IndyCar’s Grand Prix of St. Petersburg is a hot place to be — literally

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — The only thing hotter than 21-year-old Colton Herta and his domination of Sunday’s Grand Prix of St. Petersburg proved to be the weather.

Herta won for the fourth time in his young IndyCar career after starting from the pole and leading all but three laps. But it was a grueling race for everyone at the track, with heat and humidity as high as one should expect it to be on a late April afternoon on Florida’s west coast.

“That race was brutal,” Graham Rahal tweeted post-race. “Mentally and physically.”

The landscape of the downtown St. Pete street circuit is beautiful. Around the track are bars and restaurants, which all have outdoor patio and seating available with fans blowing mist onto the guests. Closer to the bay is the yacht marina lined up with dozens of expensive boats and tourists in the area either for the race or any of the fun places surrounding it.

Sure, St. Pete isn’t as luxurious as Monaco, but it certainly has that feel. The only places in North America that can produce an atmosphere mixed with auto racing and a hearty dose of maritime fun are St. Pete and Long Beach, California. The Grand Prix was the place to be in the greater Tampa area this weekend, and the large crowds demonstrated it.

It felt like the world was normal again. There were hoards of people in every direction — some with masks and some without. The concession stands had lines stretched as far as possible, with folks purchasing overpriced hot dogs and beer. Frankly, it was a refreshing sight.

IndyCar has had many storylines entering the 2021 season, which is greatly because of its rookie class. Former Haas F1 driver Romain Grosjean, who survived a fiery crash in Bahrain a few months ago, was in the race as was seven-time NASCAR champion Jimmie Johnson. These two drivers received the greatest cheers throughout the day, and it was only their second career IndyCar race.

Scott McLaughlin, the third rookie in the field, is a three-time Australia Supercars champion, and he is running the full season with Team Penske. He finished 11th in his third career race with the American series.

“It was a full-on race. Very hot, very humid — one of the most physical races I have ever done,” McLaughlin said.

On the cool-down lap, the New Zealand native pulled his No. 3 Chevy directly into his pit box. When he climbed out of the cockpit, he doused himself in water and sat on the pit wall for a few minutes before debriefing with his team.

Two factors can explain why the race was so exhausting — the dense, 83-degree atmosphere and the windscreen, which now protects drivers behind the wheel yet also produces a hotter environment inside the car.

Even if there weren’t windscreens, though, the effects of heat exhaustion were real. There was a spectator who passed out in his grandstand seat about halfway through the race. Medics and police officers rushed to him and poured water over the man, who turned out OK.

Typically, the St. Pete event is held in early to mid-March — when it is presumably a little cooler — and is the season opener. But the COVID-19 pandemic forced the series to push it back to late April and take place after the race at Barber Motorsports Park in Alabama.

So if you attend the Grand Prix of St. Petersburg, be sure to stay hydrated and know that you’re in for a fun day at the race track.