P1racenews AI automatic summary:
After nine years away from the historic racing circuit, the NTT IndyCar Series stormed into The Milwaukee Mile on Friday. The first order of business was the weekend’s only practice session to allow all 27 drivers a chance to get a feel for the nearly-flat 1.015-mile oval. Unsurprisingly, Josef Newgarden ended the day on the […]
The first order of business was the only practice session of the weekend, allowing all 27 drivers to familiarize themselves with the nearly-flat 1.015-mile oval. Joseph Newgarden topped the time sheets with a lap time of 23.0156 seconds, averaging 158.762 MPH, completing 78 laps. Scott Dixon followed closely behind in second place, only 0.099 seconds slower. Pato O’Ward secured the third spot, followed by Felix Rosenqvist and Scott McLaughlin. Despite an early lead, McLaughlin slipped to fifth position as other drivers improved their speeds. Championship contenders Alex Palou and Will Power settled for ninth and eleventh positions respectively. The slowest driver, Katherine Legge, struggled to match the pace of the leaders throughout the session. Prior to the main practice, drivers were given an extra 30 minutes to run the low line around the corners, aiming to encourage side-by-side racing over the weekend. While incidents were kept to a minimum, rookie Christian Rasmussen crashed into the wall, breaking his suspension with seven minutes left in the session. Rasmussen, who had minimal oval experience in IndyCar, replaced his team owner Ed Carpenter for the final races to gain valuable track time. Close calls also occurred, notably when Pato O’Ward skillfully managed a loose race car with his quick steering. The next track session will be the qualifying round, determining the starting grid for both weekend races.
