The 20th edition of the Grand Prix of St. Petersburg signals the start of the 2024 IndyCar season, with opening practice beginning at 2:45pm ET on Friday, 8 March.
Drivers will take to the 1.8-mile, 14-turn temporary street circuit that will feature some subtle changes.
The biggest change comes in smoothing out the bumps in Turn 3, which proved to be a trouble spot for competitors last year throughout the practice sessions before providing a massive crash involving six cars on the opening lap.
A statement from IndyCar stated, “some bumps at the apex of Turn 3. During the offseason, the city did a repave of about 125 feet to smooth it out.”
It was further noted: “The tire barriers at the exit of Turn 4 have been shortened approximately 12 feet and reduced in depth by approximately three rows of tires – widening the area and providing more space for side-by-side racing.”
All of the tire barriers have also been covered by a conveyer belt material instead of signage that occupied the same space previously.
The thought behind that is to minimize the chances of a car being stuck in the barrier, which provides a benefit to the AMR IndyCar Safety Team working on the scene, along with helping minimize damage for the race team.
The 100-lap race is set for Sunday,10 March at 12:30pm ET.
