The sun did not miss a second of testing from Indianapolis Motor Speedway, and with its presence the 34 entries for this year's Indianapolis 500 got two full sessions in preparation for the 109th edition of the famed race. With time maximized, all the drivers and teams had time to experiment with the hybrid system while also getting two-and-a-half hours with the qualifying boost levels.
For the most part, it was a calm session, but there were a few major incidents that will leave teams with extra work and more questions ahead of the opening practice sessions in nearly three week's time.
Who was Quick?
With the teams running two different turbo boost levels, there were two sets of result from this test.
In terms of race levels, Scott Dixon set the fastest lap with 130 Kilopascals of boost on Wednesday with a lap at 39.9677 seconds (225.182 mph). It was only 0.0101 seconds faster than Josef Newgarden in second. Takuma Sato was the third driver to run a lap above 225 mph with race boost levels. Sato's best lap was 0.0201 seconds slower than Dixon's top time.
Honda had the hold on Wednesday's test results as the Japanese manufacturer took nine of the top ten spots. Marcus Armstrong was fourth at 40.0023 seconds, just ahead of Colton Herta (40.0254 seconds), Álex Palou (40.0380 seconds) and Hélio Castroneves (40.0985 seconds). Felix Rosenqvist made it three-for-three for Meyer Shank Racing, as he was eighth fastest (40.2261) seconds. Marco Andretti and Kyle Kirkwood rounded out the top ten.
In Thursday afternoon's session at race boost levels, no one broke into the 224-mph bracket. Palou ran the fastest lap at 40.1798 seconds (223.993 mph). Honda again held the advantage sweeping the top three, taking five of the top seven and seven of the top ten. After Rosenqvist (40.2926 seconds) and Kirkwood (40.2934 seconds), Conor Daly was the fastest Chevrolet Thursday afternoon at 40.3049 seconds, taking fourth and right ahead of Newgarden in fifth.
Castroneves and Dixon were sixth and seven respectively while Patricio O'Ward's fastest race levels lap came on Thursday at 40.3512 seconds. Graham Rahal was ninth with a 40.3814-second lap, which was a tad slower than his best lap from Wednesday, 40.3737 seconds. Marco Andretti rounded out the top ten.
With the qualifying boost levels, Honda still had power in numbers in the top ten, but Chevrolet had the fastest speed. Scott McLaughlin ran the fastest time at 38.6788 seconds (232.686 mph), 0.0200 seconds fastest than Sato. Will Power was third, 0.0679 seconds off McLaughlin and Rosenqvist made it four cars covered within a tenth of a second as the Swede ran at lap at 38.7764 seconds.
Chip Ganassi Racing had Palou and Dixon in fifth and sixth. Andretti Global had Kyle Kirkwood and Colton Herta in seventh and eighth. Josef Newgarden was in ninth, making Team Penske as the only Chevrolet team represented in the top ten. Kyffin Simpson rounded out the top ten, 0.3968 seconds off McLaughlin.
Only 27 entries registered no-tow laps in Thursday morning's session with the extra boost. Sato's lap, which was second fastest on the day, was the fastest no-tow lap at 38.6988 seconds (232.565 mph). Kirkwood was second on the no-tow report, 0.1841 seconds off Sato. McLaughlin did run the third fastest no-tow lap at 39.0823 seconds (230.283 mph). Louis Foster made it two Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing drivers represented in the top five of the no-tow report (39.0858 seconds, 230.263 mph) while Simpson rounded out the top five at 39.0984 seconds (230.188 mph).
Herta took sixth on the no-tow report (39.1294 seconds, 230.006 mph) with Newgarden 0.0296 seconds behind him. Patricio O'Ward was eighth at 39.1756 seconds, only 0.0014 seconds faster than Power. Graham Rahal rounded out the top ten no-tow times at 39.1928 seconds (229.634 mph).
What Did We Learn From the Qualifying Simulation Session?
Despite this test taking place nearly month prior to qualifying weekend and being run through the later part of the morning, the conditions during this test did replicate conditions teams can expect come the month of May.
I think speeds were quicker than expected considering the additional weight of the hybrid system. It is early, and while the conditions were comparable to what we see on qualifying weekends, these laps are not are going to be identical to what we see next month.
Speeds still could be down overall with the addition of the hybrid but the drop off could not be as great as first anticipated. I don't think we are going to see a pole average drop from over 234 mph into the 228 mph range. I still expect pole position to be north of 230 mph.
If anything, we have learned that Team Penske is still quick, Chip Ganassi Racing is still quick, Andretti Global is still quick and Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing may have found something! We thought RLLR made good gains last year only for three of its four cars to be in a hairy situation again on Saturday qualifying, and Graham Rahal again was on the bubble in the closing moments of the last chance qualifying session.
Sato led the way last year, and he picked up where he left off, but if Louis Foster is showing respectable times, the team should be happy. It is April and not every team is showing everything they have got. Even in that case, there should be some encouragement for RLLR, but we will need to see this speed during practice week.
Who Lost the Most?
The two cars that were destroyed in Thursday's test: Kyle Larson and Takuma Sato.
Larson brushed the wall exiting turn one on his second lap of the day, and that led to a harder second hit in turn two as his right front suspension was broken. Larson was unable to get out and run again on Thursday. He did end Wednesday with the 11th-best time (40.2810 seconds, 223.430 mph).
Sato had only completed eight laps when the back of his car stepped out in turn one on Thursday morning. Immediately prior to Sato's accident, he had just set the fastest trap speed entering turn one.
Larson's car was damaged but repairable. Sato's car was totaled, and considering the importance of a Speedway-dedicated car, Sato and RLLR is in a rough spot less than a month before the first practice session.
It is better to have this accident on Thursday of the two-day April test and not the Thursday with fewer than 48 hours before the first qualifying run, but RLLR has lost a dedicated car that was likely its best weapon. Sato's team will return in May with a massive checklist hoping it will pick up where they left off and not need to be searching for much speed.
Santino Ferrucci lost an engine early on Wednesday and only completed 12 laps. Ferrucci was able to run a total of 102 laps on Thursday and did not miss a lap of the qualifying simulations session.
Dreyer & Reinbold Racing ran the fewest laps among all the teams completing. Over the two days, neither D&R car completed 100 laps. Ryan Hunter-Reay ran 96 laps. Jack Harvey completed 86 total laps as he lost drive early in Wednesday's session as well, causing Harvey to miss most of the first day.
Who Gained the Most?
Though Sato got into an accident, Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing should feel good. The Thursday morning session saw RLLR put its cars second (Sato), 11th (Foster), 16th (Rahal) and 19th (Devlin DeFrancesco). Along with having three of the top ten of the no-tow times in that session, DeFrancesco was 17th.
It isn't a guarantee RLLR will avoid trouble, but this quartet could have been leaving this test feeling much more weary of returning in May.
Prema ran a combined 405 laps over the two days. Even better is Prema ran 405 laps without any issues, which has been a difficulty for Prema through its first three IndyCar race weekends. Robert Shwartzman ran 262 laps, the most of the test. Speed was not prevalent though. On Wednesday, Shwartzman was 28th and Callum Ilott was 32nd. On Thursday morning, Shwartzman was 25th and Ilott was 31st. In terms of no-tow times, Shwartzman was 19th out of 27 registered times, but Ilott was 25th. On Thursday afternoon, Ilott leaped up to 27th while Shwartzman was 31st and only 32 cars ran as Larson and Sato were sidelined.
Prema gathered data, but now it must make strides next month when the tension increases.
While the fastest three Chevrolets from the qualifying simulation session were Team Penske entries, the next best Chevrolet in that session was Juncos Hollinger Racing's Sting Ray Robb in 13th at 39.1518 seconds (229.874 mph). Robb did not register a no-tow lap on Thursday, but Conor Daly was 14th on the no-tow chart (39.3526 seconds, 228.702 mph).
JHR had a good qualifying session last year, and Agustín Canapino was contending for a Fast 12 spot last year. It is only one session, but JHR looked good.
What About the Hybrid?
We already covered how the speed was not drastically down with the inclusion of the system, but it appears teams are still trying to figure out the best way to regenerate and deploy the electrical energy around the 2.5-mile speedway.
When it comes to regeneration, that can happen naturally through braking or coasting off the throttle, or it can be done manually when the regeneration paddle on the steering wheel. The problem with IMS is the teams are not braking at all nor are the drivers off-throttle enough to fill the capacitor to its maximum level. This leaves it on the driver to manually regenerate the battery.
Whoever has the best handle on regeneration will benefit, especially in qualifying. To what extent that difference makes remains a question. I don't anticipate a driver who can regenerate a little more and deploy a little more often will see a massive jump up the charts, the same way I don't think a driver who struggles regenerating energy will suffer. It could be the difference of a spot or two and when it comes to the various bubbles we see on the first qualifying day, that is where it will be most noted.
That could be the differences of a driver being 11th or 13th. That could be the difference of a driver being 30th and locked in on Saturday or 31st and needing to qualify again on Sunday. We aren't going to see a driver go from 25th to ninth because of what they can get out of the hybrid system, but it could be the difference maker in these tight situations where it comes down to hundredths and thousandths of a second.
Who is Happy After This Test?
Take who is quick and copy them here.
Team Penske. Chip Ganassi Racing, Andretti Global, Meyer Shank Racing and throw in Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing. Even though Sato was in an accident, RLLR had a good two days.
We didn't really see any surprises at the top. It feels like what we normally expect at Indianapolis. It would not be a surprise if come qualifying Penske, Ganassi, Andretti and MSR are combining to take all Fast 12 positions. Penske will likely put all three cars in the top six. It is at least putting two in that final session.
Who is in the Middle?
Did you notice how we didn't mention Arrow McLaren?
Last year, McLaren didn't really do anything all that outstanding other than have Larson be second in the test. Despite that, McLaren was still a factor in qualifying and the race. O'Ward and Alexander Rossi were at the front late in the race and fighting for the victory, and Larson had good speed in practice and qualifying. This year, McLaren didn't do anything brilliant, but I don't think there should be any grand concerns.
I just said don't be surprised if four teams sweep the Fast 12, but McLaren will be a factor. It will have at least one, if not two cars progress to Sunday's qualifying sessions.
However, I do think this was a quiet test from Nolan Siegel, more quiet than he likely hoped. Christian Lundgaard wasn't blowing anyone away, which might not be a bad thing. McLaren could be keeping its cards close to its chest, but let's keep this test in mind in case the team is closer to the middle come qualifying.
We could be seeing McLaren accepting a tradeoff between the full seasons and Indianapolis. After having a full season lineup where O'Ward was constantly the flag bearer and was undoubtedly the lead driver, but come Indianapolis McLaren had Rossi who could provide a strong 1-2 combination for the team, we could be looking this year at a McLaren team where Lundgaard is equal if not ahead of O'Ward across the entire season, but come Indianapolis it could all be on O'Ward's shoulders. Just when it thought one problem was solved, here comes another.
Ed Carpenter Racing is in the middle. None of its three drivers were knocking on the door to be the fastest. Until we get into practice and closer to qualifying, I don't know if that is a concern yet. It does feel like the field is more competitive at the top and that will only make it tougher for Alexander Rossi, Christian Rasmussen and Ed Carpenter to keep up ECR's good qualifying form at this place.
A.J. Foyt Racing didn't turn any heads either. Whether Ferrucci's engine failure on Wednesday led the team to play it smart on Thursday is an unanswered question. The team didn't look poor, it just didn't make any waves, but Ferrucci has done that previously. He isn't always at the top but when it comes time to be serious, he is there. If Ferrucci wasn't making any waves, David Malukas was hardly noticed at this test. That is not a bad thing, but no one walked away from this test with any evidence to believe Malukas will be a factor.
Who Should be Satisfied
Juncos Hollinger Racing should be pleased with its speed and feel if it checks all the boxes during practice week, it will be in the field with comfort and could have one if not both cars in the top half of the grid.
Dreyer & Reinbold Racing might not have run the most laps, nor was it threatening to be the quickest, but this year's test looked a lot like last year's test and D&R was fine when it was go-time. They aren't out of the woods and could have some work to do to find some speed, but they are on the right track.
Who Should Be Nervous?
Prema, Dale Coyne Racing, but more specifically Jacob Abel, and as much as we celebrated RLLR above, they should still be preparing for the worst.
For the past two years, RLLR has had at least one car in the last chance qualifying session. In 2022, when only 33 cars entered, RLLR had two cars on the last row. This team should feel a little nervous until it has all four cars qualified into the race. That could require a session on Sunday. RLLR should know the drill and not relax until the job is done.
We touched upon Prema. It completed a lot of laps. It did not run the most impressive speeds. That could have been part of the plan all along. Instead of pushing at 100% and possibly running into an issue or going over the line, the key thing for this team was to generate data and go into the month of May with a lot of information. It is almost setting itself up to be ahead rather than behind. Prema doesn't have a track record at Indianapolis. Until it shows it can qualify, we are going to have some questions.
As for Coyne, Rinus VeeKay will be fine. It might not be VeeKay's greatest ever qualifying performance and he might lose that streak of top seven starts, but VeeKay should be able to put a Coyne car solidly in at 20th or 23rd and not have to worry about bumping.
Abel is a different story. He wasn't the slowest in the qualifying simulation. He was 28th, but he was hovering around the bottom the entire test. All he must do is crack the top 30 on Saturday and he can sleep easy for a week. With how this season has started and Coyne's recent struggles at Indianapolis, it feels in all likelihood Abel will be making at least one qualifying run on Sunday and not because he is one of the 12 fastest.
Coyne doesn't have to prepare to win the race. It should be looking to produce a car that is good enough for 26th or 27th, enough to clear the danger zone. That is doable, but we know even that has been an area the Coyne team has struggled to reach.
After two days of testing, everyone has time to think. Everyone will know what they want to try to go faster. Some know it must find something a chunk of time to be safe. Others will be looking to become a greater contender come race day. As much as we know, we will have more to learn, and there will be unexpected twist and turns as this great race grows near.
