Kevin Magnussen enjoyed his first day driving an IndyCar. After ending the lone practice session in P23, the Dane described the differences between the lighter, turbocharged and hybridized Formula 1 cars he piloted from 2014-2020 and the Arrow McLaren SP Dallara DW12-Chevy he sampled for the first time for 14 laps on Friday at Road America.

“Today was a lot to take in,” Magnussen said. “I took it step-by-step and it was fun. It’s a wild beast, heavy in the steering wheel and it’s got a bit of turbo lag. It’s very, very different to anything I have ever driven. So, it was a great experience and I can’t wait for tomorrow. I want to thank everyone at Arrow McLaren SP and Chevrolet for helping to get me up to speed.”

AMSP president Taylor Kiel was encouraged by Magnussen’s day as teammate and championship leader Pato O’Ward went P11 in the sister entry.

“Kevin Magnussen did a really good job today just methodically working up to speed,” Kiel said of the substitute driver who was unable to test the car before Road America. “I think there are things we can do to help him out in the car, but otherwise it was a good session for him and we have some time to work on it tonight. He can sleep on it tonight and we can come with some new ideas for tomorrow. He’s got two sessions tomorrow to get accustomed to the car.”