Phoenix International Raceway (Avondale, Ariz.) — INDYCAR drivers enjoyed some sun, some wind and, well not so much, some rain during their two-day test at Phoenix.
The series hasn’t competed on the 1-mile oval since 2018, and while the basic car is the same, the aeroscreen and hybrid systems make the handling much different. Drivers say the major factor in whether they will have a good race March 7 is whether an upper groove can have another rubber on the track in order to produce two racing lines.
“You’re talking 200-300 pounds difference in weight,” six–time INDYCAR champion Scott Dixon, who won at Phoenix in 2016, told me. “The track actually itself feels like it has similar grip. The track is the same as when we last raced here. Obviously, the grandstands are in different positions and the start-finish line has moved.
“The emphasis on trying to get that second lane in.”
Here are my takeaways:
1. Mick Schumacher Learning Ovals
Former F1 driver Mick Schumacher continued his accelerated education on ovals, and part of that was how the wind impacts the car for the Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing rookie, who had his first oval test at Homestead a couple of weeks ago.
“Confidence coming from Homestead helped that whole scenario a little bit and sped up the process,” Schumacher told me. “We had the rookie session [the first day at Phoenix], which was like an hour earlier than everyone else was driving after which half a day within the automotive was nice.
“Then right this moment [on Wednesday], getting in with the chilly, cooler circumstances has been fairly good after which the wind picked up and it began to change into a bit tougher on the market.”
Mick Schumacher is making the transfer to INDYCAR in 2026.
After assessments at Homestead and Phoenix, does Schumacher — who has by no means raced on an oval — like ovals now?
“They’re fascinating,” Schumacher mentioned. “I am going to should be racing them to say if I like them, it is clearly a really totally different sort of racing, one thing I have to get used to, and I am excited to study.”
2. Opening Assertion
David Malukas topped the pace chart on the primary day and for the driving force who changed Will Energy at Workforce Penske, posting a quick time was vital.
“I really feel assured, however is it [fast time] what we had been aiming for right this moment? No,” Maulkas mentioned throughout a post-practice information convention Tuesday. “We simply ran via our take a look at plan, and we managed to get a time up on the board.
“Does it really feel good? Yeah, I’d say it feels good.”
David Malukas made the transfer to Workforce Penske following final season.
Malukas posted a lap pace of 172.605 mph, which was eclipsed on the second day by Alexander Rossi’s pace of 174.542 mph early within the afternoon session that was delayed by 90 minutes due to rain. For comparability, the pole pace for the Cup race in November was 133.759 mph. INDYCAR drivers don’t brake at Phoenix.
“It’s totally, very quick,” Malukas mentioned. “If you find yourself going via particularly [Turns] 1 and a couple of, we’re on the restrict.”
3. Bear in mind, It’s Testing
One of many facets of testing and making an attempt to match speeds is that it’s laborious to know who’s making an attempt what at what time and whether or not it was on new or contemporary tires. And vehicles don’t undergo technical inspection.
Every week earlier at Sebring, Pato O’Ward was not among the many 10 quickest, and he tried to not sweat it.
“We can’t learn an excessive amount of into Sebring,” O’Ward mentioned. “We have performed nicely there, we have performed unhealthy there, and never plenty of influences into what [the opener at] St. Pete often appears to be like like.
Josef Newgarden of Workforce Penske chats with group personnel in-between testing periods.
“We had been simply testing plenty of the issues that we clearly labored on in the course of the offseason with clearly the units of tires and stuff. We weren’t there to set the quickest time with what we needed to attempt.”
4. Tire Discuss
Firestone introduced a brand new proper entrance tire that’s wider than what has been used on the shorter ovals. It’s designed to keep away from a few of the failures seen final yr, together with for O’Ward at Nashville.
One other little bit of tire discuss? When groups come to Phoenix in two weeks, they are going to be on the monitor with the NASCAR Cup Sequence and NASCAR O’Reilly Sequence. These sequence use Goodyear tires; INDYCAR makes use of Firestone. How the vehicles react to totally different tire rubber on the monitor floor stays to be seen.
“That is going to make an enormous distinction,” four-time INDYCAR champion Alex Palou advised me. “We are able to have a tremendous automotive now, and abruptly, when you will have the rubber from NASCAR, it may be like a completely horrible automotive or it might be the alternative or it may keep the identical.
“It’s going to have an effect on us for positive. I do not know the way. Hopefully it simply works for us.”
Scott Dixon of Chip Ganassi Racing enters his automotive for testing at Phoenix.
4 1/2: What’s Subsequent
Racing!
INDYCAR groups head to St. Petersburg subsequent week for the season opener. It’s been an extended offseason however drivers will get right into a rhythm early.
With Sebring testing final week and Phoenix this week, it makes for 5 consecutive weeks of on-track exercise because the INDYCAR season opens March 1 on the streets of St. Petersburg, then races March 7 at Phoenix and March 15 on the streets of Arlington (Texas).
“It’s not lengthy now — it’s subsequent week,” Schumacher mentioned about his INDYCAR debut. “We’re all excited. We’ve been speaking about it for therefore lengthy now that they are all very eager on getting going.”
Bob Pockrass covers NASCAR and INDYCAR for FOX Sports activities. He has spent a long time masking motorsports, together with over 30 Daytona 500s, with stints at ESPN, Sporting Information, NASCAR Scene journal and The (Daytona Seashore) Information-Journal. Observe him on Twitter @bobpockrass.
