Dixon put in the fastest lap late in the opening practice session. Photo: Kevin Dejewski
The NTT IndyCar Series competed its first official session of the 2023 season on Friday afternoon, with a record 27 cars taking part in proceedings from the streets of St. Petersburg.
Temperatures were typical for the coastal Florida city, and warm and humid conditions were augmented by a strong south breeze that gave the drivers an extra headache as they learned their cars’ characteristics.
At the end of the session, it was a familiar face at the top of the timesheets as Scott Dixon logged the fastest time of the afternoon only a few minutes before the checkered flag.
The six-time champion put in a lap of 1:03.7068 around the 1.8-mile temporary course that sits on the shores of Tampa Bay.
For most of the session, the contingent from Andretti Autosport looked like the ones to beat, and Colton Herta ended with the second fastest time, followed closely by Chip Ganassi Racing’s Alex Palou in third.
Sophomore driver Kyle Kirkwood held the first spot for much of the afternoon session, showing that his new relationship with Andretti might work out well for him. He slipped down to fourth as others put in fast laps near the end.
There were a couple stoppages during the session, with rookie Benjamin Pedersen the first to bring out the red flag when he ran long into turn 4.
Simon Pagenaud stopped in the same corner later on, as did Graham Rahal, with all drivers losing five minutes of running due to causing a break in the Friday afternoon action.
Each of the incidents were very similar, with rear lockups under braking leading to an overshoot of the corner. Some drivers suspected the gusty winds were to blame, but a full analysis will be done by the teams overnight.
Christian Lundgaard got loose through the fast turn 3, and slid out into the concrete barriers. The impact sent a jolt through the Danish driver’s car and broke his steering arm, but he was still able to limp around back to the pits under his own power.
A few other drivers had trouble in the same corner, which was resurfaced ahead of this year’s race, but everyone else was able to gather up their cars before any damage was done.
Drivers will be back on track Saturday morning for another practice session ahead of qualifying, which is scheduled for 2:15 PM Eastern Time.
Keyword: Dixon stars in opening practice of the IndyCar season