View source for 2019 Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg

{{Infobox Race Report
|name               = {{US}} 2019 Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg
|Race_No            = 1
|Season_No          = 17
|year               = 2019
|series             = IndyCar Series
|Circuit            = File:StPete.png
|date               = March 10, 2019
|official name      = Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg
|location           = St. Petersburg, FL, USA
|course             = Temporary street circuit <br> 1.800 mi / 2.897 km
|distance           = 100 laps <br> 180.000 mi / 289.700 km
|weather            = Dry
|pole driver        = {{AU}} Will Power
|pole team          = Team Penske
|pole time          = 1:00.048
|fastest lap driver = {{AU}} Will Power
|fastest lap team   = Team Penske
|fastest lap time   = 1:01.343
|first driver       = {{COL}} Carlos Muñoz
|first team         = Chip Ganassi Racing
|second driver      = {{BE}} [[Thomas De Bock]]
|second team        = Team Penske
|third driver       = {{US}} Josef Newgarden
|third team         = Dale Coyne Racing
|}}


The '''2019 Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg''' was the first round of the [[2019 Airbnb IndyCar Series]], following the series' two-year hiatus. The race was held on the streets of St. Petersburg, Florida.

== Race Report == 

Starting from pole position, Will Power was able to retain the lead after defending from Carlos Muñoz and Ryan Hunter-Reay at the beginning of the race. Power was able to lead for almost the entire race and built a comfortable margin over the rest of the field. He was helped by Penske's tactics of leaving team-mate James Hinchcliffe out to back the remainder of the pack up, allowing Power to generate a gap of over thirty seconds ahead of Hinchcliffe. 

After Hinchcliffe made his first stop, Power managed to spin at turn 4 and 2nd-placed Muñoz was able to reel in the Australian. Following a crash from J. R. Hildebrand in the late stages of the race, Power's Penske sustained damage from contact with the stricken Dale Coyne and had to pit for a new front wing, allowing Muñoz to take the first victory of the season. Former ARWS champion [[Thomas De Bock]] claimed 2nd in his first IndyCar grand prix, and Josef Newgarden took 3rd to cap off a bittersweet afternoon for the Dale Coyne Racing team.

== Qualifying Results ==

{|class="wikitable sortable" style="font-size: 95%"
|-
! Pos
! No.
! Driver
! Constructor
! Time
! Gap
|-
! 1
| 3
| {{AU}} Will Power
| Team Penske
| 1:00.048
| 
|-
! 2
| 10
| {{COL}} Carlos Muñoz
| Chip Ganassi Racing
| 1:00.243
| +0.195
|-
! 3
| 64
| {{US}} [[Ashley Cassidy]]
| Cassidy Racing
| 1:00.251
| +0.203
|-
! 4
| 4
| {{FR}} Sébastien Bourdais
| KVSH Racing
| 1:00.268
| +0.220
|-
! 5
| 8
| {{US}} Ryan Hunter-Reay
| Chip Ganassi Racing
| 1:00.293
| +0.245
|-
! 6
| 12
| {{BE}} [[Thomas De Bock]]
| Team Penske
| 1:00.335
| +0.287
|-
! 7
| 21
| {{AU}} Ryan Briscoe
| Ed Carpenter Racing
| 1:00.345
| +0.297
|-
! 8
| 2
| {{FR}} Simon Pagenaud
| Team Penske
| 1:00.348
| +0.300
|-
! 9
| 15
| {{US}} Graham Rahal
| Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing
| 1:00.368
| +0.320
|-
! 10
| 83
| {{NZL}} Scott Dixon
| Chip Ganassi Racing
| 1:00.383
| +0.335
|-
! 11
| 11
| {{CH}} Simona de Silvestro
| KVSH Racing
| 1:00.409
| +0.361
|-
! 12
| 26
| {{BRA}} Felipe Massa
| Andretti Autosport
| 1:00.434
| +0.386
|-
! 13
| 22
| {{CAN}} James Hinchcliffe
| Team Penske
| 1:00.446
| +0.398
|-
! 14
| 18
| {{US}} Josef Newgarden
| Dale Coyne Racing
| 1:00.450
| +0.402
|-
! 15
| 5
| {{MEX}} Sergio Pérez
| Schmidt Peterson Motorsports
| 1:00.475
| +0.427
|-
! 16
| 7
| {{IND}} Karun Chandhok
| Schmidt Peterson Motorsports
| 1:00.483
| +0.435
|-
! 17
| 65
| {{ITA}} Raffaele Marciello
| Cassidy Racing
| 1:00.498
| +0.450
|-
! 18
| 28
| {{US}} Kyle Kaiser
| Andretti Autosport
| 1:00.535
| +0.487
|-
! 19
| 9
| {{CAN}} Lance Stroll
| Chip Ganassi Racing
| 1:00.544
| +0.496
|-
! 20
| 19
| {{US}} J. R. Hildebrand
| Dale Coyne Racing
| 1:00.551
| +0.503
|-
! 21
| 20
| {{US}} Conor Daly
| Ed Carpenter Racing
| 1:00.574
| +0.526
|-
! 22
| 16
| {{ARG}} Esteban Guerrieri
| Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing
| 1:00.607
| +0.559
|-
! 23
| 27
| {{US}} Marco Andretti
| Andretti Autosport
| 1:00.655
| +0.607
|-
! 24
| 41
| {{US}} [[Collin Pratchett]]
| A. J. Foyt Enterprises
| 1:00.752
| +0.704
|-
! 25
| 14
| {{GB}} Max Chilton
| A. J. Foyt Enterprises
| 1:00.776
| +0.728
|-
! 26
| 98
| {{US}} Colton Herta
| Andretti Herta Autosport
| 1:00.923
| +0.875
|}

== Race Results ==

{|class="wikitable sortable" style="font-size: 95%"
|-
! Pos
! No.
! Driver
! Constructor
! Time/Ret
! Pts
|-
! 1
| 10
| {{COL}} Carlos Muñoz
| Chip Ganassi Racing
| 1:46:18.412
| 50
|-
! 2
| 12
| {{BE}} [[Thomas De Bock]]
| Team Penske
| +2.682
| 40
|-
! 3
| 18
| {{US}} Josef Newgarden
| Dale Coyne Racing
| +11.757
| 35
|-
! 4
| 3
| {{AU}} Will Power
| Team Penske
| +20.531
| 35
|-
! 5
| 22
| {{CAN}} James Hinchcliffe
| Team Penske
| +39.932
| 30
|-
! 6
| 83
| {{NZL}} Scott Dixon
| Chip Ganassi Racing
| +40.236
| 28
|-
! 7
| 8
| {{US}} Ryan Hunter-Reay
| Chip Ganassi Racing
| +40.553
| 26
|-
! 8
| 11
| {{CH}} Simona de Silvestro
| KVSH Racing
| +42.287
| 24
|-
! 9
| 9
| {{CAN}} Lance Stroll
| Chip Ganassi Racing
| +42.778
| 22
|-
! 10
| 16
| {{ARG}} Esteban Guerrieri
| Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing
| +44.312
| 20
|-
! 11
| 28
| {{US}} Kyle Kaiser
| Andretti Autosport
| +48.183
| 19
|-
! 12
| 27
| {{US}} Marco Andretti
| Andretti Autosport
| +51.107
| 18
|-
! 13
| 26
| {{BRA}} Felipe Massa
| Andretti Autosport
| +53.365
| 17
|-
! 14
| 41
| {{US}} [[Collin Pratchett]]
| A. J. Foyt Enterprises
| +55.559
| 16
|-
! 15
| 98
| {{US}} Colton Herta
| Andretti Herta Autosport
| +1:01.133
| 15
|-
! 16
| 19
| {{US}} J. R. Hildebrand
| Dale Coyne Racing
| +1 Lap
| 14
|-
! 17
| 21
| {{AU}} Ryan Briscoe
| Ed Carpenter Racing
| +1 Lap
| 13
|-
! 18
| 5
| {{MEX}} Sergio Pérez
| Schmidt Peterson Motorsports
| +1 Lap
| 12
|-
! 19
| 14
| {{GB}} Max Chilton
| A. J. Foyt Enterprises
| +1 Lap
| 11
|-
! 20
| 64
| {{US}} [[Ashley Cassidy]]
| Cassidy Racing
| +2 Laps
| 10
|-
! 21
| 15
| {{US}} Graham Rahal
| Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing
| +7 Laps/Engine
| 9
|-
! 22
| 7
| {{IND}} Karun Chandhok
| Schmidt Peterson Motorsports
| Gearbox
| 8
|-
! 23
| 4
| {{FR}} Sébastien Bourdais
| KVSH Racing
| Oil Leak
| 7
|-
! 24
| 65
| {{ITA}} Raffaele Marciello
| Cassidy Racing
| Engine
| 6
|-
! 25
| 20
| {{US}} Conor Daly
| Ed Carpenter Racing
| Engine
| 5
|-
! 26
| 2
| {{FR}} Simon Pagenaud
| Team Penske
| Engine
| 5
|}