Arrow McLAREN Grand Prix of St. Petersburg: Friday Report
"Pato had a pretty good run there at the end. Everyone is feeling pretty reasonable"
The first green flag session of the 2024 NTT INDYCAR SERIES season took place on Friday at the Grand Prix of St. Petersburg.
Arrow McLaren IndyCar Team was on track for one session with Pato O'Ward, Callum Ilott and Alexander Rossi.
After Practice 1, Pato was second quickest, Callum in 10th and Alexander in 14th.
Saturday brings a practice session and qualifying for Sunday's 100-lap race on the streets of St. Pete.
| Location | St. Petersburg, Fla. |
| Race Date | March 10 |
| Round | 1 out of 17 |
| Total Laps | 100 laps |
| Total Race Distance | 180 miles / 289.68 km |
| Length | 1.8 miles / 2.9 km |
| Number of Turns | 14 |
Pato O'Ward, Driver, No. 5 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet
| Practice 1 | 1:00.8112 | 2nd |
| Total Laps | 19 laps | Â |
"I'm happy with the first practice of the year. It was quite a messy session, but I’m glad we got somewhat of a read on both of the Firestone tires. So it gives us some information to look at and prepare for tomorrow."
Callum Ilott, Driver, No. 6 NTT DATA Arrow McLaren Chevrolet
| Practice 1 | 1:01:0545 | 10th |
| Total Laps | 23 laps | Â |
"The day was really good. Honestly, I’m very impressed with the team, as with the car. I think it was a good start, and obviously there are things to work on. For me, not having driven (an NTT INDYCAR SERIES car) for a couple of months, it was refreshing. But this team has a good program, and we got through everything that we wanted to. The session was a bit different to what we are used to, but I think we made the most of it. Big thanks to everyone who got me in the car."
Alexander Rossi, Driver, No. 7 VELO Arrow McLaren Chevrolet
| Practice 1 | 1:01.2464 | 14th |
| Total Laps | 23 laps | Â |
"I’m not sure that the split practice really helped anything, but it was a valiant effort to try it. It was hard to get a lap. Our best lap came on the Firestone Primary tire, so we don’t know right now how we are on the alternate. I think, in general, the car feels good and we are starting in a good spot. We will see what tomorrow brings."
Gavin Ward, Team Principal, Arrow McLaren
"In my experience, Practice 1 at St. Pete is a tricky one to judge performance off of. Today was no exception. Pato had a pretty good run there at the end. Everyone is feeling pretty reasonable, and it’s always tough in traffic to complete your lap. I applaud the NTT INDYCAR SERIES for trying something new with the split practice sessions, but I don’t think it made it easier to digest today."
Remaining Session Times
| Practice 2 | Saturday, 9:35-10:35 a.m. ET | Peacock |
| Qualifying | Saturday, 2:00-3:30 p.m. ET | Peacock |
| Warmup | Sunday, 9:10-9:40 a.m. ET | Peacock |
| Race Tune In | Sunday, 12:00 p.m. ET | NBC |
| Green Flag | Sunday, 12:30 p.m. ET | NBC |