Alexander Rossi was disappointed to see his Saturday afternoon running at the Phoenix International Raceway end so early as he crashed into the SAFER barrier on the exit of turn one within five minutes of the session getting underway.
The Andretti Herta Autosport driver was unhurt in the incident but left his mechanics a lot of work to do in order to get him out for the final session of the two-day test, although he was only able to complete seven laps in total under the lights.
Rossi admitted he was unsure to what caused the incident that affected his preparation for IndyCar’s first oval race of the season at the end of April, but did admit that it was preferable to crash during the test rather than when it matters in either qualifying or the race.
“I’m not completely sure what happened because the car felt fine – it just got loose and snapped,” said Rossi. “The car was good going into Turn 1, I went down to the bottom and the back end came out.
“The test has been productive overall, so this is a pretty big setback. The car has been great this weekend and I’m really happy with the progress we’ve made ahead of this incident.
“This was my first real contact with the wall – better here than in qualifying or the race – and it won’t stop me from pushing hard.”
