Drivers find Toronto surface an evolving challenge

"This track is so much fun to drive on because it's different to other tracks," said Pagenaud. "Here it's very low grip; you slide around in the corners. The tarmac changes throughout the corner and it's giving you a great challenge. I really enjoy that: Every corner's different and you need to change your driving corner to corner. It's not boring, I can tell you that."

Power suggested Toronto's surface can almost feel like running on dirt, as the grip level rises and falls.

"Yeah, there's definitely some times your car is doing that. If it is, you definitely need to make a change," he noted. "But the last section is a bit like that. You've got some cement patches and off-camber areas and a very daunting last corner to get right. It's kind of opened up this year, so it's a little bit faster.

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"It's a tough track to get the balance right," Power added. "The grip levels are so difficult all the way around. You've got some bumpy areas with no grip and bumpy areas with grip, then completely smooth areas. Turn 9 goes from a lot of grip to absolutely nothing. It's something else. Very tough to get it all right."

While the Red alternate tires helped win back some of the grip that the inconsistent surface takes away – but not as much as he expected, today at least, as he gained just a few tenths of a second with them over the primary tires.

"It's interesting. Some tracks don't generate enough load," Power mused. "If it was a smooth track, I'm sure that the time would be quicker. Once you get to the cement bits, it's not that big of a difference. But yeah, we thought there would be a bigger difference."

The equation gets more complex as tire rubber is laid down throughout the weekend – some of which is laid down by the Pinty's NASCAR Canada cars, which rides on another type of tire than what IndyCar drivers are used to sharing tracks with.

"I think any kind of rubber on the track would be good for grip, to be honest. It's just going to change the balance, which way it's going to go," said Pagenaud. "We never run with them [NASCAR Canada], so it's very difficult to know which way the car is going to go. When we're behind Indy Lights, we kind of know now which way it's going, but behind these guys we have no idea, so it's going to add a twist again for practice or qualifying tomorrow. But yeah, there's a lot of times you just need to drive and just adjust to it yourself. It's not always easy in one lap."

While the resurfacing of a few sections of the track has reduced some of the bumps, Power noted that a number of them still must be reckoned with.

"In Turn 1, depending on the wind direction, you have to avoid the bumps at times," Power said. "Today you've got a tailwind, so you don't bottom as hard. I'm not sure anyone else picked that up in the paddock, but I noticed that if you've got a headwind you bottom harder."

Pagenaud's main focus was elsewhere, however.

"I'm struggling more with Turn 8 actually, those little patches," said the reigning IndyCar champ. "They've redone the complete braking zone, and all of a sudden you turn in and there's a little patch that's right in the wrong spot. But that's part of it – that's what makes it fun, too."