Chip Ganassi Racing’s Marcus Armstrong in the No.11 Ridgeline Lubricants Honda was third fastest on the opening day of track action at the season-opening Firestone Grand Prix of St Petersburg presented by RP Funding on Friday.
Speaking after setting a 01:00.8192s he said:
“It was great to return to the track here in St. Pete. While we were third-fastest, I think we can look through the data and find even more speed. Tomorrow will be a different day and it will bring different temperatures and different ambient temperatures. We have some homework to do but we’re in a good spot for day one.”
Defending NTT INDYCAR SERIES champion Alex Palou in the No.10 DHL Honda was 9th fastest and speaking following the action he commented saying:
It was a very good day with it being the first practice of the year in the new DHL Honda. We obviously ran through some new stuff, not only as a team starting a new season, but with a new practice format, as well. We were focused on getting a lot of laps and it was nice out there without a ton of traffic. The car honestly felt pretty good. Of course, there is a lot of work to do as always, but it’s good to be back.”
Scott Dixon in the No.9 PNC Bank Honda was 12th fastest and speaking following the action he commented saying:
“Today was quite interesting with the split sessions today. We missed a bit and probably weren’t aggressive enough with the changes throughout those sessions, but we’re optimistic and hopeful that there is a lot of speed to come. Looking forward to another practice and qualifying tomorrow with the PNC Bank crew.”
Ganassi newcomers Linus Lundqvist in the No.8 Be The One American Legion Honda and Kyffin Simpson in the No.4 Journie Rewards Honda were 18th and 23rd respectively.
Speaking following the action, Lundqvist commented saying:
“It was a great first practice and I was glad to run the most laps today, as that was one of the goals for this session. We are taking it step by step, but I feel that our Honda is in a pretty good place with the primary tires. When we went to the alternates, we didn’t kind quite get a quality run with the red flags that came out. But overall, we’re happy and I know the entire American Legion team will continue to work hard as we progress through the weekend.”
Kyffin Simpson commented saying:
“It was great to drive an IndyCar for the first time and to do so here in St. Pete with the Journie Rewards crew. But, I thought it was a pretty tough session. I know our entire team will just continue to keep working, get as many laps in as we can and prepare for these upcoming sessions. I’m excited to get back on track tomorrow to continue learning and looking for more pace.”