Marcus Armstrong finished the first practice session at the top of the time sheet in Wisconsin. The New Zealand driver went into P1 with a 1:44.271, whilst last time out race winner, Josef Newgarden, struggled for comfortability and pace. Sting Ray Robb caused a late red flag following an over correction out the final corner. Turn 14 was proving a challenge for several drivers with the likes of Alexander Rossi, Pato O’ward and Scott Mclaughlin going wide.
Armstrong Tops First Road America Practice Despite Red Flag
Meyer Shank Racing took one and two in Road America’s first practice. Reigning champion Álex Palou topped majority of the session on the primary tyre. It was MSR, however, who shone when the red side wall tyre came on.
Armstrong sat consistently in the top 10 throughout the practice, mid-way through he was nearly five tenths off P1. Teammate Felix Rosenqvist showed similar signs of decent pace. An early close call saw Dennis Hauger squirm past him whilst the Swedish driver was on an out lap. Rosenqvist finished the first half of the session in P3 with a time of 1:44.453. His lap on the Reds saw him shoot to P1 before being displaced by his teammate.
The 1-2 for MSR came once the track went green following the red flag. Sting Ray Robb, already appearing off the pace in 25th, lost the car out of the final corner. The spin out of Turn 14 saw the American hit the wall causing a session stoppage. He sustained serious damage to his left rear and remained dead last for the rest of practice.
A Lack Of Pace For Some Of The Weekend’s Favourites
Several of the favourites for this Road Course seemed to be struggling for pace. In particular, Team Penske failed to finish practice in the top 10. The most decorated INDYCAR team in history were seen as one of the teams to beat heading into this weekend, with seven wins at the circuit.
The No.12 of David Malukas fell out of the top 10 in practice around halfway through. The Team Penske driver failed to make it back in only managing P12 despite completing 19 laps. Malukas took a P7 finish last year in an AJ Foyt Racing car after carving his way through the field. He currently sits P3 in the championship and will hope to find pace ahead of qualifying.
Alexander Rossi, despite having a tough stretch this season following his injury ahead of the Indy 500, has shown previous brilliance at Road America. With a stunning win in 2019, Rossi would’ve hoped to bounce back this weekend after recent challenges in the last four races. The American spent almost all of the practice session at the bottom ends of the timing sheets, finishing in 18th, nine tenths off the pace.
Newgarden Struggles In The Early Stages Despite Winning Last Time Out
Newgarden heads into the weekend the series last race winner, but was in doubt of competing this weekend. The Team Penske driver is still suffering from his foot injury following his crash in the Indy 500. Heading into the weekend it was made known Felipe Nasr would be on standby for Newgarden.
The first third of practice saw a concerning radio message from the American’s race engineer with a 15% lack of brake pressure in heavy braking corners, such as turn 12. The No.2 then fell to P22 and failed to improve for a large chunk of the session, only managing a 1:45.717. The red flag then saw work being done on the front of his car. The work saw him briefly pop up into the top 10 on the softs before tumbling down to 14th.
Neither the Penske team as a whole nor Newgarden look to be at their best at Road America. Can he find his footing ahead of the rest of the weekend or will this be a weekend to forget?