Alex Palou, Honda win St. Petersburg, Again!

March 2, 2026:  –Reigning four-time NTT INDYCAR SERIES champion Alex Palou opened 2026 exactly as he finished 2025 — on top. The Chip Ganassi Racing driver won the season-opening Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg for the second year in a row in his Honda-powered No. 10 car.

Palou is aiming to replicate his dominant 2025 campaign, where he claimed eight victories — including St. Pete and the Indianapolis 500 — on his way to a third straight championship and fourth title in five years. This latest win marks his 20th career INDYCAR victory in just 99 starts, all with Honda power.

Meanwhile, Kyle Kirkwood delivered a standout performance at his home race. Starting 15th, the Andretti Global driver charged through the field during the 100-lap event, climbing as high as second before tire wear dropped him to a still-impressive fourth-place finish.

Other Honda-powered top-10 finishers included Kirkwood’s teammate Marcus Ericsson in sixth, Romain Grosjean of Dale Coyne Racing in eighth, and rookie Dennis Hauger in 10th

Marini Leads Honda Charge in Searing Thai GP Opener as Mir’s Top-Five Hopes End in Heartbreak

March 1, 2026:  –The 2026 MotoGP World Championship kicked off with a sweltering 26-lap Thai Grand Prix, run in temperatures nearing 40°C. In one of the toughest races of the year, Luca Marini, Johann Zarco, and Diogo Moreira battled through extreme conditions to score points, while misfortune denied Joan Mir a likely top-five finish.

Starting 14th, Marini surged into the top ten early and fought throughout with front-runners like Francesco Bagnaia, Brad Binder, and Ai Ogura. Carefully managing tyre wear in the intense heat, he finished 10th, earning six points and emerging as the top Honda RC213V rider in the standings (11th overall).

Zarco delivered a steady, intelligent ride, managing tyre degradation and the oppressive heat to secure 11th place and valuable early-season points.

Moreira impressed in his first full Sunday MotoGP race, fighting in the points battle before finishing 13th — a strong debut points finish under punishing conditions.

Mir looked sensational early on, charging toward the fight for third and showcasing brilliant braking — including a standout move on Fabio Di Giannantonio to take fifth. Unfortunately, he was forced to retire through no fault of his own, leaving Thailand 15th in the standings with three points.

Next stop: Brazil 🇧🇷 — as MotoGP heads to the brand-new Autódromo Internacional de Goiânia - Ayrton Senna for round two, a fresh challenge for the entire grid!

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