A handful of drivers from the Verizon IndyCar Series have managed to fit in one last pre-season testing session in preparation for this weekend’s season-opening Grand Prix of St. Petersburg. Four drivers from three teams conducted the test yesterday at Sebring International Raceway.
Dale Coyne Racing‘s Sebastien Bourdais was in action in his #18 Honda alongside his part-time team-mate Zachary Claman De Melo in the #19 car. Also taking part in the test was Harding Racing‘s Gabby Chaves and Michael Shank Racing‘s part-time driver Jack Harvey.
Limited timing facilities on the Sebring short circuit meant that both Bourdais and Harvey ended the test with the fastest lap, with both ending the day on a 51.8-seconds.
“Started out pretty good, the track felt pretty fast, we managed to find some things that didn’t work, and then we found a couple of things that were useful,” Bourdais said in an interview with RACER. “The track was better in the morning when Jack set his best time, then the wind kicked up in the afternoon, so it slowed down a few tenths there but we made our car better so we were able to match the morning’s best.”
The test is the final pre-season test that any teams and drivers will conduct before this weekend’s season-opener. Pre-season testing officially began back in January with numerous sessions held at Sebring, Sonoma Raceway in California and the ISM Raceway in Arizona.
Following yesterday’s brief test, the three teams that took part will remain in Florida but will head north-west to join up with the rest of the 2018 Verizon IndyCar Series competitors at St. Petersburg. Track action for the season-opening race begins on Friday with two practice sessions, followed by final practice and qualifying on Saturday. The event will be capped off by the 110-lap 2018 Grand Prix of St. Petersburg on Sunday.
