IndyCar was back earlier this week for a two-day test. Pato O’Ward seemed to be in great form, while Penske dominated the second day. But could a surprise driver come and shake things up?

It was at the Sebring International Raceway in Florida that IndyCar held its two-day test. In total, twenty-eight drivers participated, completing 3,242 laps. The drivers were divided into morning and afternoon groups, with each group receiving four hours of track time.

A surprising first day

Pato O’Ward topped the chart for the first day. With a total of 47 laps, he was the quickest overall with a 52.3470 time in the morning session. The Arrow McLaren driver is happy to be back behind the wheel of his number 5 car : “Oh, man, it’s the best feeling in the world; it’s the best job in the world. I was so excited to come back to Sebring and get into an INDYCAR SERIES car, getting to work with the engineers again. It definitely feels like home, and it’s a second family to me. So always excited to get rolling”. His teammate, Nolan Siegel, didn’t have the same chance. He hits a barrier at the exit of Turn 7. The car suffered moderate damage to the right side and rear of the car.

Scott Dixon had a rather short day. Due to a mechanical problem, the six-time series champion raced only two laps in the afternoon in his PNC Bank Chip Ganassi Racing Honda.

It was a great day for Juncos Hollinger Racing. Even though they’re one of the smaller teams in the series, they managed to put two cars in the top six. Conor Daly finished fourth with a 52.5931 time and Sting Ray Robb ended up sixth overall at 52.7761.

The surprise is doubtlessly Marcus Armstrong. He came second overall with the quickest time in the afternoon session. He drove the No. 60 SiriusXM Honda of his Meyer Shank Racing teammate Felix Rosenqvist, who was ill with a fever and didn’t participate. The New Zealand driver was even hungry for more : “In the end, we limited the running on the 60 car to save tires for Felix, but I feel really fresh. Feel like I haven’t done anything. Feel like I could do it all again. So happy that I’m not tired after doing so many laps.”

The time sheets showed there was no clear advantage in track and weather conditions during either of the two sessions. Three of the five quickest times came in the morning, two in the afternoon. The top 10 times overall were split evenly between the two groups.

Day 1 results :

1. Pato O’ward

2. Marcus Armstrong (60)

3. Alex Palou

4. Conor Daly

5. Christian Lundgaard

6. Sting Ray Robb

7. Will Power

8. Marcus Armstrong (66)

9. Colton Herta

10. Callum Ilott

11. Kyle Kirkwood

12. Santino Ferrucci

13. Jacob Abel

14. David Malukas

15. Josef Newgarden

16. Scott McLaughlin

17. Louis Forster

18. Christian Rasmussen

19. Marcus Ericsson

20. Graham Rahal

21. Devlin DeFrancesco

22. Nolan Siegel

23. Rinus Veekay

24. Robert Shwartzman

25. Kyffin Simpson

26. Alexander Rossi

27. Scott Dixon

Penske on top

After a quiet opening day, Will Power, with a lap of 52.2549 seconds, and Josef Newgarden, with a 52.3191 time, ended up 1-2 for the last day of testing. Both laps were completed in the cooler morning session, when seven of the 10 quickest laps of the two-day session were driven. Even though Will Power feels confident, he knows it’s a competitive grid : “I know it so well now, but it always changes. It’s never the same. So, you’ve got to be on your toes, super-tight field.” And he is right since less than eight-tenths of a second separated the entire 27-car field over two days of testing.

Scott Dixon crashed into the barriers in Turn 6 approximately fifteen minutes into the morning session today. His car suffered minor rear damage. With his mechanical problem the day before, he only completed a total of 58 laps.

The series newcomer Prema Racing, which has dominated global junior open-wheel racing, finished its first test on an encouraging note. Veteran Callum Ilott ended up eighth and his teammate Robert Shwartzman has a more timid start, finishing p22.

The season-opening Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg will be held in less than two weeks, on Sunday, March 2.

Day 2 results :

1. Will Power

2. Josef Newgarden

3. Pato O’Ward

4. Marcus Armstrong

5. Colton Herta

6. Nolan Siegel

7. Alex Palou

8. Callum Ilott

9. Felix Rosenqvist

10. Conor Daly

11. Devlin DeFrancesco

12. Marcus Armstrong

13. Scott Dixon

14. Kyle Kirkwood

15. Christian Lundgaard

16. Santino Ferrucci

17. Alexander Rossi

18. Jacob Abel

19. Sting Ray Robb

20. Kyffin Simpson

21. Rinus Veekay

22. Robert Shwartzman

23. David Malukas

24. Scott McLaughlin

25. Graham Rahal

26. Louis Foster

27. Christian Rasmussen

28. Marcus Ericsson