The former Formula 1 ace lapped the 1.7-mile short-course in 52.059sec, a mere 0.03sec faster than Kirkwood, the 2021 Indy Lights champion who arrives at Michael Andretti’s squad after spending his rookie season with AJ Foyt Racing.
Callum Ilott was fastest Chevrolet runner in third, as per the second day of testing at Thermal Club two weeks ago, lapping the course in 52.137sec, in his Juncos Hollinger Racing entry.
Marcus Armstrong was the sole representative of Chip Ganassi Racing and the rookie and Formula 2 exile turned 251 laps in the #11 entry in which he will race all road and street courses this season.
Devlin DeFrancesco will be happy to have wound up just a tenth behind teammate Grosjean’s benchmark and ahead of not only the two Ed Carpenter Racing-Chevrolets but also proven ace Colton Herta
Juncos Hollinger’s Agustin Canapino, another rookie and touring car ace in his home country of Argentina, did another impressive job to turn a best lap just 0.6sec off teammate Ilott. Given that he expected physical conditioning to be the toughest part of his transition from tin-tops to open-wheels, it’s worth noting that he turned 184 laps.
Will Power was driving Team Penske-Chevrolet’s #22 car equipped with the 2024 hybrid unit, but was unable to set a representative time before encountering a technical problem – not hybrid-related – that allowed him only 24 laps on track. Motorsport.com has learned that Power, the two-time and reigning IndyCar champion, will continue the hybrid testing on Tuesday.
| P | Driver | Team-Engine | Fastest lap | Laps |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Romain Grosjean | Andretti Autosport-Honda | 52.059 | 216 |
| 2 | Kyle Kirkwood | Andretti Autosport-Honda | 52.089 | 175 |
| 3 | Callum Ilott | Juncos Hollinger Racing-Chevrolet | 52.137 | 173 |
| 4 | Marcus Armstrong | Chip Ganassi Racing-Honda | 52.217 | 251 |
| 5 | Devlin DeFrancesco | Andretti Autosport-Honda | 52.253 | 149 |
| 6 | Conor Daly | Ed Carpenter Racing-Chevrolet | 52.271 | 247 |
| 7 | Colton Herta | Andretti Autosport-Honda | 52.297 | 184 |
| 8 | Rinus VeeKay | Ed Carpenter Racing-Chevrolet | 52.314 | 233 |
| 9 | Agustin Canapino | Juncos Hollinger Racing-Chevrolet | 52.730 | 186 |
| 10 | Will Power | Team Penske-Chevrolet (hybrid) | 57.490 | 24 |
