P1racenews AI automatic summary:
Chip Ganassi Racing’s strategy to send its drivers out early in Friday’s 9-11am opening test session gave the defending champions an opportunity to learn the track in the same conditions it will fa…
Chip Ganassi Racing’s strategy of sending out its drivers early in Friday’s opening test session allowed them to familiarize themselves with the track in conditions similar to Sunday morning’s all-star heat races at The Thermal Club. Reigning champion Alex Palou set a quick lap time of 1m39.515s on his fourth lap, providing valuable insights for tuning the cars for Sunday’s competition. Palou was followed by Christian Lundgaard and Marcus Armstrong, creating a Honda 1-2-3 with Alexander Rossi and Pato O’Ward leading the Chevy runners. Linus Lundqvist completed the top six in mid-70s temperature at the 3.0-mile, 17-turn road course. Tire degradation was a major concern due to the track’s layout, with Lundgaard mentioning significant drop-offs in performance. Despite minimal incidents, the action will resume later in the day on Peacock for the $1 Million Challenge.
