P1racenews AI automatic summary:
The NTT IndyCar Series held its first practice session of the weekend on Saturday morning, with all 25 drivers tackling the 1.25-mile oval at World Wide Technology Raceway. After a typical lull in the action for the first 10 minutes as teams evaluated systems, the track remained busy for the rest of the hour allotment. […]
On Saturday morning, the NTT IndyCar Series kicked off its weekend with the first practice session at World Wide Technology Raceway, where all 25 drivers navigated the 1.25-mile oval.
Pato O’Ward was the fastest in the session, clocking an average speed of 172.696 MPH on the egg-shaped oval.
The track saw continuous activity after an initial lull as teams settled in, despite overall slower speeds attributed to a lower downforce package and hot, humid weather conditions.
Alex Palou followed closely in second place, confirming his reputation as a consistently fast driver.
Meyer Shank Racing’s Felix Rosenqvist and Marcus Armstrong occupied the next positions, with Marcus Ericsson and David Malukas rounding out the top five.
As teams fine-tune their setups, the gap in speeds throughout the field is expected to shrink over the course of the weekend.
Qualifying is set for 3:30 PM, featuring two solo laps to establish the grid, following an incident involving Rinus VeeKay during practice where he spun and made light contact with the wall.
