Scott Dixon’s pursuit of his first-ever victory on the streets of St. Petersburg took a frustrating turn Sunday when a critical radio failure left him without communication for nearly the entire IndyCar season opener. The miscue likely cost the six-time champion the race, as he finished second to teammate Alex Palou in a 1-2 sweep for Chip Ganassi Racing.

Dixon, who has now finished runner-up at St. Pete five times in 21 starts, was visibly frustrated after the race.

“I’m pretty pissed off,” Dixon admitted. “We had a good race going and we didn’t get it done, so it doesn’t feel good, that’s for sure.”

Dixon lost all contact with his No. 9 crew just 10 laps into the race, making strategic decisions based solely on his fuel gauge. Unable to hear his team’s instructions, he had to guess the best time to pit—a gamble that ultimately cost him victory.

“With not (pitting) when I should have, I think, with about maybe the same lap as Alex. We caught that traffic with about five or six cars and lost about two or three seconds on that in-lap, so that was a bit of a nightmare,” Dixon explained.

“You have a fuel light so you know when the car is going to run out. I didn’t know if they could hear me, so I was just telling them, ‘I’m just going to run to the light and see what happens.’ Ultimately, I think for me, it was just one lap too long. I should have pitted maybe when I saw (Palou) coming in.”

Ganassi confirmed that while the team could occasionally hear Dixon, he had no way of receiving their messages. That one extra lap on track cost Dixon valuable time, handing Palou the edge he needed to take control of the race.

“If everything was 100%, he would have won—it was simple. He would have won the race. The race was over,” Ganassi said. “It was one stop to go, and we pitted a lap later than we wanted him to. That was the race. That was the difference between him and Palou.”

Despite the disappointment, the result was a strong start for Chip Ganassi Racing, which has struggled at St. Petersburg in recent years. Ganassi, now in his 35th season as a team owner, was encouraged by the team’s performance.

“Really good here for us in St. Pete—not one of our favorite tracks. We’ve been challenged here the last number of years,” Ganassi said. “We’re certainly the season favorite until next week or until the next race. I think our cars are better than they were a year ago, at least here in St. Pete.”

Palou’s victory continues his dominant run in the series, having won three of the last four IndyCar championships, including back-to-back titles. He now holds a 10-point lead over Dixon heading into the next round.

Dixon will have to wait at least another year to try and claim his first St. Pete win, but if his performance Sunday was any indication, the No. 9 team will be a force to be reckoned with in 2025.