IndyCar Grand Prix of St Petersburg: Marcus Armstong’s outlook ahead of first full season

Marcus Armstrong has a lot to look forward to as he starts his first full IndyCar campaign this weekend: not having to share a car, his first Indy 500 and racing for the same team in the same car for the first time in 10 years.

But the New Zealander admits he faces a major adjustment after not driving ovals last season, which make up seven of the 17 races in 2024.

“I’ve had a good break and I’m ready to get back to business,” Armstrong said heading into the opening round at St Petersburg in Florida.

“It’s nice to go back to a circuit I know, as that’s only happened once in my IndyCar career. It’s comforting that I know the track and I’m looking forward to building on my finish last year [a creditable 11th]. I love these street circuits and they are my favourites where I go well.

“I’ll be racing in the same team in the same category for the first time since I was 13,” said the 23-year-old. “It’s nice to have some form of continuity.”

In 2023, Armstrong only raced on the road and street courses, sharing his car with Takuma Sato, who raced the ovals. Armstrong still finished as Rookie of the Year. Now contesting the ovals, he’s looking forward to the challenge and, in particular, his first Indianapolis 500.

“It’s going to be a great thing to get into a rhythm and routine, and not have to share the car with anyone.

“The ovals are a new challenge. I haven’t raced on them before but have done a number of tests on them and have really enjoyed them.

“It’s something I’ve always wanted to do and what better way to kick off my oval career than at the Indy 500?

“We can now put together a good championship fight this year, as I’m doing all the races.”

Racing on an oval requires major mental and physical adjustments. It may not look difficult to television viewers but the dynamics of racing nose-to-tail and side-by-side at speeds up to 350kmh require a new set of skills. It’s not for the faint-hearted.

“Racing on ovals is a different style of driving. They are physically more demanding than road courses and there’s the element of constant G-force load with no let-up and you don’t really get a rest.

“It may look simple from the outside but the amount of G-force put through your body at that speed is immense. Mentally, it’s a challenge as well because you can’t even make the smallest of judgment errors at that speed, so you have to be mentally very fit as well.

“Strategically, it’s very difficult to race on ovals because there are so many variables. Racing a car is never easy, but at its most basic, it’s still four wheels and a steering wheel.”

With building a racing career in Europe now bordering on financially prohibitive for young Kiwis, the United States is increasingly looking like the preferred option. The blossoming popularity of IndyCar is a factor, with a growing list of international drivers, including from Formula One.

This weekend sees four Kiwis in the main game: Armstrong, six-time series winner Scott Dixon, Scott McLaughlin and Tom Blomqvist. There is also Callum Hedge racing Indy NXT and Liam Sceats in USF Pro 2000, both of which feed into IndyCar.

“There are four Kiwis in the category now, which is pretty crazy. What’s so good about this is that all of us are capable of winning races,” said Armstrong.