The NTT IndyCar Series has arrived at Laguna Seca for the weekend, visiting the track a couple months earlier than the traditional late-season date.
One year after a full-track repave, drivers found that the extreme grip from last year was slightly reduced while overall speeds were still very high.
Scott McLaughlin set the fastest time of the day in his Good Ranchers Team Penske Chevy, completing a lap in 1:07.6325 on soft tires near the end of the session.
He was one of a few drivers that were locked in throughout the afternoon, while also being conscious of the limited tires on offer for the weekend.
Colton Herta set the second fastest time, and was only one tenth of a second off of McLaughlin’s best lap. Alex Palou was just behind in third.
Josef Newgarden was the fourth fastest, followed by Pietro Fittipaldi that impressed with his run in the #30 RLL Honda.
Scott Dixon did not look comfortable during his runs, and his lap times reflected that. The veteran worked the wheel back and forth all afternoon, and was only able to set the 18th fastest time.
There were a couple red flags that temporarily interrupted the session, with David Malukas and Pato O’Ward each needing assistance after sliding off the track.
Malukas is making his Meyer Shank Racing debut, finding a seat after having been dismissed from Arrow McLaren following his pre-season wrist injury.
The young driver recovered and set a time good enough for 25th on the timesheets, and admitted he was a bit rusty after having been out of the car since the end of last season.
Another driver making his debut was Nolan Siegel, who was promoted from IndyNXT to IndyCar with Arrow McLaren.
The 19-year-old spent his time getting familiar with his new car, and ended the day in the 27th and final position after completing 17 laps.
A few other drivers took trips through the gravel as well, although they were able to get moving again without outside assistance.
The corkscrew was a particularly busy area, with multiple instances of cars losing control while navigating the large elevation drop.
Santino Ferrucci even chose to roll his car down the hill backwards until he could flick the car around safely.
Drivers will return to the track Saturday morning at 10:00 AM pacific time for a second practice session, with a knockout qualifying session scheduled a short time later.
