The Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg will remain on the NTT IndyCar Series calendar until 2026, after a revised deal with Green Savoree Racing Promotions received unanimous approval from the St. Petersburg City Council.
St. Petersburg joined IndyCar’s schedule in 2003 and has traditionally been the opening round of the campaign, though in 2020 became the finale as a one-off, owing to the pandemic.
The 14-turn circuit is partially set on the streets of downtown St. Petersburg and heads onto the nearby Albert Whitted airfield on the seafront.
As part of the deal it has been confirmed that the event will be held on the second weekend of March through 2026.
“I am thrilled that the Grand Prix will be in the Sunshine City through 2026. I want to thank City Council for recognizing the importance of this race in St. Pete,” said St. Petersburg Mayor Rick Kriseman.
GSSP currently promotes four events on the IndyCar calendar, including races at Mid-Ohio and Portland; Toronto has been dropped from the 2021 schedule due to Canada’s ongoing pandemic-related restrictions.
“Without great partners like Honda and Firestone as our title sponsors for these events, we wouldn’t be able to showcase world-class NTT INDYCAR SERIES races to our fans,” added Kevin Savoree.
“The 2020 season obviously has been a challenge and unprecedented, but we are excited for a great event in three weeks when we return to the streets of St. Petersburg with INDYCAR and a limited number of spectators in attendance.
“We can’t thank our fans enough for their patience and understanding as we’ve navigated this fluid situation around the pandemic.
“Our team has worked very, very hard to hold as many events as possible this year while keeping the health and safety for all involved as the top priority.”
