Circuit: Bayfront Park (1.8-mile temporary circuit) St. Petersburg, FL
2015 Winner: Juan Pablo Montoya (Team Penske) 86.735 mph average
Weather: Sunny, warm, 82 degrees F
Top-12 Practice Session Results:
| Ps. | Driver | Team | Manufacturer | Best Time | Notes |
| 1. | Will Power | Team Penske | Chevrolet | 1:00.9431 | |
| 2. | Scott Dixon | Chip Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet | 1:00.9573 | |
| 3. | Simon Pagenaud | Team Penske | Chevrolet | 1:01.1796 | |
| 4. | Graham Rahal | Rahal Letterman Lanigan | Honda | 1:01.2924 | |
| 5. | Takuma Sato | A.J. Foyt Racing | Honda | 1:01.3246 | |
| 6. | James Hinchcliffe | Schmidt Peterson Motorsports | Honda | 1:01.3334 | |
| 7. | Carlos Munoz | Andretti Autosport | Honda | 1:01.3745 | |
| 8. | Jack Hawksworth | A.J. Foyt Racing | Honda | 1:01.3808 | |
| 9. | Helio Castroneves | Team Penske | Chevrolet | 1:01.4280 | |
| 10. | Juan Pablo Montoya | Team Penske | Chevrolet | 1:01.4296 | |
| 11. | Marco Andretti | Andretti Autosport | Honda | 1:01.4819 | |
| 12. | Ryan Hunter-Reay | Andretti Autosport | Honda | 1:01.5034 |
Other Honda-powered Results
| 13. | Alexander Rossi-R | Andrettti Herta Autosport | Honda | 1:01.5198 | |
| 16. | Mikhail Aleshin | Schmidt Peterson Motorsports | Honda | 1:01.5655 | |
| 20. | Conor Daly-R | Dale Coyne Racing | Honda | 1:01.8598 | |
| 21. | Luca Filippi | Dale Coyne Racing | Honda | 1:01.2879 | |
| 22. | Spencer Pigot-R | Rahal Letterman Lanigan | Honda | 1:02.3670 |
Rahal Leads Honda in Opening Day Practice at St. Petersburg
- Two-time 2015 race winner runs fourth as 2016 season opens
- Honda drivers claim five of top eight, seven of top 12 positions
- Rossi bests rookies with 13th fastest time
Graham Rahal picked up where he left off at the end of the 2015 Verizon IndyCar Series, leading the Honda field in "opening day" practice to officially start the 2016 season in advance of Sunday's Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg.
Rahal's best lap of 1:10.2924 was fourth on the day, just ahead of four fellow Honda drivers as no fewer than 10 drivers in the 22-car field bettered the quickest time recorded on Friday in last year's event. Takuma Sato, James Hinchcliffe, Carlos Munoz and Jack Hawksworth ended the day fifth through eighth, respectively, with Marco Andretti and Ryan Hunter-Reay also placing in the top 12.
Activities on the temporary street circuit continue tomorrow, with final practice and qualifying. Sunday's 110-lap season-opening round of the Verizon IndyCar Series starts at 12:30 p.m. EDT, with live network television coverage on ABC.
Graham Rahal (#15 Rahal Letterman Lanigan Honda): "I'm pleased with the performance of the Steak 'n Shake car there at the end [of the session]. The guys did a great job getting the changes we needed done over the lunch break and putting us in a pretty good spot. We've got a little bit of work to do but all in all we are closing the gap."
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