All four Kiwis in the 2024 IndyCar field turned laps over a two-day test on the short circuit Sebring International Raceway ahead of the season-opening Grand Prix of St. Petersburg in Florida next weekend.
Fifteen drivers took to the track on the opening day, with defending champion Alex Palou finishing proceedings at the top of the time sheet with a best lap of 52.0883 seconds, set in the afternoon run.
Right behind Palou was Christian Lundgaard of Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing with a top lap of 52.1065 in the No. 45 Hy-Vee Honda.
Two-time series champion and reigning Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge winner Josef Newgarden was third at 52.1298 in the No. 2 Hitachi Team Penske Chevrolet, followed by Colton Herta at 52.1909 in the No. 26 Gainbridge Honda fielded by Andretti Autosport.
2016 Indianapolis 500 winner Alexander Rossi rounded out the top five at 52.2521 in the No. 7 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet.
Scott Dixon completed 76 laps for seventh quickest, registering at 52.2670 seconds.
Scott McLaughlin ran for 48 laps to go ninth fastest with a 52.5433 as his best time.
Tom Blomqvist also enjoyed a successful outing to go 12th, a 52.7432 flyer registering as the best of his 73 circuits.
Marcus Armstrong did not take to the track on the opening day.
Drivers combined to turn 1,047 laps, with five teams represented by the top five drivers on the time sheets. Just .5008 of a second separated the top 11 drivers on the day. Less than a second – .9833, to be exact – separated all 15 drivers on track.
Marcus Ericsson began his tenure at Andretti Global with the fastest time on Day 2, with a 51.9512-second flyer on his penultimate lap the best over the entire test.
Two-time series champion Will Power was second quickest at 52.0076 in the No. 12 Verizon Business Team Penske Chevrolet. Like Ericsson, Power turned his top lap in the final 15 minutes of the session.
Pato O’Ward was third with his best afternoon lap of 52.0104 in the No. 5 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet. O’Ward showed remarkable consistency today, leading the morning session at 52.0158.
Felix Rosenqvist ended fourth at 52.0305 in the No. 60 Meyer Shank Racing Honda. Rosenqvist, like fellow Swede Ericsson, has switched teams this season, shifting from Arrow McLaren to Meyer Shank Racing.
Graham Rahal rounded out the top five at 52.0598 in the No. 15 Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing Honda.
Each of the top five drivers Tuesday posted times quicker than the best overall lap Monday set by Palou, who ended up sixth on the overall speed chart.
Armstrong was the sole Kiwi to take to the track on Tuesday, going fifth fastest in the morning session with a 52.2891-second circuit. He was 10th in the afternoon outing.
Overall, Dixon was the fastest Kiwi over the two days, ranking 15th, ahead of Armstrong in 17th, McLaughlin in 20th and Blomqvist in 23rd of the 27 competitors who partook.
The 2024 Grand Prix of St. Petersburg begins on Monday, March 10 (NZ time) and will be shown live on Sky Sport.
