Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg pre-event quotes
MARCO ANDRETTI (No. 98 U.S. Concrete / Curb Honda): “I love starting the year at St. Pete in the US Concrete Honda, it’s a great setting for a race and one of my favorite street courses. I’m trying for my second podium there, it’s important to start the year strong.”
OLIVER ASKEW (No. 7 Arrow McLaren SP Chevrolet): “I feel as confident and prepared as possible as I head into my first INDYCAR race weekend. Thank you to the engineering staff and my crew at Arrow McLaren SP for making me feel at home right away and for getting me past the initial learning curve. The Road to Indy has done a great job getting me ready for this next step and I look forward to putting on a show and representing everyone who has gotten me to this point.”
SEBASTIEN BOURDAIS (No. 14 AJ Foyt Racing Chevrolet): “The greatest thing is that you get to race at home. There is nothing quite like it. I get to do it twice a year-at Le Mans and here in St. Pete. It’s always nice when you can race in an environment where you have friends and family around. The track itself has been a bit of a love-hate relationship, to be honest. The first year I was on pole and really should have won that race plain, straight, simple and we got caught out on strategy. I tried to make up for it and I crashed the car doing so and that was a bit of a heartbreak. After that, we never were in a position where it seemed to work out. We were fast but never quite making it happen and then in ’17 and ’18, the race came to us so that was great. It’s a pretty challenging track and it’s one of the longest races of the year and it’s the first race of the season. Physically it’s always a very tough one. I think that stands out as a characteristic of the event plus it is a little Monaco. It’s really pretty and when you look at the aerial shots, it looks like Monaco without the elevation change. It’s our Monaco in INDYCAR I guess.”
MAX CHILTON (No. 59 Gallagher Carlin Chevrolet): “It seems like a long time since our last race and I can’t wait to get back out on track this weekend in the No. 59 Gallagher Carlin Chevrolet. The Firestone Grand Prix of St Petersburg always provides a fantastic season opener. The crowds and challenges of the tight street circuit create a great spectacle and I’m sure this weekend will be no exception. It will be interesting to see where everyone is after the first qualifying session of the season, but I certainly feel that we’ve made some major steps forward over the winter that should benefit us there.”
CONOR DALY (No. 20 U.S. Air Force Chevrolet): “I have always loved St. Pete, it is such a great event to kick off the season! I was able to win in Pro Mazda (now Indy Pro 2000) back in 2010 which was my first time racing on the INDYCAR stage. I led laps there in 2016 as an NTT INDYCAR SERIES rookie as well, so this race has always meant a lot to me. I am more than ready to get down to work with Ed Carpenter Racing! The U.S. Air Force machine looks absolutely incredible and it is fantastic to get to debut it in the first race of the year. I’m just very excited to get the 2020 season going!”
SCOTT DIXON (No. 9 PNC Bank Chip Ganassi Racing Honda): “I think everybody is excited to get the season started. When you live in the Midwest, everybody is looking forward to getting to some warm weather. I think some of us have had the luxury of doing additional races, which is always good, before the season takes off. The format of the INDYCAR season right now, how long the off-season is, how little testing there is, I think there’s a lot of built-up energy and people eager to get going. There’s no difference for me. I think everybody is just trying to prepare as well as possible and make the off-season gains and development and just try and take off and fix the areas of weaknesses that we had last year with the PNC Bank team. Ultimately, I’m excited to get going and can’t wait.”
MARCUS ERICSSON (No. 8 Huski Chocolate Chip Ganassi Racing Honda): “I am really looking forward to the first race of the season and getting back to St. Pete after being there last year. It’s a great place to start the INDYCAR season; a great city and a great track. I have positive memories from last year with having a strong race running in the top 8. I had to retire with a mechanical failure, but it was running very well before that. I’ll be bringing in those good memories along with this being my first year with Chip Ganassi Racing and the Huski Chocolate No. 8 car – It’s going to be so much fun running that car. I am excited when I can start the season on a high! We had a really good off-season and we feel prepared to go racing.”
SANTINO FERRUCCI (No. 18 SealMaster Honda): “I am very much looking forward to the start of the 2020 NTT IndyCar Series season at St. Petersburg. The Dale Coyne Racing with Vasser-Sullivan SealMaster Honda is ready to go. We had a successful test at Sebring and some very good simulator training. It’s going to be a little different since this will be the first race for the team. It will be interesting to see where we are after six months of off-season preparation. It’s going to be exciting to see everyone get back over the pit wall again and I know we are all looking forward to being competitive and giving our sponsors the success they deserve.”
BEN HANLEY (No. 81 DragonSpeed FlexBox Chevrolet): “It’s great to come back to St Pete, not only because it’s such an awesome event but after even just a couple of races and test days we have a much better idea of what to expect from the car and the way the races are run. It will still take a while to reach the level we are targeting this season, but we are really looking forward to getting a read on the progress we have been making at DragonSpeed.”
JACK HARVEY (No. 60 AutoNation/SiriusXM Honda): “I love racing at St. Pete to kick off the IndyCar season,” said Harvey. “It’s a really fun city and an overall great race weekend. I think we are heading into the 2020 season full of confidence and optimism that we will have our best year yet. Hopefully, we will start St. Pete on the right foot and then keep that momentum going from there.”
COLTON HERTA (No. 88 Capstone Honda): “I’m really looking forward to the first race this weekend in St. Pete, we’ve worked hard this off-season and I’m ready to get out there and show all the progress we’ve made from our rookie season”
RYAN HUNTER-REAY (No. 28 DHL Honda): “The Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg is no doubt one of my favorite events on the INDYCAR calendar, it just so happens to be my home race as well. I’m eager to get the season started and get back in the routine of being the 28 DHL Honda every week again. We’ve finished on the podium here a few times over the years, so we’re certainly focused on that top step!”
CHARLIE KIMBALL (No. 4 TRESIBA/AJ FOYT RACING Chevrolet): “I can’t wait to get the 2020 season started at St. Pete with AJ Foyt Racing. A new season always inspires new opportunities, and I feel great about the opportunities this year. I’m proud to start a 12th season with Novo Nordisk, and look forward to their support all year long.”
FELIPE NASR (No. 31 Carlin Chevrolet): “I’m very pleased to be joining Carlin for my first ever weekend in an Indy car in St. Petersburg this weekend. It’s nice to see that all the work we’ve put into this program together has finally paid off. I’m thankful for Trevor Carlin for giving me the opportunity to drive the No. 31 Carlin Chevrolet this weekend and to Chevy for supporting this program. I’m very keen to contribute to the team with my experience and my knowledge and to hopefully show that the speed we had at Sebring a few days ago will translate onto the streets of St. Petersburg. I know the team has been working really hard over the offseason and I’m very excited to get out on track first thing on Friday morning.”
JOSEF NEWGARDEN (No. 1 Hitachi Team Penske Chevrolet): “It’s been a crazy busy offseason. Even though we weren’t racing, we were hard at work preparing for this season while also attending events for sponsors and media events. At the same time, I was lucky to spend quite a bit of time with family, traveled and got married. But now, the No. 1 Hitachi Chevy team and I are ready to go. Last season went so well for us and we are ready to capitalize on the momentum. We’re starting off the year with the race at St. Pete which we won last year. The new addition to the car known as the Aeroscreen has caused us to adjust our plans a bit to count for its aerodynamic differences but we all feel confident that everything we have tested during the offseason has put it us in the right place for success this season.”
PATO O’WARD (No. 5 Arrow McLaren SP Chevrolet): “St. Petersburg is the perfect place to start the INDYCAR season. Sunny Florida, the atmosphere is great, the fans are great, and the track is very enjoyable to drive. I’m looking forward to continuing the success I’ve in the past few years in Indy Lights and Pro Mazda; now I get to do it in an Indy car. It’s great that we are going to get down to racing now. The offseason is over.”
SIMON PAGENAUD (No. 22 Menards Team Penske Chevrolet): “The 2019 season was an absolute dream season after winning The Indianapolis 500 and finishing runner-up in the championship. It was a season I will never forget. I’m fully prepared and now am focusing on 2020. I had an incredible offseason; I feel more ready than ever before. I’m focused, determined and ready to attack this new year. INDYCAR is in an uptrend with new teams and drivers and a lot of exciting news like the Aeroscreen. The Menards Chevy team and I can’t wait for St. Pete race this weekend.”
ALEX PALOU (No. 55 Dale Coyne Racing with Team Goh Honda): “To be honest, I’ve never been this excited for the start of a race season. As I’ve said before, it’s a dream for me to be part of the NTT IndyCar Series and this weekend it officially comes true. I’m ready for the season to start. It’s just a shame that we had a limited amount of time to test with the new Aeroscreen, but it’s the same for everyone as we head into this first race. I can’t wait to discover the St. Petersburg track. I think it’s a good track to start the season at and I’m very much looking forward to getting in the car Friday morning.”
WILL POWER (No. 12 Verizon Team Penske Chevrolet): “It was a really great offseason. I was able to spend time with my family in Australia and spend time with Liz’s family here in the U.S. It was great to relax and take a break. However, we didn’t stop working in the offseason. The Verizon Chevy team worked really hard to adjust to changes for this season with the biggest being around the Aeroscreen. We learned a lot from the offseason tests and were able to gather even more data from the simulator. We feel like we have a truly solid plan in place for the entire season starting at St. Petersburg. I feel like it’s been too long since the last time we raced so I can’t wait to get back in the car.”
GRAHAM RAHAL (No. 15 United Rentals Honda): “My expectations are high for the season like they are every year. We know we can win. I know I can win as a driver and we know we can win as a team. St. Pete is a great place to start it off. We have had good success there. We had a win in 2008 and another podium and have also had a lot of bad luck. Last year we had some bad luck, but we’re excited to get out there and start the season off on the right foot and get some good points. The expectations are high but why should we expect less from ourselves. Particularly in this day and age, you’ve got to push yourself as hard as possible, you’ve got to expect the most out of yourself and be as committed and determined as possible. It lit a fire under me, we went through a dry spell there for a while which was tough for me, tough for the fans. I heard plenty about it. But then we won five times in three years which was pretty solid given the level of competition here. We’ve gone on a couple of years of a dry spell, so we need to get back in Winners Circle, there’s no doubt about that.”
FELIX ROSENQVIST (No. 10 NTT DATA Chip Ganassi Racing Honda): “It’s the moment of truth finally after almost half a year waiting. It’s been a lot of, not only waiting but a lot of preparation especially the last couple of months with two tests – which hasn’t been a lot of driving. Everyone has been trying to be the best prepared for the season start. I’m just eager to drive the NTT DATA No. 10 car and start the season fresh. It’s a big week and I think there is a lot to lose and little to win this first race. You have to keep yourself a little bit calm. It’s going to be great to be back with the team and up on the track trying to build from where we left off last year!”
ALEXANDER ROSSI (No. 27 AutoNation / NAPA AUTO PARTS Honda): “Lots of excitement heading into this weekend as I am beginning year 5 in the NTT INDYCAR Series with Andretti Autosport. It’s amazing how quickly that time has passed, and I cannot wait to start the next decade in the place I started. St. Pete is an important weekend to make sure we are on pace quickly and I feel confident that our progress and preparation this off-season will allow us to do that.”
TAKUMA SATO (No. 30 Panasonic / Mi-Jack Honda): “As our team, and every team has done, we have done R&D (research and development) on every aspect of the car to go faster. The team worked non-stop since last season. They did a great job over the course of the winter and we will see how well we have moved forward. As a race car driver and an athlete, you have to get stronger for the strength as well as to have a good performance. Hopefully, we can jump in the car and both (driver and car) match the speed and progress. St. Petersburg for me is just always fun. It’s a perfect venue for the season opener. The fans have been waiting for it and so have we. I personally have good memories and great history in St. Petersburg. It’s a great track; very challenging and unique because of using the airport runway and the downtown city streets. I can’t wait to go back there.”
ZACH VEACH (No. 26 Gainbridge Honda): “The wait is almost over for us and of course the INDYCAR fans. I’m so excited to get back down to St. Pete and run at one of my favorite places. Just last week we had one of my best tests in INDYCAR at Sebring and I’m hoping to carry that speed and momentum into the first race weekend of the 2020 season.”
RINUS VEEKAY (No. 21 Sonax Chevrolet): “I’m super excited for St. Pete! I have trouble going to sleep at night because I know it’s race week! I am counting down the seconds. I’m finally going to be an NTT INDYCAR SERIES driver! I feel the preparation the team has given me is some of the best among all drivers, especially the rookies, heading into the season. I have had many tests, learned a lot already and now I’m ready to race at the front of the field!”
Sources: Mike Zizzo/IndyCar PR