The teams and drivers of the 2018 Verizon IndyCar Series have today conducted their first practice session for this year’s running of the Indianapolis 500. Twenty-one cars were on track at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway for an open test, which was followed up by another on-track test of the IndyCar windscreen concept at the end of the day.
With many of the drivers getting their first laps at Indianapolis under their belts in the new-for-2018 IndyCar machinery, much of the discussion during the day was about the differences from last year to this year. Many drivers claimed that his year’s lower downforce universal aero kit seemed to make the cars more stable, with the cars visibly looking a lot more planted on the race track than they did a year ago. This was put down to, in part, improved weight distribution towards the front of the car.
Further reactions from numerous drivers included that whilst the cars seemed a touch slower in a straight line than last year, the drivers were now able to get much closer to cars in front through the corners than they have been able to in previous years.
Two sessions were held over the course of the day, with a one-hour lunch break in between. In the morning session, Marco Andretti set the fastest lap with an average speed of 223.997-mph, but it was the second session where the best laps were run.
As the second session drew to a close and the track temperature continued to rise, a number of drivers would improve on their best laps. Part of the reason for this was a big increase in group-running in the final half-hour, which culminated in a large pack of cars all running together in the final ten minutes.
It was in the final minutes that Tony Kanaan improved upon what was already the fastest lap of the day. The A.J. Foyt Enterprises driver would end the day as the only driver to have set an average speed of over 226-mph, with a 226.181-mph lap; or 39.7912 seconds. Simon Pagenaud was the closest to Kanaan, with the Team Penske driver four-hundredths of a second down on Tony’s best lap.
Credit: Joe Skibinski / Courtesy of IndyCar
The leader in the first session, Marco Andretti, set the third fastest lap of the day in the #98 Andretti-Herta Honda, with Harding Racing‘s Gabby Chaves and Chip Ganassi Racing‘s Scott Dixon rounding out the top five.
On his return to Indianapolis Motor Speedway after his crash in Indy 500 qualifying last year, Sebastien Bourdais set the sixth fastest time, just ahead of Spencer Pigot in seventh, Ed Jones in eighth and Ed Carpenter in ninth.
Helio Castroneves got behind the wheel of a 2018 IndyCar for the second time this year as he continues to prepare for his brief return for the Grand Prix of Indianapolis and the Indy 500 next month. He set the tenth fastest time in his now famous yellow #3 Team Penske Chevrolet. Graham Rahal and Will Power were the eleventh and twelfth fastest drivers; with all of the top twelve times of the day being set during the second session.
Also in action were Carlin, as the British team begin their preparations for their first start in the Indy 500. Charlie Kimball was thirteenth fastest, with team-mate Max Chilton further back in sixteenth. There were just ahead of the three remaining Andretti Autosport drivers of Zach Veach, Alexander Rossi and Ryan Hunter-Reay who were further down the order of the twenty-one total drivers.
Of course, lap-times and speeds must be taken with a pinch of salt this early, with the teams and drivers still having just under a month to continue preparing for the Indianapolis 500 that will take place on May 27.
After the main running of the day concluded, reigning champion Josef Newgarden headed back out onto the track on his own to conduct a test with the IndyCar windscreen concept fitted to his #1 Penske Chevrolet. On his first handful of laps, the reigning champion seemed to be suffering a lot with glare, but after the mechanics stuck some matte black tape in the cockpit in front of him and he switched from a mirrored helmet visor to a clear visor, he went back out on track for a more substantial run.
Testing at Indianapolis Motor Speedway will continue tomorrow, but it will be the rookies and former veterans only on the track. Perhaps the biggest headline tomorrow will be the return of Danica Patrick to IndyCar as she prepares for her final run at the Indy 500 driving the #13 GoDaddy Chevrolet for Ed Carpenter Racing.
Also in action tomorrow will be Patrick’s fellow Indy 500 returnees, Jay Howard and Sage Karem. They will be joined by a handful of the rookies for this season, including Robert Wickens, Matheus Leist, Pietro Fittipaldi and Kyle Kaiser. The veterans of the series will return to the track in a private, un-broadcasted test for the manufacturers on Wednesday.
