The NTT IndyCar series took to the track at Indianapolis Motor Speedway for the first practice session for the road course event held at the famous venue.
Alexander Rossi was fastest after the 45-minute session was done, setting a quick time of 1:09.8784 around the 2.44-mile circuit.
The Andretti Autosport driver was unconvinced after the session that his pace would be guaranteed to continue, but nonetheless would like if his early quick laps translated into the good result that the team desperately needs.
He was followed closely by Jack Harvey, who was less than a tenth of a second off the fast time. Rinus VeeKay held the top spot for much of the session, but was relegated to third as other drivers found quick times with a slipstream down the long front stretch.
Graham Rahal was one driver who struggled with setup and ended up touching the grass near the end of the session. The resulting spin off-track did not damage the car, however, and the track stayed green through the final minutes.
One driver who was not present was Max Chilton, who had travel troubles and was not able to make it to the track in time to compete.
Chilton will still race in the Indy 500 later this month, but the field has been narrowed to 25 for the Grand Prix event this weekend.
Early morning mechanical troubles
A few drivers were not able to get in the practice laps they were hoping on account of mechanical troubles that were not able to be resolved.
Alex Palou’s Chip Ganassi Racing team discovered a water leak just as he was about to head out on track.
The team took the car back to the garage and was not able to get it repaired before the 45-minute session was over, leaving Palou to watch from the pit box as the rest of the field got a feel for the track.
Sebastien Bourdais was able to get on track and complete three laps, but then his car had an electrical issue and he was forced to stop on track.
The troubles continue a run of bad luck for the AJ Foyt team which had a disastrous weekend at the Texas Motor Speedway double-header.
Montoya back on track
After taking a break from IndyCar for over three years, Juan Pablo Montoya returned to the track driving for Arrow McLaren SP.
The 45-year-old has been keeping his skills sharp in sportscar racing in recent years, but still had to take some time to adjust back to the single-seater cars.
His time was just over 1.6 seconds off the pace, but the talented veteran should never be counted out early when there is still so much time left in the weekend.
This is the first time Montoya is driving for a team other than Team Penske since 2000 when he competed in the Indy 500 for Chip Ganassi Racing.
Montoya will also compete in the Indy 500 later this month, and is using this time to get all the little details sorted out with his new team.
The drivers will have a second practice session in the early afternoon before qualifying takes place later in the day. The green flag for the GMR Grand Prix will wave on Saturday at 14:00 Eastern Time.
