Ex-F1 drivers shine in crash-filled St Pete opener

Two airborne crashes, incidents galore and two drivers who had victories stolen from their grasp make up the talking points of this week’s The Race IndyCar Podcast after a frantic St Petersburg opener.

Regular hosts Jack Benyon of The Race and IndyCar podium finisher JR Hildebrand start with the race’s key incident, as Scott McLaughlin clashed with Romain Grosjean while fighting for victory, which eventually went to Marcus Ericsson.

Grosjean hasn’t always been given the respect of his peers in wheel-to-wheel combat Stateside, but this incident was different and the hosting duo look at why.

Andretti’s strong start to the season with pole might feel like yet another false dawn after all four of its cars - plus its two affiliated entries at Meyer Shank, including last week’s guest Simon Pagenaud - hit trouble and retired or finished laps down. 

But the hosting duo explain why this year feels different for a resurgent Andretti, which has waited 10 years for a title.

There’s also discussion on Ericsson’s claims that he and his team aren’t given the credit they deserve, where Arrow McLaren stands after Pato O’Ward was robbed of victory thanks to a plenum fire, and how one of IndyCar’s newest and smallest teams, Juncos Hollinger Racing, excelled with an ace sophomore and shocking rookie onboard.

With so much to discuss, the podcast will return next week with special interviews to cover off more of the stories from St Pete.

Don't forget, if you have a question for our hosting team, you can email text and/or voice notes to be included on the podcast by sending them to podcasts@the-race.com

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