28 February 2026 22:00 (UTC)
“We’re going to focus on moving forward tomorrow"
Sunny St. Pete hosted Practice 2 and Qualifying today where there were plenty of surprises in store across the grid.
After a busy Qualifying session, Pato will roll off Sunday's race in P8, while Christian will follow in P12 and Nolan in P22.
Be sure to catch the season-opening action on FOX as Arrow McLaren looks to kick off the 2026 campaign in strong form.
Location | St. Petersburg, Fla. |
Race Date | March 1 |
Round | 1 out of 18 |
Total Laps | 100 |
Total Race Distance | 180 miles / 289.68 km |
Track Length | 1.8 miles / 2.9 km |
Number of Turns | 14 |
Practice 2 | P8, 1:01.9473 |
Qualifying - Round 1, Group 1 | P2, 1:00.9405 |
Qualifying - Round 2 | P8, 1:00.8863 |
Starting Position | P8 |
“I think we missed the track evolution there a little bit, and our balance fell off from the perfect window. The car definitely didn't have more in it, and it's about where we have been today - sitting in eighth and flirting with the final transfer. I'm very happy with the car on primary tires. The soft tires have just been more difficult, as it's been for us in the past. We need to dive into that and see what's going on because I do think the car was capable of being a bit higher up."
Practice 2 | P1, 1:01.6157 |
Qualifying - Round 1, Group 2 | P5, 1:01.0716 |
Qualifying - Round 2 | P12, 1:00.9842 |
Qualifying Result | P12 |
“It was a bit of a disappointing Qualifying. We were expecting more after after our P1 and P2 results. I think it was a question in my mind if we had what it really took on the Firestone Red tires. Just judging off of P1, we didn't really seem to be there on the alternates. It's frustrating but at the end of the day, points are scored tomorrow, so we'll keep our heads down and figure out the strategy for the race." |
Practice 2 | P12, 1:02.0533 |
Qualifying - Round 1, Group 2 | P11, 1:01.4498 |
Qualifying Result | P22 |
“I was feeling really good about our chances to transfer today, but we didn’t get a lap in Q1. That’s racing, but it’s very disappointing after our No. 6 NTT DATA Arrow McLaren Chevrolet crew put so much work into getting this race car into proper form. We’re going to focus on moving forward tomorrow.” |
Warmup | Sunday, 9:00 a.m. ET | FS1 |
Race Tune In | Sunday, 12:00 p.m. ET | FOX |
Green Flag | Sunday, 12:29 p.m. ET | FOX |
