The Month of May unofficially kicked off this week with the two-day Indianapolis 500 Open Test. Across the two days, all 33 drivers set to enter the race have the opportunity to get on track at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. For the first time, teams and drivers could start to prepare for the marquee event.
After heavy rain fell overnight, officials worked hard throughout the morning to dry the track. Fortunately, the track was clear and dry in time, and there was no delay to the green flag falling. The first day of the open test was split between three programmes, allowing everyone, including the pit crews, to get adequate practice in.
Ahead of the test, the IMS officials repaved the exit of Turn 2. This was due to a growing bump that was becoming a danger at the high speeds. Despite this bump now being removed, now drivers have to contend with a new track surface—a challenge of its own.
Veterans Programme
To begin the Indianapolis 500 Open Test was the veterans programme. This included the 22 full-time drivers, as well as Takuma Sato and Conor Daly. These two one-off drivers were eligible for this session as Daly competed full-time in 2025 and Sato completed a test in the fall, therefore both have been on-track since the last Indianapolis 500.
Following the installation laps, Álex Palou was the first to hit the track. As a result, he set the benchmark speed for the day: a 218.156mph. Soon enough though, Daly went faster, hitting an average speed of 219.865mph. For the majority of the session, Daly was the man to beat. However, as the first session drew to a close it was Josef Newgarden who topped the leaderboard. With 29 laps under his belt, he posted a blistering average speed of 223.415mph.
Out of the 24 eligible drivers, Graham Rahal had the least amount of running, clocking only seven laps in the final ten minutes. During his installation lap, RLL Racing noticed an issue with his engine and opted to take a closer look. Four yellow flags interrupted the session for a total of 16 minutes 22 seconds under caution. These periods were mainly due to track inspections and to clear debris after Romain Grosjean hit a bird early on.
Rookie and Refresher Programme
Next came the rookie and refresher programme, a two-hour session that ensures rookies and veterans, who haven’t been on track since their last Indianapolis 500, are ready for the high speeds around the oval. Nine drivers competed in this session, four rookies and five veterans. Jacob Abel is classed as a rookie due to being bumped from the 2025 race.
This session saw three phases which help the drivers adjust to the high speeds. Rookies had to do all three, whereas veterans would do the second and third. Each phase increased the expected speeds, starting from 205mph to exceed 215mph. However, these phases did not not have to happen in order. As long as phases one and two are complete, these drivers could progress to the following full-field session.
Race control brought out a lengthy yellow flag early on. They issued a precautionary caution so that marshals could look for reported debris. However, as they inspected the track, they found weeping at Turn 2 due to the overnight rain. Officials deemed it minor and waved the green flag after 17 minutes.
Following the yellow flag, drivers kept their heads down and focused on completing the required phases. As a result, it was a calm session. Caio Collet was the first driver to complete the rookie programme and Hélio Castroneves was the first to complete the refresher programme. A clutch issue saw Katherine Legge in the pits for the majority of the session. As she did not complete the refresher programme, she will have time to do this at the start of Day Two.
Although the rookie and refresher programme focused on building speed, Jack Harvey set the fastest average speed at 221.154mph. All eight running cars could progress.
Full-Field Session
The final of session of the day saw drivers continued to test their cars. But race preparations also began. Many drivers opted to start testing how well they could follow each other, going out in pairs instead of solo like earlier in the day.
Once again, Palou was the first on track, but Daly was quick to set the benchmark average speed. This time, Daly bettered his earlier speed, going at a 222.978mph. However, this speed was improved by Daly receiving a tow from the car ahead. His Dreyer and Reinbold Racing teammate, Jack Harvey, was leading the no-tow-rank with a solo speed of 220.318mph.
Drivers settled down, testing the cars instead of chasing outright speed. Will Power was able to replace Daly with a fastest speed of 223.151mph. With two hours left, Race Control implemented a brief break by waving yellow flags. This allowed marshals to complete a track inspection, and gave teams the chance to refuel and get ready for the final hours on track.
After a 12-minute break, cars were immediately back on track to continue their run plans. As Legge was unable to complete her refresher test, she did not participate in the final session. Abel also was unable to participate. As happy hour approached, Dennis Hauger completed phase three of the rookie programme.
Hot Stops and The Closing Hour
For the final hour of the day, teams were able to bring their pit crews out. Strategy is a key aspect to the Indianapolis 500, with pit stops being make or break in some situations. Therefore, this closing period of the day allowed teams to start preparing for this vital part.
With 45 minutes left, a yellow flag was brought out to inspect Turn 4. Grosjean’s rear left tyre had a cut in it, so race control decided to check the track for safety. The first driver error came in the closing stages, with Christian Rasmussen stopping on track at the exit of Turn 2 due to a loose wheel.
For the final 15 minutes, hit the track to gain some final running. Benefitting from the tow, Grosjean went fastest with a speed of 224.307mph. However, he was quickly removed from the top spot by Sato with a 224.801mph. Four-time winner of the Indianapolis 500, Castroneves, was able to go even faster. Concluding the day as he started it, Daly narrowly went faster than Castroneves, topping the leaderboard as he had at the start of the test.
Combined Top Ten:
Whilst most of the fastest speeds occurred during the final, full-field session, the combined Top Ten of the first day is as follows:
- Conor Daly (No. 23 Dreyer and Reinbold Racing) – 225.394mph.
- Hélio Castroneves (No. 06 Meyer Shank Racing) – 225.200mph.
- Takuma Sato (No. 75 RLL Racing) – 224.800mph.
- Scott Dixon (No. 9 Chip Ganassi Racing) – 224.564mph.
- Alexander Rossi (No. 20 ECR) – 224.367mph.
- Romain Grosjean (No. 18 Dale Coyne Racing) – 224.307mph.
- David Malukas (No. 12 Team Penske) – 223.892mph.
- Scott McLaughlin (No. 3 Team Penske) – 223.687mph.
- Josef Newgarden (No. 2 Team Penske) – 223.415mph
- Will Power (No. 26 Andretti Global) – 223.151mph.
Day One of the Indianapolis 500 Open Test Completed
Day One for the Indianapolis 500 Open Test is now complete. Whilst many teams had their Indy 500 chassis, some teams didn’t have that ready. Notably, Palou was running a modified version of his Long Beach car. And although some drivers had their full livery on display, Arrow McLaren opted to run a special open test livery, mimicking camouflage.
In total, the first day saw 2249 total laps run and eight yellow flag periods. Luckily, it was a relatively smooth testing day, with no major issues or crashes occurring. Harvey retained the quicked no-tow speed of 220.318mph. But topping the day was Daly and Dreyer and Reinbold Racing with an average speed of 225.394mph.
Whilst this is only the first day of an open test and speeds can’t be read into too much, drivers in the top ten will gain some early confidence as they head into the Month of May. Tomorrow the open test continues with two full field sessions starting at 4pm CEST.