Australian Will Power, winner of the IndyCar series opener in Brazil, put himself on pole for the second race of the season on Saturday.
Power was the best in every practice session Friday and Saturday, and had the fastest lap time in the final round by more than a quarter-second over Brazilian Tony Kanaan.
"We've been very strong all weekend," the Penske driver said. "Obviously, the race is what counts. I can see that there'll probably be a bit of mayhem tomorrow, with the weather and so on."
Rain is in the forecast for Sunday afternoon.
New Zealand's Scott Dixon will start third, on the inside of England's Justin Wilson.
Row three will have Brazilian Helio Castroneves and American Marco Andretti.
Castroneves missed this event last year because of his tax-evasion trial, in which he was eventually acquitted.
The Brazilian, who won this race in 2006 and 2007 and was runner-up in 2008, was thrilled to be back with his legal troubles behind him.
"The fans are happy to see me back, they say 'We really missed you here last year'," he said.
"Those kind of words make you appreciate even more what you do, what you did, and I appreciate what the fans are doing for me. I missed everyone, too. I love this town."
Power was hired by Penske to be Castroneves' replacement in St. Petersburg in 2009. Owner Roger Penske was impressed enough to find a permanent place for the Aussie.
Penske has been even more impressed by how Power has rebounded from a crash last August that left him with four broken bones in his back.
"He fits in the team. He's committed," Penske said. "I've never seen a guy more committed to his personal health. He came back so strong physically."
Copyright 2010 AFP American Edition
