It’s not how you start, it’s how you finish. But if you are Alexander Rossi, you’re enjoying Road America so far.
A red flag-filled practice saw Alexander Rossi flex more of that McLaren muscle at Road America, placing himself on the top of the leaderboard.
Rossi, who claimed the pole at Road America one year ago, topped the leaderboard with a lap of 1:41.7790, followed that up during Saturday’s second practice session with a lap of 1:40.9112, improving by .8678 seconds.
While it was clear and smoothing sailing for Rossi, the same can’t be said for two series main stays. 18 minutes into practice, six-time series champion Scott Dixon spun into Turn 12. As he straightened himself out, Romain Grosjean in the No. 28 Honda passed Dixon. That’s when Dixon moved back into his racing line and collided with Will Power, causing major damage and forcing both crews to unload the backup parts.
Things are a bit spicy this morning.#INDYCAR // #SonsioGP pic.twitter.com/JkdIGIhJqT
— NTT INDYCAR SERIES (@IndyCar) June 17, 2023
While Dixon had his troubles, he isn’t the only Chip Ganassi Racing entry who had a rough practice session. 2021 series champion and current points leader Alex Palou crashed into the tire barrier in Turn 14 causing significant damage to his car.
Following Rossi on the leaderboard was Colton Herta in his No. 28 Honda with a lap of 1:41.0584. P3 was claimed by another Arrow McLaren driver, Felix Rosenqvist at 1:41.2572. Fourth was taken by David Malukas in the No. 18 Honda with a lap of 1:41.3010 and rounding out the top five was CGR Rookie Marcus Armstrong with a lap of 1:41.3488.
Up Next: Qualifying – 1:55 p.m. EST on Peacock
