With rain potentially falling in St. Pete, drivers and race strategists prepare to adapt to the weekend’s weather conditions.
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Rain expected Friday and into Saturday could significantly impact this weekend’s St. Petersburg Grand Prix, forcing teams, officials and fans to prepare for rapidly changing conditions on the downtown street circuit.
With practice, qualifying and multiple races scheduled over two days, wet weather has the potential to alter race strategy and even determine whether events can safely continue.
One of the biggest factors in wet conditions is tire selection.
Gerald Baker, a tire technician, said teams must make quick decisions based on track conditions.
“Well, there are two types. These are dries. Those are wet,” Baker said. “If it’s raining or standing water, you go to the wets. If it’s dry conditions and you want to go fast, you put the dry tires on.”
Using the wrong tire in the rain can quickly end a driver’s day.
“Because the car needs to grip the track and if you don’t have the proper tire on you’re going to slide off or have a bad day,” Baker said.
Baker added that tire choice is part of a larger strategy discussion that includes weather, track conditions and driver feedback.
“The strategist monitors the weather conditions, the track conditions, all of that,” he said. “And then you get driver input. If he doesn’t like what he has under him at the moment, he’ll say, ‘Hey, this is what’s going on,’ and then the engineer strategies can make a change.”
From a driver’s perspective, rain on a street circuit presents unique challenges. Driver Jordan Missig said wet conditions can sometimes help performance — but they also increase risk.
“When it comes to rain, driving on street circuits, I think kind of plays a little bit more into the effect that it could actually help the car,” Missig said. “But you also have to take it very carefully because now there’s a lot more paint that’s on the track so a lot more chance of hydroplaning and slippage that can happen.”
With concrete walls lining the course, Missig said mistakes can be costly.
“Especially with the walls being so close to you, it just ups the risk factor,” he said.
Missig added that rain can place more emphasis on driver skill.
“I think now that the driver skill comes into play a little bit more and you start to see some of the better drivers move up toward the front,” he said. “From my standpoint, I kind of like to run in the rain. It’s actually one of my favorite things to do.”
Decisions about whether to delay, pause or stop racing are made by race control officials on site, who closely monitor conditions and remain in communication with officials in Indianapolis to determine whether it is safe to continue.
The weather-sensitive schedule includes IndyCar practice and qualifying, races for the Indy NXT developmental series, and — for the first time — a truck series on Saturday. NASCAR races are also scheduled for Friday and Saturday.
Rain doesn’t necessarily mean races will be canceled, but fans are being encouraged to prepare.
Most grandstands are uncovered, and staying dry can make a big difference.
“We don’t want to get soaked,” race fan Matt Park said. “And it will get really cold as you’re wet and the wind hits. So obviously you’re looking into getting some rain gear.”
Park said comfort is key to enjoying the weekend.
“You don’t want to be uncomfortable,” he said. “We’re looking into getting umbrellas, obviously the ponchos, maybe some pads that you can put on top of the seat so that your clothes aren’t getting wet.”
Even with the threat of rain, Park said the excitement of race weekend makes it worth it.
“Of course, you’re going to have so much action there,” he said. “You don’t wanna miss it.”
As race week continues, teams and fans alike will be keeping a close eye on the forecast — knowing that rain could quickly shake up strategy, schedules and the competition itself.