The NTT IndyCar Series took to the streets of downtown Detroit Friday afternoon, setting times for the first practice session of the weekend.
The fastest driver of the day was Alex Palou, as the Spanish driver tamed the bumpy course to lay down a lap of 1:01.7210.
Palou has been on a lengthy streak of good results, which culminated in him winning his second championship last year and has continued on through the first portion of 2024.
The 27-year-old continues to look on form, and if Friday’s running is anything to go by, may extend his points lead by time the weekend is over.
Pato O’Ward set the second fastest time and Colton Herta was hot on his heels. All three drivers were within 0.08 seconds of one another.
Rounding out the top five were Kyle Kirkwood and Scott McLaughlin, with each driver staying out of trouble on the unforgiving track.
The short 1.645-mile course featured a few upgrades from its debut last year, including repaved sections in Turn 3 and Turn 9.
There is also new Armco barriers on the inside of most of the turns around the track, meaning there is a smooth wall to brush against when pushing the limits instead of hard edges of concrete traffic barriers.
The upgrades did little to prevent damaged race cars, however, as a few drivers found themselves bouncing off the concrete that lines the temporary course.
There were a few red flag periods, all of which came near the end of the session when drivers were split into two groups and were pushing their hardest.
Rookies Christian Rasmussen and Kyffin Simpson both spun and subsequently stalled their cars and needed assistance.
In a more damaging incident, Marcus Ericsson hit the wall hard with his right rear tire while navigating Turn 7.
The impact broke his right rear suspension, but he was still able to limp his #28 Andretti Global Honda back to pit lane without assistance.
Jack Harvey also found the same wall, but damaged his #18 Dale Coyne Racing Honda enough that he was not able to drive the short distance to pit lane.
The remainder of the 27 car field was able to get away from Friday’s practice cleanly, turning a total of 861 laps.
The second practice session takes place early Saturday morning, with a run around the streets before qualifying takes place in the afternoon.
