The NTT IndyCar Series conducted the first of two scheduled open test days at Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Wednesday, providing drivers and teams with the opportunity to prepare for the upcoming Indy 500.
Due to the expected poor weather for the day, series officials made adjustments to the schedule to maximize track time for the drivers.
The initial two-hour session began around 9:00 AM, allowing drivers with recent experience on road courses to complete laps on the 2.5-mile oval.
Scott McLaughlin wasted no time and set the fastest lap as soon as the green flag was waved, closely followed by 27 other competitors.
Josef Newgarden, the reigning Indy 500 champion, ended the morning session with the fastest lap time, completing a lap in 39.3338 seconds, with an average speed of 228.811 MPH.
Kyle Larson, the NASCAR champion, impressed by posting the second fastest time, showcasing his adaptability to increased speed ahead of his double attempt at the Indy 500/Coke 600 next month.
Scott Dixon and Alex Palou secured the third and fourth fastest times, respectively, with McLaughlin rounding out the top five.
Callum Ilott, despite not having an official contract in IndyCar this year, continued to substitute for the injured David Malukas during the opening session. Ilott completed only seven laps in the #6 Arrow McLaren Chevy, as the team focused on different aspects of the car setup.
The number of laps completed varied widely among the drivers during the morning session, with Palou completing just over 50 laps, while Christian Lundgaard managed only six laps in the limited available time.
After the first laps of experienced drivers, rookies and those in need of a refresher course had the opportunity to gradually increase their speed and confidence on the track.
Marco Andretti, Katherine Legge, Pietro Fittipaldi, Christian Rasmussen, Nolan Siegel, and Kyffin Simpson had the track all to themselves, while a light rain threatened to interrupt their laps. They successfully completed the designated number of laps at incremental speeds moments before the expected rain arrived.
Unfortunately, the scheduled five and a half hours of track time for the afternoon, which would have allowed all competitors to gather valuable data simultaneously, were canceled after just eight minutes.
Teams were even more disappointed when they examined the weather forecast, which predicted steady rain throughout Thursday in Indianapolis. This suggests that the second day of the testing session will likely be canceled.
At this point, it is still unclear whether IndyCar will designate Friday as a makeup test day or if teams will have to wait until the official practice sessions in May to continue their preparations for the Indy 500.
