“The mission starts this weekend”
The green flag drops on a brand new NTT INDYCAR SERIES this weekend at the series’ traditional season-opening location – the streets of St. Petersburg, Fla.
Following a record-setting 2025 season, the Arrow McLaren IndyCar Team will look to get off to a strong start in 2026 at the Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg.
The team returns all three of its drivers – Pato O’Ward, Nolan Siegel and Christian Lundgaard – for the upcoming campaign. Following last week’s Unser INDYCAR Open Test at Phoenix Raceway on Feb. 17-18, the trio of Arrow McLaren pilots will be on track in St. Pete on Friday, Feb. 27 ahead of race day on March 1.
See what the drivers are saying ahead of the season-opening race weekend:
| 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 |
Pato O’Ward, Driver, No. 5 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet
Career on Streets of St. Petersburg
| Total Starts | 6 |
| Best Starting Position | P3 (2024) |
| Best Finishing Position | P1 (2024) |
| 2025 Result | P11 |
| “I’m really looking forward to getting back to racing and kicking off the season this weekend in St. Pete. It’s always a great atmosphere down there, and it’s a place where we’ve had success in the past. We had a really strong year in 2025, but the offseason has been all about preparing to take that next step in 2026. That mission starts this weekend.” |
Nolan Siegel, Driver, No. 6 NTT DATA Arrow McLaren Chevrolet
Career on Streets of St. Petersburg
| Total Starts | 1 (2025) |
| 2025 Starting Position | P11 |
| 2025 Finishing Position | P25 |
| “It’s been a busy offseason of training for me. I was fortunate to get a lot of track time with the endurance racing along with simulator time, meetings with the crew, our recent tests in Sebring and Phoenix. I’m ready to put all that work to the test in St. Pete and get back to NTT INDYCAR SERIES racing.” |
Christian Lundgaard, Driver, No. 7 VELO Arrow McLaren Chevrolet
Career on Streets of St. Petersburg
| Total Starts | 4 |
| Best Starting Position | P5 (2025) |
| Best Finishing Position | P8 (2025) |
| 2025 Result | P8 |
| “I’m eager to get on track this weekend. My focus is always on getting better, progressing, learning. I’m looking forward to continuing that progress into Year 2 at Arrow McLaren, starting with St. Pete. It’s been a full offseason of prep including two recent quality tests, and we’re ready to go and deliver a strong result.” |
Session Start Times
| Practice 1 | Friday, 1:30 p.m. ET | FS2 |
| Practice 2 | Saturday, 9:30 a.m. ET | FS1 |
| Qualifying | Saturday, 4:30 p.m. ET | FS2 |
| 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 |
