Herta heads IndyCar testing on IMS road course

Andretti Autosport’s Colton Herta and Alexander Rossi were fastest among the eight drivers and four teams in attendance for Thursday’s test at a hot Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course. Running in twos, they were followed by Arrow McLaren SP, a pair of Andretti teammates, and solo entries from A.J. Foyt Racing and Paretta Autosport/Ed Carpenter Racing.

“It was an up and down day, which is good for a test because you learn about what you do and don’t want to bring to the track,” Herta told RACER. “This track can be pretty brutal for setup; you can be quick one time and then way off the next, so we’re trying to stay consistent for when we come back in a little over a month. It was pretty hot, which we expect it to be for the race, so overall, I’d say this was a productive day.”

With temperatures nearing 90 degrees, Herta and almost all of the other drivers posted their fastest laps early -- most within their first six tours -- before turning their attention to long lists of test items they hope will prove useful at upcoming road course events.

“I thought today might have been the most productive day we’ve had all year,” Foyt's Kyle Kirkwood told RACER. “We have a lot of cool stuff on the car and got a lot of reads on what worked and what didn’t. Mostly, it was a lot of what worked. Everyone went fastest right away in the morning on new tires, and then we were quick in the afternoon when it got hot; we were really good on used tires, so it gives us a lot of confidence on what we can take from this test.”

AMSP’s Felix Rosenqvist was the most active, turning 93 laps. Paretta/ECR’s Simona De Silvestro was next at 91.

All times unofficial:

1: Colton Herta, Andretti Autosport Honda, 1m10.557s

2: Alexander Rossi, Andretti Autosport Honda, 1m10.749s

3: Pato O’Ward, Arrow McLaren SP Chevy, 1m10.789s

4: Felix Rosenqvist, Arrow McLaren SP Chevy, 1m10.810s

5: Romain Grosjean, Andretti Autosport Honda, 1m11.141s

6: Devlin DeFrancesco, Andretti Autosport Honda, 1m11.398s

7: Kyle Kirkwood, A.J. Foyt Racing, 1m11.442s

8: Simona De Silvestro, Paretta Autosport/Ed Carpenter Racing Chevy, 1m11.853s