Former F1 drivers top timesheet in Indy 500 practice

The first free practice sessions are over ahead of the Indy 500. In the first session run, Takuma Sato was the fastest, while in the second session, it was Marcus Ericsson.

The week in Indianapolis

These are arguably the most important days of the year for Indianapolis, as the next few weeks are dominated by the legendary Indy 500. The first practice sessions were still cancelled due to bad weather, but on Wednesday and Thursday, the third and fourth six-hour free practice sessions were completed. On Friday, the drivers will return to action for practice, followed by qualifying on Saturday and Sunday. The race is Sunday, May 28.

The Chip Ganassi Racing team is currently making the biggest impression in the early practice sessions. During the six-hour session on Wednesday, Takuma Sato was the fastest on behalf of that team, with teammate Scott Dixon behind him.

Who wins the Indy 500?

It is no surprise that the Honda-powered team are performing well, as this has been the case all season. Alex Palou leads the IndyCar championship on behalf of the team after his victory at the Indianapolis circuit. Ericsson is in third place and has already won one race. Dixon, Sato and Marcus Armstrong have yet to win a race, but know the car is good this year.

After Sato's fastest time 39.2261 in third practice, Chip Ganassi was again fast in fourth practice. This time Ericsson concluded the session on top with a 39.1974. With that, the Swede was narrowly faster than Dixon, who again finished in second place. Palou came fourth and ninth as class leader.

Chip Ganassi also has a mountain of experience within the team. For instance, Dixon has already won the legendary race once and started from pole five times. Last year, Chip Ganassi also won the race, with the first Indy 500 victory for Ericsson. Sato was up two years before that, having also won once in 2017. Palou has never won the Indy 500 before, although he already became IndyCar champion once in 2021. As a team, Chip Ganassi won five times. Ericsson and Dixon did it on behalf of their current team, as Dario Franchitti (2010 and 2012) and Juan Pablo Montoya (2000) also managed before.