Construction Begins on 2025 St. Petersburg Grand Prix Track

Construction has kicked off for the 2025 Firestone Grand Prix course and is anticipated to take around 15 days to complete.

Work crews will put up huge concrete blocks — up to 250 daily — to create the twisting course. Once the blocks are laid, they'll then add safety fencing using a quick-setup system designed for city streets.

“It's all panel style... it's safer, it's quicker. That allows us to put it up quicker and then take it down,” race promoter Kim Green told Spectrum News.

The track winds through downtown from Albert Whitted Airport along Bay Shore Drive Northeast. People can still get to the Dali Museum and Mahaffey Theater until 1st Street shuts down three days before race day.

Racer Kyle Kirkwood cautions about turn 3's dangerous mix of speed and narrow walls. The concrete barriers there have taken out many cars, making it one of the most dangerous corners on the track.

The event offers more than just racing. North Straub Park hosts both a 5K run and the INDYCAR Party in the Park on Feb. 27, 2025, from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m.