Source: Team PR

Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing
Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg
NTT INDYCAR SERIES
PRACTICE NOTES/QUOTES – March 8, 2024

THE 2024 NTT INDYCAR SERIES SEASON KICKED OFF WITH PRACTICE ONE OF THE FIRESTONE GRAND PRIX OF ST. PETE

1)         Felix Rosenqvist             1:00.3390 / 107.393 mph
13)       Christian Lundgaard       1:01.0927 / 106.068 mph
22)       Graham Rahal                  1:01.6303 / 105.143 mph       
26)       Pietro Fittipaldi                1:02.6532 / 103.426 mph

GRAHAM RAHAL, No. 15 Fifth Third Bank Dallara/Honda/Firestone: “It was a sloppy session for us. We really struggled with car balance badly for most of the session. Then we tried to run the alternate tires and it went red on my first flying lap and by the time we went back out, I just couldn’t activate the tire which seemingly was our issue on blacks (tires). I just couldn’t get the tire to work and it cost us. We found 0.8 of a second on the last lap and it was not a pretty lap and it didn’t start well at all. Is there another three or four tenths (of a second)? Maybe, but to get to Christian’s five-tenths is probably going to be tough. WE’ve got to see what we can do overnight to try to make the cars better.”  

• FAST FACTS: Will make his 17th start at the track… His best start here is pole in 2009 and best finish is a win in 2008 in his IndyCar Series debut – both history-making moments at the time as he became the youngest race winner in series history (2008), and youngest pole winner in series history (2009). Both records were eclipsed in 2019 by Colton Herta but he held them for 10 and 11 years, respectively.  Overall, he has earned one top-five and seven top-10 starts here and has two top-five and seven top-10 finishes, including sixth place here last year. Year-by-year details are available upon request… Has SIX INDYCAR SERIES wins (2008 – St. Pete street course; 2015 – Fontana Super Speedway, Mid-Ohio road course; 2016 – Texas Super Speedway; 2017 Detroit Race 1, Detroit Race 2) and three poles (2009 – St. Pete street course, Kansas oval; 2017 – Detroit Race 1 street) and his highest series season-ending standing is fourth place in 2015.

PIETRO FITTIPALDI, No. 30 OAKBERRY / Pneustore Dallara/Honda/Firestone: “It was my first practice session ever in St. Pete and the track is crazy. The track is fast, it’s very difficult, very bumpy but I’m looking forward to getting more laps tomorrow. We definitely need more laps to get up to speed so I’m looking forward to Practice 2. The team is doing a great job. It’s very hot here I’m sweating a lot but super excited for the potential.”

• FAST FACTS: Pietro returns to the series after having made nine starts in 2018 and 2021 for Dale Coyne Racing. Of his nine starts in the series, six were on oval tracks and three were on road courses. His best career start is 10th in Phoenix (oval) and ninth in Portland (road) – both in 2018. 

CHRISTIAN LUNDGAARD, No. 45 Hy-Vee Dallara/Honda/Firestone: “It was a different format for practice this year and it was interesting for sure. I don’t think its necessarily of benefit. but I also think there are different opinions across the paddock from our perspective. I think the car is a little unconnected. There is potential and I think the fundamentals are there, but we haven’t quite connected the car but it’s not far out of the window. Compared to Felix (Rosenqvist), I think everybody is out of the window. He seems extremely fast. I have full confidence in the Hy-Vee team. We’re working hard and we know what to do. We know that the balance direction we need to move towards. I’m pretty stoked for tomorrow. It’s going to be an earlier session so we’ll see what improvements we can make overnight.”

• FAST FACTS: Will make his third start here and attempt to better his 2023 season-engine eight-place rank in the point standings. He broke through to win his first series victory on the streets of Toronto in 2023, from pole no less. And brought the team two of its four poles in 2023 to match Team Penske in the second-most poles for the year. In St. Pete last year, he started 11th and finished ninth and started 15th and finished 11th here in 2022… Has ONE WIN (2023 – Toronto street course) and TWO POLES (2023 – IMS road, Toronto street). 

NEXT UP:  Practice 2 will take place from 9:35 – 10:35 a.m. ET tomorrow and qualifying will take place from 2:00 – 3:30 p.m. Both sessions will be televised live on Peacock.  The Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg will be televised live on NBC beginning at 12:30 PM ET on Sunday, March 10.