one top five finish in 13 starts. Dyszelski competed in the final round of the 2023 USF Pro 2000 championship where his best finish was ninth in the final race from Portland. 

What to expect in 2024: Dyszelski was in the top ten in every session at the NOLA test. Top ten in the championship with a few podium and top five finishes is practical. 

Tyke Durst: #33 FHI/Relay Payments/Drive Toward a Cure Tatuus

What did he do in 2023: 18th in the Formula 4 United States Championship on 16.5 points with his best finish being eighth. 

What to expect in 2024: This is a big jump for Durst. It is hard to see him doing better than cracking the top ten in the championship, and that is asking a lot.

Lochie Hughes: #44 Turn 3 Motorsport Tatuus

What did he do in 2023: Third in the U.S. F2000 Championship with four victories, eight podium finishes, and 11 top five finishes.

What to expect in 2024: Hughes was quickest in testing. His U.S. F2000 championship was derailed when he was caught in a few accidents and he had to be more cautious. With a new season and crash damage not hanging over this head, Hughes is going to be in the fight for the championship.

Ethan Ho: #68 Triple S Suspensions/MEGA Automotive Tatuus

What did he do in 2023: 14th in the U.S. F2000 Championship on 137 points with one top five finish in 13 starts.

What to expect in 2024: Someone where outside the top ten of the championship, and it is unlikely he will be finishing in the top five in any races. 

DEForce Racing

Mac Clark: #7 Valkyrie AI/ARM/Clubine Motorsports/TNG Exotics Tatuus

What did he do in 2023: Fifth in the U.S. F2000 Championship on 318 points with two victories, six podium finishes and ten top five finishes. Clark was also second and third in the USF Pro 2000 races at Austin last year.

What to expect in 2024: Clark improved over the 2023 U.S. F2000 season. He is going to have good results, likely win a race or two. It isn't certain he can fight for the championship, but it is not unthinkable.

Jorge Garciarce: #10 Sidral Aga/Red Cola/Skarch Tatuus

What did he do in 2023: Eighth in the U.S. F2000 Championship on 212 points with three top five finishes.

What to expect in 2024: Garciarce was good in U.S. F2000, but good is not going to be good enough at this level.  

Nicholas Monteiro: #81 Unique/Caye International Bank/Collection Suites Tatuus

What did he do in 2023: 19th in the USF Pro 2000 Championship on 106 points with his best finish being 11th in two races.

What to expect in 2024: Outside the top ten in the championship. Maybe outside the top fifteen.  

TJ Speed Motorsports

Liam Sceats: #26 Tony Quinn Foundation/Omega Rental Cars Tatuus

What did he do in 2023: Fourth in the Formula Regional Oceania Championship on 235 points with three podium finishes. Sceats was second in this year's Formula Regional Oceania Championship on 341 points with three victories and eight podium finishes. He was also second in the 2023 Formula Regional Japanese Championship with three victories and eight podium finishes. 

What to expect in 2024: Testing was good, but these will be new tracks. Sceats has a chance to break into the top ten. 

Hunter Yeany: #27 TJ Speed Motorsports Tatuus

What did he do in 2023: Competed in ten Formula Three races with zero points scored and his best finish was 16th.

What to expect in 2024: Yeany was outside the top ten in most of the test sessions form NOLA. His European results were not good. I don't think he will be in the top ten here.  

David Morales: #28 TJ Speed Motorsports Tatuus

What did he do in 2023: 13th in the GB3 Championship on 178 points with two top five finishes. Sixth in the Formula Regional Oceania Championship on 200 points with a victory and two podium finishes.

What to expect in 2024: Morales was only a little better than Yeany in testing.  

Exclusive Autosport

Braden Eves: #92 Corpay Cross-Border Solutions Tatuus

What did he do in 2023: Competed in national level karting, but he was fifth in the 2022 Indy Pro 2000 championship on 304 points with a victory, five podium finishes and seven top five finishes.

What to expect in 2024: Before sitting out last season, Eves felt like he had a chance to make a run to IndyCar. He wasn't quick in winter testing. We know what he can do, but it doesn't feel like Eves will be matching his previous form.  

Avery Towns: #95 Towns Law Firm Tatuus

What did he do in 2023: 17th in the U.S. F2000 Championship on 101 points with one top ten finish in 15 starts.

What to expect in 2024: At the moment, Towns is only signed for the season opener with plans for a part-time season.  

Jay Howard Driver Development

Frankie Mossman: #6 ShopGLD/Offset Sport/Stilo/Simpson Tatuus

What did he do in 2023: Competed in the final five races in the USF Pro 2000 season where his best finish was ninth in the first race from Austin. 11th in the Formula 4 United States Championship on 45.5 points with two podium finishes and four top five finishes in nine starts.

What to expect in 2024: Bottom half of the championship. 

VRD Racing

Nikita Johnson: #17 Allen Exploration, LCC/Walker's Cay Tatuus

What did he do in 2023: Second in the U.S. F2000 Championship on 344 points with a victory, eight podium finishes and 13 top five finishes. Johnson competed in the final five USF Pro 2000 races, where he won twice and had four podium finishes.

What to expect in 2024: Johnson was already winning in USF Pro 2000 last year. He should be in the thick of it for the championship. Multiple race victories, regularly in the top five.  

Shawn Rashid: #32 Futos, Inc./ADS/Buckhead Collision Tatuus

What did he do in 2023: 25th in the GB3 Championship on 28 points with one top ten finishes in 19 starts. 

What to expect in 2024: Rashid was not at the NOLA test. Expectations are low, especially compared to Johnson. 

BN Racing

Nicolás Baptiste: #74 Bati's Roast Beef & Shakes/Iridian Tatuus

What did he do in 2023: Last competed full time in the 2022 Formula Regional European Championship where he scored zero points and his best finish was 15th.

What to expect in 2024: A but of surprise from the test Baptiste, as he was in the top five for four of the five sessions and he topped the final one. If he already has that speed, he should have a few podium finishes. If he is clicking off the results early, he could steal a championship. 

Ricardo Escotto: #77 BN Racing Tatuus

What did he do in 2023: 13th in the USF Pro 2000 Championship on 153 points with a victory but only five top ten finishes.

What to expect in 2024: Escotto was not far off his teammate Baptiste. Escotto does have experience in this series. His results should improve and he should find a way into the championship top ten. 

Comet/NCMP Racing

Logan Adams: #21 Comet/NCMP Racing Tatuus

What did he do in 2023: Competed in the Mid-Ohio and Toronto U.S. F2000 rounds where he was third in the first Toronto race but finished outside the top ten in the other four races. Twenty-second in the Formula 4 United States Championship where his best finish was seventh and he scored 10 points in 12 races. 

What to expect in 2024: Adams was at the bottom of every test session he participated in at NOLA. Don't expect to hear much from Adams. 

U.S. F2000

The U.S. F2000 season will run identical race weekends as USF Pro 2000, with a few exceptions. For U.S. F2000, the IMS road course and Road America will only be doubleheader weekends. Mid-Ohio and he final round at Portland will be a triple-headers.

Teams:

Pabst Racing

Hudson Schwartz: #22 Lucas Oil School of Racing/Axios/Axios HQ Tatuus

What did he do in 2023: Lucas Oil School of Racing Championship Series champion with six victories and 13 podium finishes in 15 races. Eighth in the USF Juniors Championship with three podium finishes and seven top five finishes in 13 starts.

What to expect in 2024: Schwartz ran respectable times in the NOLA test. He will have tough competition within his own team. The goal should be somewhere in the championship top ten. He will only turn 15 years old this May. Regular top ten results would be a good year.

Sam Corry: #23 Redline Oil/Stilo/Simpson Race Products Tatuus

What did he do in 2023: Seventh in the U.S. F2000 Championship on 222 points with a victory, three podium finishes and six top five finishes. 

What to expect in 2024: Corry was solidly in the top ten in testing. He could be a fringe player for the top five in the championship.

Max Garcia: #24 Advance Auto Parts Tatuus

What did he do in 2023: Ninth in the U.S. F2000 Championship on 207 points with two podium finishes and five top five finishes. 

What to expect in 2024: Garcia will only be turning 15 years old a week after St. Petersburg, but he got up to speed quickly last year. He led the NOLA test. He should be one of the championship favorites and pick up a few victories.

Jay Howard Driver Development

Evagoras Papasavvas: #6 BodyWise/Tiger Natural Gas/Ares Elite Tatuus

What did he do in 2023: Fourth in the U.S. F2000 Championship on 323 points with a victory, six podium finishes and nine top five finishes.

What to expect in 2024: Papasavvas is the top returning driver from last season. Experience will go a long way. Papasavvas should win more. He and Max Garcia should be battling it out quite a bit this season. 

Tanner DeFabis: #7 Destination Athlete Tatuus

What did he do in 2023: 24th in the Formula 4 United States Championship on five points with his best finish being eighth. 

What to expect in 2024: DeFabis only ran a few car races last ear in his first year of car racing. He likely will not be competing for top five finishes. His goal should be to run as many laps as possible.

Michael Costello: #8 ProGuard Warranty Tatuus

What did he do in 2023: Fifth in the Formula 4 United States Championship on 148 points with three victories, five podium finishes and nine top five finishes. 

What to expect in 2024: Costello showed good speed in testing. He wasn't quite pushing for the top five. He looks like a consistent top ten finisher that could pull out some top five results. 

VRD Racing

Nico Christodoulou: #2 VRD Racing Tatuus

What did he do in 2023: Eighth in the GB3 Championship on 261 points with three podium finishes. Christodoulou competed in the Toronto U.S. F2000 round and finished fifth and first in those races.

What to expect in 2024: Christodoulou had a great debutant weekend last year, and he tested the USF Pro 2000 car at NOLA with respectable speed. He should be fighting for top five in the championship. 

Max Taylor: #3 PINK ETF/Susan G. Komen Foundation Tatuus

What did he do in 2023: Sixth in the USF Juniors Championship on 236 points with a victory, three podium finishes and six top five finishes. 18th in the U.S. F2000 Championship on 86 points with four top ten finishes in 11 starts. 

What to expect in 2024: Taylor was consistently quick in testing, but never topping the speed charts. Championship top five is in play, but he could be squeezed out. It should not be a cause for concern though for the 16-year-old.

Cole Kleck: #14 International Mechanical Services/Kleck Racing Tatuus

What did he do in 2023: Competed in six Formula Regional Americas races and his best finish was third at Austin.

What to expect in 2024: Outside the top ten in the championship. 

Xavier Kokai: #19 KWILL Constructions Tatuus

What did he do in 2023: Fourth in the Australian Formula Ford Championship with a victory and three podium finishes.

What to expect in 2024: This is quite the learning curve for Kokai coming over from Australia. He was at the bottom in every test session. The hope will be to improve as the season goes along.  

DEForce Racing

Nicolas Giaffone: #1 OMNI Tatuus

What did he do in 2023: USF Juniors champion on 389 points with six victories and 11 podium finishes in 16 races.

What to expect in 2024: Giaffone is coming in off an impressive USF Juniors season. At 18 years old, he is a little older than others in this series. He should be in the championship top ten, but there should be tougher weekends than what he experienced last year. 

Lucas Fecury: #10 Br Consulting/Jeneve Soda/Allma Racing Lab Tatuus

What did he do in 2023: Ninth in the USF Juniors Championship on 206 points with a podium finish and four top five finishes. Competed in the 2023 U.S. F2000 final round in Portland where he finished 12th, 15th and 17th. 

What to expect in 2024: Fecury turns 21 years old in May. He was toward the bottom in testing. If he can pull out a few top ten finishes it will be a good year. 

Quinn Armstrong: #11 NDA Tatuus

What did he do in 2023: Second in the USF Juniors Championship on 324 points with three victories, nine podium finishes and 11 top five finishes. 

What to expect in 2024: Armstrong was constantly between eighth and 14th in testing. Making the championship top ten would be a good season.

Maxwell Jamieson: #12 2W Technologies Inc. Tatuus

What did he do in 2023: 16th in the U.S. F2000 Championship on 121 points with four top ten finishes.  

What to expect in 2024: Results similar to last season. 

Brady Golan: #18 DEForce Racing Tatuus

What did he do in 2023: Tenth in the USF Juniors Championship on 202 points with one top five finish. Competed in the U.S. F2000 round at Mid-Ohio where he finished 17th, 12th and 13th. 

What to expect in 2024: Goaln did not run in the NOLA test. It will be tough for him to crack the top ten. 

Exclusive Autosport

Jack Jeffers: #90 Corpay Cross-Border Solutions Tatuus

What did he do in 2023: Third in the USF Juniors Championship on 313 points with three victories, eight podium finishes and ten top five finishes. Competed in the U.S. F2000 round at Road America where Jeffers finished 11th and 12th.

What to expect in 2024: Jeffers was not at the NOLA test. The Exclusive Autosport cars showed some speed. Jeffers could be competitive on a regular basis. 

Joey Brienza: #91 Huntsman Mental Health Foundation/UBS Tatuus

What did he do in 2023: Fifth in the USF Juniors Championship on 280 points with a victory, six podium finishes and nine top five finishes. Brienza also competed in five U.S. F2000 races where his best finish was tenth. 

What to expect in 2024: Brienza was consistently in the top five at the NOLA test. He might not be a championship favorite, but he should pick up a few podium finishes and could win a race or two.  

Thomas Schrage: #92 Corpay Cross-Border Solutions Tatuus

What did he do in 2023: 20th in the U.S. F2000 Championship on 55 points in six starts with his best finish being fourth and three top ten finishes.

What to expect in 2024: There was breathing room regularly between Brienza and Schrage in testing. That should be the same during the season. 

Sarah Fisher Hartman Racing Development

Elliot Cox: #67 Drive Planning/Hartman Oil Tatuus

What did he do in 2023: 12th in the U.S. F2000 Championship on 145 points with two top five finishes and seven top ten finishes. 

What to expect in 2024: Cox will be in a fight to finish in the championship top ten.  

DC Autosport

Carson Etter: #57 Priority Workforce/GATC Health Tatuus

What did he do in 2023: 12th in the USF Juniors Championship on 155 points with five top ten finishes. 

What to expect in 2024: Toward the bottom of the championship. 

Ayrton Houk: #58 Wings and Wheels Foundation Tatuus

What did he do in 2023: Second in the F1600 Championship Series with three victories and 11 podium finishes. Team USA Scholarship winner and competed in the Formula Ford Festival from Brands Hatch and the Walter Hayes Trophy at Silverstone.

What to expect in 2024: Houk was all over the place in testing. He should have some races where he is in the top ten, but I don't think that is where he will spend most of his season. 

U.S. F2000 will race at 4:20 p.m. ET on Friday March 8 and at 4:45 p.m. ET on Saturday March 9. Both races are scheduled for 20 laps or 45 minutes. USF Pro 2000 will race at 11:55 a.m. ET on Saturday March 9 and 8:00 a.m. ET on Sunday March 10 with both races scheduled for 25 laps or 45 minutes. The 45-lap Indy Lights race will take place at 10:10 a.m. ET on Sunday March 10. 

Let's Look at the League - 2024 Season

New year, new hypothetical league format for IndyCar, as we enter year six of this exercise.

Here is how it works....

Imagine the IndyCar season as any other sports league season. Teams are placed in conferences and each week of competition the teams go head-to-head against one another with one team coming out as the winner and the other being the loser. Each victory counts in the league standings with a playoff to determine the champion while the worst teams are relegated. Meanwhile, in the division below, teams are fighting to earn promotion into the top league. 

The top division remains 16 teams, split into two conferences where each team completes a double round-robin with no inter-conference play.

Where were we?

Last season, the #9 Chip Ganassi Racing entry of Scott Dixon took the league championship over Patricio O'Ward and the #5 Arrow McLaren team. 

It was the first year a Team Penske car did not win the league championship, as no Penske car even made the finals for the first time. The #3 Penske and #12 Penske cars of Scott McLaughlin and Will Power respectively each lost in the semifinal round. 

Quarterfinalists included Álex Palou (#10 Ganassi), Colton Herta (#26 Andretti), Josef Newgarden (#2 Penske), and Kyle Kirkwood (#27 Andretti).

Though they did not make the playoffs, Alexander Rossi (#7 McLaren) and Marcus Ericsson (#8 Ganassi) were fifth in their respective conferences and those entries were guaranteed safety in the top division for the 2024 season. 

In the relegation playoff, Romain Grosjean (#28 Andretti) and Graham Rahal (#15 RLLR) won in the semifinal round to assure safety for the next season. The #11 Ganassi entry of Marcus Armstrong defeated the #60 Meyer Shank Racing of Tom Blomqvist in the relegation playoff final. The #11 Ganassi entry clinched a spot in the top division while the #60 MSR entry was relegated.

Relegated for finishing last in the two conferences after the regular season was the #21 Ed Carpenter Racing entry and the #18 Dale Coyne Racing entry.

The top three teams from League Two earned promotion to League One for 2024. The #45 RLLR entry won the League Two championship with the #6 McLaren and the #77 Juncos Hollinger Racing entry earning the other two promotion spots. 

How do things look for 2024?

Conference One

#10 Ganassi
#5 McLaren
#2 Penske
#45 RLLR
#26 Andretti
#6 McLaren
#28 Andretti
#11 Ganassi

Conference Two

#9 Ganassi
#3 Penske
#8 Ganassi
#12 Penske
#7 McLaren
#27 Andretti
#15 RLLR
#77 JHR 

For competitive balanced, I made sure all three Ganassi, McLaren, Penske and Andretti entries were not in the same conferences. Each is split two and one over the two conferences.

Schedule
League One:
Week 1 (ST. PETERSBURG):
#10 Ganassi vs. #11 Ganassi
#5 McLaren vs. #28 Andretti
#2 Penske vs. #6 McLaren
#45 RLLR vs. #26 Andretti

#9 Ganassi vs. #77 JHR
#3 Penske vs. #15 RLLR
#8 Ganassi vs. #27 Andretti
#12 Penske vs. #7 McLaren

Week 2 (LONG BEACH):
#10 Ganassi vs. #28 Andretti
#5 McLaren vs. #11 Ganassi
#2 Penske vs. #26 Andretti
#45 RLLR vs. #6 McLaren

#9 Ganassi vs. #15 RLLR
#3 Penske vs. #77 JHR
#8 Ganassi vs. #7 McLaren
#12 Penske vs. #27 Andretti

Week 3 (BARBER):
#10 Ganassi vs. #6 McLaren
#5 McLaren vs. #26 Andretti
#2 Penske vs. #11 Ganassi
#45 RLLR vs. #28 Andretti

#9 Ganassi vs. #27 Andretti
#3 Penske vs. #7 McLaren
#8 Ganassi vs. #77 JHR
#12 Penske vs. #14 RLLR

Week 4 (GPOI):
#10 Ganassi vs. #26 Andretti
#5 McLaren vs. #6 McLaren
#2 Penske vs. #28 Andretti
#45 RLLR vs. #11 Ganassi

#9 Ganassi vs. #7 McLaren
#3 Penske vs. 27 Andretti
#8 Ganassi vs. #15 RLLR
#12 Penske vs. #77 JHR

Week 5 (INDIANAPOLIS 500):
#10 Ganassi vs. #45 RLLR
#5 McLaren vs. #2 Penske
#26 Andretti vs. #11 Ganassi
#6 McLaren vs. #28 Andretti

#9 Ganassi vs. #12 Penske
#3 Penske vs. #8 Ganassi
#7 McLaren vs. #77 JHR
#27 Andretti vs. #15 RLLR

Week 6 (DETROIT):
#10 Ganassi vs. #2 Penske
#5 McLaren vs. #45 RLLR
#26 Andretti vs. #28 Andretti
#6 McLaren vs. #11 Ganassi

#9 Ganassi vs. #8 Ganassi
#3 Penske vs. #12 Penske
#7 McLaren vs. #15 RLLR
#27 Andretti vs. #77 JHR

Week 7 (ROAD AMERICA):
#10 Ganassi vs. #5 McLaren
#2 Penske vs. #45 RLLR
#26 Andretti vs. #6 McLaren
#28 Andretti vs. #11 Ganassi

#9 Ganassi vs. #3 Penske
#8 Ganassi vs. #12 Penske
#7 McLaren vs. #27 Andretti
#15 RLLR vs. #77 JHR

Week 8 (LAGUNA SECA): 
#10 Ganassi vs. #11 Ganassi 
#5 McLaren vs. #28 Andretti 
#2 Penske vs. #6 McLaren 
#45 RLLR vs. #26 Andretti 

#9 Ganassi vs. #77 JHR 
#3 Penske vs. #15 RLLR 
#8 Ganassi vs. #27 Andretti 
#12 Penske vs. #7 McLaren 

Week 9 (MID-OHIO): 
#10 Ganassi vs. #28 Andretti 
#5 McLaren vs. #11 Ganassi 
#2 Penske vs. #26 Andretti 
#45 RLLR vs. #6 McLaren 

#9 Ganassi vs. #15 RLLR 
#3 Penske vs. #77 JHR 
#8 Ganassi vs. #7 McLaren 
#12 Penske vs. #27 Andretti 

Week 10 (IOWA): 
#10 Ganassi vs. #6 McLaren 
#5 McLaren vs. #26 Andretti 
#2 Penske vs. #11 Ganassi 
#45 RLLR vs. #28 Andretti 

#9 Ganassi vs. #27 Andretti 
#3 Penske vs. #7 McLaren 
#8 Ganassi vs. #77 JHR 
#12 Penske vs. #14 RLLR 

Week 11 (IOWA): 
#10 Ganassi vs. #26 Andretti 
#5 McLaren vs. #6 McLaren 
#2 Penske vs. #28 Andretti 
#45 RLLR vs. #11 Ganassi 

#9 Ganassi vs. #7 McLaren 
#3 Penske vs. 27 Andretti
#8 Ganassi vs. #15 RLLR 
#12 Penske vs. #77 JHR 

Week 12 (TORONTO): 
#10 Ganassi vs. #45 RLLR 
#5 McLaren vs. #2 Penske 
#26 Andretti vs. #11 Ganassi 
#6 McLaren vs. #28 Andretti 

#9 Ganassi vs. #12 Penske 
#3 Penske vs. #8 Ganassi 
#7 McLaren vs. #77 JHR 
#27 Andretti vs. #15 RLLR 

Week 13 (GATEWAY): 
#10 Ganassi vs. #2 Penske 
#5 McLaren vs. #45 RLLR 
#26 Andretti vs. #28 Andretti 
#6 McLaren vs. #11 Ganassi 

#9 Ganassi vs. #8 Ganassi 
#3 Penske vs. #12 Penske 
#7 McLaren vs. #15 RLLR 
#27 Andretti vs. #77 JHR 

Week 14 (PORTLAND):  
#10 Ganassi vs. #5 McLaren 
#2 Penske vs. #45 RLLR 
#26 Andretti vs. #6 McLaren 
#28 Andretti vs. #11 Ganassi 

#9 Ganassi vs. #3 Penske
#8 Ganassi vs. #12 Penske 
#7 McLaren vs. #27 Andretti 
#15 RLLR vs. #77 JHR 

The playoff format remains the same. Top four from each conference advance while the bottom team in each conference will be relegated. Fifth place from each conference will be assured safety in the top division for 2025 while sixth and seventh from each conference will compete in a relegation playoff.

League Two
Last season, with 11 teams in League Two, we did an 11-team double round-robin. With that number of head-to-head matchups, oval qualifying for each oval round was incorporated into the season. 

This year, I explored different ways to organize League Two that would at least be easier for me and, after spending way more time than I should have trying to come up with a new concept, I settled on what is likely the easiest solution.

League Two will be an 11-team single round-robin, meaning each team will face each other once. At the end of the 11-week regular season, the top two teams will earn automatic promotion. The 11th-place team's season will end. 

Third through tenth in the standings will advance to the second phase of the season. The eight teams will be split into two groups, where another single round-robin will occur. 

Group A will be composed of third, sixth, seventh and tenth from the regular season. Group B will feature fourth, fifth, eighth and ninth from the regular season. 

The top two teams from each group after the group stage will advance to the promotion playoff where the winner will earn the final promotion spot to League One's 2025 season. 

Who are the participants?

#21 ECR
#18 DCR
#14 Foyt
#66 MSR
#20 ECR
#30 RLLR
#60 MSR
#78 JHR
#51 DCR
#41 Foyt
#4 Ganassi

And the schedule...

Schedule
Week 1 (ST. PETERSBURG):
#21 ECR vs. #78 JHR
#18 DCR vs. #51 DCR
#14 Foyt vs. #60 MSR
#66 MSR vs. #20 ECR
#30 RLLR vs. #41 Foyt
Bye: #4 CGR

Week 2 (LONG BEACH):
#18 DCR vs. #30 RLLR
#14 Foyt vs. #20 ECR
#66 MSR vs. #51 DCR
#60 MSR vs. #4 CGR
#78 JHR vs. #41 Foyt
Bye: #21 ECR

Week 3 (BARBER):
#21 ECR vs. #20 ECR
#14 Foyt vs. #30 RLLR
#66 MSR vs. #4 CGR
#60 MSR vs. #41 Foyt
#78 JHR vs. #51 DCR
Bye: #18 DCR

Week 4 (GPOI):
#21 ECR vs. #14 Foyt
#18 DCR vs. #20 ECR
#30 RLLR vs. #60 MSR
#78 JHR vs. #4 CGR
#51 DCR vs. #41 Foyt
Bye: #66 MSR

Week 5 (INDIANAPOLIS 500):
#21 ECR vs. #60 MSR
#18 DCR vs. #41 Foyt
#14 Foyt vs. #4 CGR
#66 MSR vs. #30 RLLR
#20 ECR vs. #78 JHR
Bye: #51 DCR

Week 6 (DETROIT):
#21 ECR vs. #30 RLLR
#18 DCR vs. #4 CGR
#14 Foyt vs. #51 DCR
#66 MSR vs. #78 JHR
#20 ECR vs. #60 MSR
Bye: #41 Foyt

Week 7 (ROAD AMERICA):
#21 ECR vs. #66 MSR
#18 DCR vs. #14 Foyt
#20 ECR vs. #51 DCR
#60 MSR vs. #78 JHR
#41 Foyt vs. #4 CGR
Bye: #30 RLLR

Week 8 (LAGUNA SECA):
#21 ECR vs. #18 DCR
#14 Foyt vs. #78 JHR
#66 MSR vs. #41 Foyt
#20 ECR vs. 30 RLLR
#51 DCR vs. #4 CGR
Bye: #60 MSR

Week 9 (MID-OHIO):
#21 ECR vs. #51 DCR
#18 DCR vs. #78 JHR
#14 Foyt vs. #41 Foyt
#66 MSR vs. #60 MSR
#30 RLLR vs. #4 Ganassi
Bye: #20 ECR

Week 10 (IOWA):
#21 ECR vs. #41 Foyt
#18 DCR vs. #60 MSR
#14 Foyt vs. #66 MSR
#20 ECR vs. #4 CGR
#30 RLLR vs. #51 DCR
Bye: #78 JHR

Week 11 (IOWA):
#21 ECR vs. #4 CGR
#18 DCR vs. #66 MSR
#20 ECR vs. #41 Foyt
#30 RLLR vs. #78 JHR
#60 MSR vs. #51 DCR
Bye: #14 Foyt

Let's see how this plays out. League One, I believe, has all the top drivers in it and there is no clear team that should earn promotion from League Two. This year will be interesting because there appears to be a number of entries that will likely rotate drivers. Ed Carpenter Racing is splitting the #20 entry with Ed Carpenter and Christian Rasmussen. Both Dale Coyne Racing cars will likely see multiple drivers in them. It will be intriguing to see how it plays out.

Previous league results:

2019 

2020

2021

2022

2023

Musings From the Weekend: How Are We Feeling on the Eve of a Season?

Here is a rundown of what got me thinking...

Max Verstappen opened the Formula One season with a grand slam, the fifth of his career, putting him level with Alberto Ascari and Michael Schumacher for third all-time, and one behind Lewis Hamilton for second. Meanwhile, the FIA World Endurance Championship opened its season across the Gulf of Bahrain in Qatar with a race that went the scheduled distance. A good story was spoiled in the closing laps, but it did lead to a historic achievement. It was windy in Las Vegas. It was an international affair in Daytona. However, another Florida event is on my mind, as a season is about to begin.

How Are We Feeling on the Eve of a Season?

Most of IndyCar's offseason was spent not speaking about the racing, and all the off-track debates over future decisions and regulation changes casted a massive shadow over what we are about to witness starting this weekend. 

There are plenty of understandable things to be frustrated over. Whether it is the hybrid system, originally supposed to debut in 2020, delayed because of logistics, then the pandemic, then supply chain issues, and now delayed until some time in 2024, but possibly not until 2025, due to limited distribution, or races falling off the calendar and the imbalance between oval races and road and street course races, there are things that haven't gone the series way. Some are in the series control, others are not. 

Every time it feels like IndyCar is gaining ground, in two months we are wondering how it slipped backward again. The season finale moving from a Nashville street race to Nashville Superspeedway about 40 minutes from downtown less than a month prior to the season opener is another example.

For everything that frustrates people about the direction of IndyCar, what takes place on the racetrack cannot be completely lost. 

Time and time again, IndyCar shows up to a racetrack and puts on a thrilling event. Even when it is unexpected, IndyCar can pull something out that is jaw-dropping. For a handful of years, all hope was lost for Texas Motor Speedway. Then last year's race happened. That came after a season opener saw the top two cars clash heading into turn four at St. Petersburg and take both drivers out of the race, and that wasn't the last act of drama in that race. 

IndyCar can have a team miss the Indianapolis 500 and then two and a half months later have that team chasing down a victory on a three-stop strategy while possibly the greatest driver in series history is on a historic fuel conservation run in the closing laps. There can be multiple first-time winners and then a driver can win three races on the spin and completely take control of a championship. 

That is going to be the case again in 2024, and yet, the series has reached a boiling point. 

Some have thrown up their hands and said enough. I get it, but why are you watching IndyCar in the first place then? 

It is a motorsports series after all. You fall in love for the races, what happened between the green flag and the checkered. The dazzling speeds and hair-raising passes. The blinding pit stops and strategy gambles. The drivers are mesmerizing for their ability, making the daring seem so pedestrian, and not thinking twice about what they just did. It is something to look forward to on those Sunday afternoon when hot dog vendors and souvenir trailers are all set up and ready to welcome spectators who look to disconnect from the concerns of everyday life for a few hours. 

We are less than a week from the start of the IndyCar season, and not much has been said about the upcoming season, what will happen on the track and the drivers competing. Everything has been about auxiliary concerns, some warranted, others less so. 

Everything in and around IndyCar cannot be a cataclysmic event. There is nothing less appeal than a cult always preaching about doomsday when tomorrow keeps showing up. It is even worse when such behavior snuffs out what is best about the series.

Do you think anyone who was interested in sampling IndyCar during the winter is sticking around when for the better part of five months it was nothing but hostility from those already following the series? What reason has a newcomer been given to be excited about this season?

It isn't about ignoring the problems, but properly acknowledging them. The sky cannot always be falling, even if it is the easiest way to respond. 

Now that the first race is here, I hope the on-track portion of IndyCar can take over because that is the strongest thing the series has going for it and it is a racing series after all. 

We are coming off Álex Palou becoming the first champion to clinch a championship with races to spare in 15 years, and Palou has a new sponsor. Scott Dixon continues to re-write the record book and Dixon ended 2023 with three victories in the final four races. Josef Newgarden won the Indianapolis 500 last year, and Newgarden is one victory away from 30 in his career! Patricio O'Ward, Colton Herta and Scott McLaughlin lead the pack of those looking for a championship. 

Meanwhile, Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing is hoping to be more of a force after turning around its 2023 season, Marcus Ericsson is on a new team, Romain Grosjean is on a new team and still searching for that first victory, and the likes of Will Power and Alexander Rossi look to avoid consecutive winless seasons. 

There is plenty of reasons to be excited about this new season. About 15 drivers you can envision winning a race and it is only a 17-race season. About ten of those 15 drivers could conceivably win the championship. We don't have a clue how things will end in September. Over the next seven months, the mystery will unravel in front of our very eyes. 

Winners From the Weekend

You know about Max Verstappen, but did you know...

Zane Maloney swept the Formula Two races from Bahrain. Arvid Lindblad (sprint) and Luke Browning (main) split the Formula Three races.

The #6 Porsche Penske Motorsport Porsche 963 of Kévin Estre, André Lotterer and Laurens Vanthoor won the Qatar 1812 km as Porsche swept the podium. The #92 Manthey Pure Rxcing Porsche of Klaus Bachler, Alex Malykhin and Joel Sturm won in the LMGT3 class

Kyle Larson won the NASCAR Cup race from Las Vegas. John Hunter Nemechek won the Grand National Series race. Rajah Caruth won the Truck race, his first career victory. 

Jett Lawrence won the Supercross race from Daytona. Tom Vialle won the 250cc race.

Coming Up This Weekend

The IndyCar season opener from St. Petersburg.

The second round of the Formula One season from Saudi Arabia.

The first round of the MotoGP season from Qatar.

The first round of the Super Formula season from Suzuka.

Supercross makes its first visit to Birmingham, Alabama.

NASCAR is in Phoenix.

The Daytona 200 takes place.

2024 MotoGP Season Preview

With so much going on, we start March with a MotoGP preview a week early. The 2024 calendar is set to grow by one round, even though one round has already been lost, as Francesco Bagnaia will chase his third consecutive world championship. 

Bagnaia will face increased competition, especially from within his own Ducati camp, as one of the best to ever race has changed manufacturers in hopes of a career Renaissance. For the second consecutive year, there is only one rookie on the grid, but this rider has high expectations after his success in the junior ranks. There is also a new team on the grid, represented by the Stars and Stripes. 

Schedule

What was originally scheduled for 22 rounds, the 2024 MotoGP season will contest 21 races after the Argentine Grand Prix was canceled at the end of January. 

Qatar returns to the season opener spot, a night race on March 10 before the first European round a fortnight later in Portugal. After an extended break, the lone visit to the Western Hemisphere will be on April 14 at Circuit of the Americas in Austin. Two weeks after that, the series returns to Europe for the Spanish Grand Prix from Jerez.

May begins with the French Grand Prix on May 12 with the Barcelona round moving back up to May 26 after taking place in September last year. A week after Barcelona will be the Italian Grand Prix from Mugello. This is the first of five instances of consecutive weekends with races in the 2024 season. 

After falling off the schedule in the middle of last year, Kazakhstan is scheduled for its debut race on June 16, two weeks prior to the Dutch TT from Assen. The German Grand Prix will lead MotoGP into its summer break on July 7. 

After a month off, the British Grand Prix will be held from Silverstone on August 4. Two weeks later, MotoGP will be in Austria at the Red Bull Ring. The European portion of the calendar closes with consecutive races over September 1 and 8 from the returning Aragón Grand Prix and Misano. 

The first half of the Asia-Pacific swing will have three consecutive races. India will be on September 22 with Indonesia on September 29 and then the Japanese Grand Prix on October 6. After a week off, the second three-week leg in the Pacific will begin in Australia on October 20 before Thailand on October 27 and then Malaysia on November 3. 

Valencia remains the host of the season finale, and the 2024 season concludes on November 17.

Teams

Ducati Lenovo Team

Riders: Francesco Bagnaia (#1 Ducati Desmosedici GP24) & Enea Bastianini (#23 Ducati Desmosedici GP24)

Who should win the intra-team battle?

Bagnaia is the defending two-time champion, and he just smashed the track record during the Qatar test. However, Bastianini is healthy and he was on his teammates heels during testing as the Ducati riders went 1-2. This should be a much more competitive season between the Ducati factory riders, and if Bastianini is stealing points off Bagnaia, it will make a third consecutive championship hard to come by. 

In 2023, Bagnaia mostly skirted the crashing problem that plagued. If he has Bastianini breathing down his neck, will that cause him to fold into his old ways? 

An edge goes to Bagnaia, but this could be closer than most realize.

Where should Ducati finish in the championship?

It should be noted that the factory Ducati team did not win the Teams' Championship last year. It was second to Pramac Racing Ducati. If Bastianini is on form with Bagnaia, Ducati should be moving up to first. 

Prima Pramac Racing

Riders: Franco Morbidelli (#21 Ducati Desmosedici GP24) & Jorge Martín (#89 Ducati Desmosedici GP24)

Who should win the intra-team battle?

Martín, as he is the returning rider from 2023 for Pramac. Martín was the surprise title contender last year, and part of that came down to his sprint race form. Martín won four grand prix last year and stood on the podium seven times. Morbidelli has not stood on the podium in his last 49 starts. His most recent trip to the rostrum was the 2021 Spanish Grand Prix from Jerez. 

Morbidelli takes over for Johann Zarco. The Yamaha had plenty of issues, but Morbidelli battled a few injuries over his last three seasons. The bike will no longer be the concern, but his health remains in question. Morbidelli was injured road bike testing in Portimão in January. He has yet to be cleared for the season opener. 

Until, we see Morbidelli on the bike, Martín is the undisputed leader at Pramac.

Where should Pramac finish in the championship?

For all the quips over Johann Zarco, he did finish fifth in the championship last year with a long-awaited victory in Australia, and that put Pramac ahead of the factory Ducati outfit for the Teams' Championship. However, if Morbidelli's production was already questionable, it certainly hasn't improved with his injury. Martín can only do so much, plus, other Ducati teams have strengthen. Expect a slide back for Pramac. It will finish fifth, but could risk sliding out of the top five altogether. 

Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team

Riders: Fabio Di Giannantonio (#49 Ducati Desmosedici GP23) & Marco Bezzecchi (#72 Ducati Desmosedici GP23)

Who should win the intra-team battle?

This is a matchup between a rider who started 2023 strong and then faded versus a rider who had not done anything worth a damn in his first one-and-three-quarter seasons of his MotoGP career only to end on a heater and score his first career victory in the process to close out 2023. 

Bezzecchi should recover and resemble more of the rider we saw in the early portion of 2023. Di Giannantonio should still be good, but I don't think he will be matching the results we saw at the end of the season on a regular basis. A few trips to the podium would be good for him, but Bezzecchi should be the leader of VR46.

Where should VR46 finish in the championship?

Something tells me third again, but a slight slip to fourth wouldn't be the craziest result. 

Bezzecchi should be a little better than last year. Di Giannantonio should produce something, but I don't think he is going to blow out Luca Marini's points total. The two riders were near each other in testing, but they were the third best Ducati team in the test.

Red Bull KTM Factory Racing

Riders: Brad Binder (#33 KTM RC16) & Jack Miller (#43 KTM RC16)

Who should win the intra-team battle?

All Binder does is finish races and all Miller does is throw away promising results. Binder is insanely consistent. He has finished in the top six in each of the last three seasons. He quadrupled his number of retirement in 2023 compared to 2022 and still went from sixth to fourth in points. 

At their highest level, Miller is better than Binder, but Miller steps over the edge too often. This should be close, and it should be a good year for KTM, but Binder isn't going to falter. 

Where should Red Bull KTM finish in the championship?

I don't think Binder can be at the same level he was at last year. It will be close, but I don't see five podium finishes. If the grid remains healthy, it will cost him some points, not a devastating total but enough to knock KTM back a few pegs. Sixth would still be good for this group.

Aprilia Racing

Riders: Maverick Viñales (#12 Aprilia RS-GP24) & Aleix Espargaró (#41 Aprilia RS-GP24)

Who should win the intra-team battle?

Espargaró has been proven difficult to defeat on the Aprilia, but I think this is the year Viñales tops him. Only two points separated the riders last year. Espargaró did win twice, but Viñales was on the podium three times and he had six top five finishes to Espargaró's five. 

It will be close again. Espargaró was the fastest of the two in testing in third, but Viñales was sixth and within 0.127 seconds of his teammate. This will be a hotly contested battle all season.

Where should Aprilia finish in the championship?

Second or third. Espargaró seems happy with the bike. The pace looked good. There were three Aprilia in the top six of the testing. The factory Aprilia team was one of two teams to have both its riders in the top six. The other was Ducati. I am not convinced it can take the fight to Ducati for the championship, but it should have plenty of strong days, and second or third depends on how the customer Ducati teams perform.

Gresini Racing MotoGP

Riders: Álex Márquez (#73 Ducati Desmosedici GP23) & Marc Márquez (#93 Ducati Desmosedici GP23)

Who should win the intra-team battle?

If healthy, Marc Márquez. 

This could be the year. I know we have been saying "this could the year" for four years now, but this could be the year Marc Márquez returns to form. He was fourth in testing on a year-old Ducati that thrashed the championship last year. The problem is the 2024 Ducati looks exceptionally strong. 

There should still be races where on the year-old bike Marc Márquez is able to take the fight to everyone and come out on top. Even on the days the new Ducati is clearly better, the year-old Ducati should be better than most. 

Where should Gresini finish in the championship?

If healthy, Marc Márquez combined with Álex Marquez can get Gresini to second. It will be task. Aprilia, VR46 and Gresini could be a thick three-way fight for second, third or fourth. If Pramac has two capable riders, it could become a four-way fight. 

Álex Márquez was eighth in the championship and that should not be lost on anyone. He can contribute and complement his brother. Together, they can lift Gresini up the order.

Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP

Riders: Fabio Quartararo (#20 Yamaha YZR-M1) & Álex Rins (#42 Yamaha YZR-M1)

Who should win the intra-team battle?

Quartararo, mostly because of his experience, but both riders have experience on rough bikes. Rins is coming from a customer Honda. 

It will be another trying year for Yamaha. Quartararo has been able to pull out some special results, though Rins did win last year at Austin on the LCR Honda. I feel better about Quartararo being able to make it to the finish of races. That goes a long way to deciding who finishes the best in a team.  

Where should Yamaha finish in the championship?

Yamaha was seventh last year and somehow that feels way too high for 2024. 

Quartararo and Rins were 14th and 16th respectively in the final test. The only manufacturer Yamaha was ahead of completely was Honda. I think it will be a battle between Yamaha and Red Bull GasGas to see who is eighth.

Trackhouse Racing MotoGP

Riders: Raúl Fernández (#25 Aprilia RS-GP23) & Miguel Oliveira (#88 Aprilia RS-GP24)

Who should win the intra-team battle?

Last year, as CryptoData RNF MotoGP Team, Oliveira was ahead of Fernández in the championship by 25 points despite Oliveira missing nine races. Oliveira, of course, picked up his one "how they hell did he do that" victories last year. Fernández had one top five finish and five top ten finishes all season. 

If healthy, Oliveira, but it should be noted Fernández, on the year-old Aprilia was fifth in the test and nearly a half-second faster than Oliveira. Hmm...

Where should Trackhouse finish in the championship?

This is the first season of the Trackhouse ownership of this team. The American-based organization expands from its roots in NASCAR into the motorcycle world championship. It shouldn't really change much. Trackhouse has hired Davide Brivio, who oversaw the Suzuki program from 2015 through January 2021, as its team principal.

Things should improve from last year. Seventh for Trackhouse in year one.

Repsol Honda Team

Riders: Luca Marini (#10 Honda RC213V) & Joan Mir (#36 Honda RC213V)

Who should win the intra-team battle?

Honestly, your guess is as good as mind. 

Mir has more time with the bike and team, but the bike and team is lost. Marini was respectable at VR46, though he lost out to Bezzecchi. Mir was 19th in testing and Marini was 20th. 

I don't think Marini truly knows what it is like to ride a truly cruddy bike. Advantage Mir, though it doesn't really matter when both riders will be struggling to score points.

Where should Honda finish in the championship?

Eleventh. Honda was behind LCR Honda in testing! It no longer has its magic bullet in Marc Márquez who can take a bike that shouldn't be in the top ten and have it finish on the podium. Mir and Marini should get some points. They may even keep the factory from receiving the wooden spoon, but it isn't going to be any better than tenth.

LCR Honda Idemitsu/Castrol

Riders: Johann Zarco (#5 Honda RC213V) & Takaaki Nakagami (#30 Honda RC213V)

Who should win the intra-team battle?

You have Zarco taking a significant step back, and Nakagami, who was the most consistent Honda rider in 2023. Zarco was 17th in testing and Nakagami was 18th. Zarco could settle into his fate for the 2024 season, but Nakagami is already used to it. Numbness is his advantage. Nakagami isn't going to breakdown over this season.

Where should LCR Honda finish in the championship?

Tenth or 11th. Neither Honda team is going to do all that well. Nakagami's consistency could be the deciding factor. If he and Zarco are on the same level, Repsol Honda is toast.

Red Bull GasGas Tech3

Riders: Pedro Acosta (#31 KTM RC16) & Augusto Fernández (#37 KTM RC16)

Who should win the intra-team battle?

Acosta is making an anticipated move into MotoGP, and he already started ahead of his teammate. Acosta was 15th in testing while Fernández was 21st, the slowest of the full-time riders. 

The Tech3 operation doesn't quite have the same legs as the factory KTM team, which is surprising. It doesn't have to be competing for podiums but it should at least be in consideration for points. Acosta put on some spectacular rides in Moto3 and Moto2. It will not be as easy in MotoGP. However, I think he can put together a few impressive runs and lead GasGas Tech3.

Where should Ducati finish in the championship?

There is a chance GasGas Tech3 clears Yamaha and the Hondas and gets into eighth. GasGas should at least be ahead of the Hondas. Quartararo could keep Yamaha in eighth, but if Acosta finds his groove and Fernández can run a respectable pace in comparison, eighth isn't out of the question for the French team.

First practice for the MotoGP season will be on Friday March 8 at 7:45 a.m. Eastern. The next session will be at noon that same Friday. At 6:00 a.m. ET on Saturday March 9, there will be the second practice, a 30-minute session before the first round of qualifying takes place at 6:40 a.m. Round two follows at 7:05 a.m. The sprint race will be 11 laps and start at 11:00 a.m. 

The Qatar Grand Prix will run on Sunday March 10 at 1:00 p.m. ET for 22 laps.