"That hurt a lot emotionally": Marcus Armstrong gets real about his 2025 IndyCar lowlight

Meyer Shank Racing driver Marcus Armstrong has reflected on the lowest point of his 2025 IndyCar season, which happened to be at the season opener. At the Grand Prix of St. Petersburg, the New Zealand driver and teammate Felix Rosenqvist surprised the grid in qualifying by making it to the Firestone Fast 6 and locking out the second row.

The duo ran at the front for the first third of the race, barring the demotions as a result of pit cycles. Unfortunately for Armstrong, he clipped his left rear tire on a barrier around lap 40. The 25-year-old came in for a pit stop and asked his crew to check for damage on that side.

His Meyer Shank Racing crew couldn't see anything obvious that could derail the race, and Marcus Armstrong was sent back out with a fresh set of tires. However, he continued feeling something was wrong with his No. 66 Honda, and the FOX broadcast showed a replay of him cornering, which made it evident that the left rear tire was loose, indicating underlying damage on the chassis.

In a recent interview with VP Communications of IndyCar, Dave Furst, Armstrong reflected on his 2025 season. When asked about the DNF at St. Petersburg, the 23-year-old said:

"That was my fault. The reason we didn't finish that race was because I tagged the wall like that (flicks finger on the chair), you know? (It's) something that I do all the time on street circuits in an Indy car because our cars are so tough and robust, you can actually smack walls and get away with it." "On this occasion, I didn't get away with it, and that hurt a lot... emotionally, not physically (smiles). We were so fast that weekend. We had all the ingredients to do something really special there. I thought a podium was on the cards. When you make a mistake like that, first race of the season, it hurts," the Meyer Shank Racing driver added.

Fortunately for Marcus Armstrong, the DNF on the streets of St. Pete was the only one he'd have all season.

Marcus Armstrong's 'boring' assessment of his career-best IndyCar season

Scott Dixon, Alex Palou, and Marcus Armstrong on the podium at the IndyCar Iowa Race Weekend - Source: Getty

Marcus Armstrong recorded his career-best season in IndyCar in his first year driving for Meyer Shank Racing. He finished 11 of 17 races with Top 10 results, including a podium at race 1 at the Iowa Speedway, propelling him to eighth in the standings, six places higher than in 2024 (P14), which was six places higher than his 2023 finish (P20).

However, in the aforementioned interview with Furst, Armstrong highlighted how it wasn't an extraordinary season. Instead, he felt there were several missed opportunities.

"At the risk of sounding boring, this year has sort of been just consistent and unspectacular," the 23-year-old said. "I have to give my guys and girls at Meyer Shank Racing credit." "It's been one of the season where we've been in the game, but we haven't really done what we want to do. The important thing is we're getting better every single race. Like, that's a real thing, and continuity is a real thing as well. Momentum, keeping the same group going into next year. is a fantastic thing, and it's a fundamental piece to our success," he added.

Though Marcus Armstrong felt there were mistakes from his side that cost the team, like the St. Pete DNF, his performance was good enough to warrant a one-year contract extension with Meyer Shank Racing for 2026. However, he remains a Chip Ganassi Racing talent going into next year.

Edited by Yash Kotak