In an interrupted first practice session at Road America, it was Andretti’s Kyle Kirkwood who led the pack, with Devlin DeFrancesco and Will Power following.
A Slow Start
After the initial installation laps, drivers were hesitant to go out on the track, leaving it empty for 17 minutes. Marcus Ericsson set the pace for the session, immediately going fastest and maintaining the lap times.
Drivers Were Testing The Limits
Throughout the practice session, we saw the drivers pushing the limits of the track. For some, they pushed too far, with multiple drivers going wide at Turns 5 and 14. DeFrancesco was a victim of this, suffering two front tire lockups in both turns.
Red Flags Caused Interruptions
Despite a slower start, practice at Road America saw two red flags. The late running was interrupted when drivers were looking to test the softer tire compound.
The first came from A. J. Foyt’s Santino Ferrucci, who spun off at turn 12, narrowly missing hitting the concrete wall. Unfortunately, he was unable to restart his car, and the red flag was called with 15 minutes of the session left. It lasted 3 minutes, with the green flag dropping with 12 minutes left.
ECR’s Alexander Rossi was the cause of the second red flag. With 4 minutes left, he had a big lift and spun out at turn 1. Whilst the session ended under green flag conditions, no driver was able to get a final push lap in.
Kirkwood Hits the 1.44’s
With drivers testing out the red-walled softer tires, times started to drop in between the two red flags. Kyle Kirkwood set the fastest lap time – 1:44.988 – and was the only driver on the field to be in the 1:44 times. After back-to-back wins at Detroit and St. Louis, Kirkwood looks to be on track for another positive weekend.
What to Look Out For at Road America
Changes to the track have been announced. The exit of the kink (turn 11) now has a double curb that sees a lattice effect of concrete where grass can grow. This could provide drivers with extra grip if they go wide but punish them if they go too far.
Whilst the race typically sees a 3-stop strategy, some drivers are anticipating having to do 4 stops due to the higher temperatures forecast for the race. With track position not being crucial and Road America being a track where strategy is key, this could be the winning factor for drivers.
Keep an eye on Palou, Dixon, Power, and Newgarden this weekend, as all 4 drivers will be attempting to get a record-equaling 3rd win at the track. Others to watch out for are championship contenders Pato O’Ward and Kyle Kirkwood, who are both aiming to further close the gap to Palou.
Being a favourite track for many drivers, this is only the start of an action-packed race weekend that could see Kirkwood winning 3 races in a row, all on different track types. Don’t miss it!