– Mick Schumacher (RLL-Honda) started the race weekend of the IndyCar series in Washington D.C. with a 21st place in the first free practice. One should not read too much into the times yet, because the practice began on a rain-wet track. Schumacher was around tenth place for a long time but did not improve towards the end when the track was fastest. (Result)
Read more Formula 1 live ticker: Russell wins the sprint, Norris on pole
Nevertheless, he was the fastest driver from Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing, his teammates Graham Rahal (23rd) and Louis Foster (25th) finished behind him. Much more important, however, is that Schumacher showed speed throughout the entire session, was the best RLL driver in the standings for long stretches of the session, and can certainly hope to build on the performances from Markham.
The first trend shows that street course specialist Kyle Kirkwood (Andretti-Honda; 1st) has found his old form again. The championship runner-up repeatedly set best times and ultimately recorded the fastest lap in 57.374 seconds.
With points leader Alex Palou (Ganassi-Honda; 2nd), another usual suspect settled at the front, while the third place of Dennis Hauger (Coyne-Honda) was a surprise. However, it is expected that the times will improve significantly.
Christian Lundgaard (McLaren-Chevrolet; 11th) had the dubious honor of being the first driver of the unique race weekend, which celebrates the 250th anniversary of the United States of America, to crash into the wall. A broken control arm was quickly replaced.
Read more What role does a rider really play in the development of a motorcycle?
Will Power (Andretti-Honda; 22nd) and Romain Grosjean (Coyne-Honda; 24th) also had to come to the pits for repairs after impacts with the wall. Kirkwood also touched the wall, almost simultaneously with teammate Power, but came away unscathed and then marked his series of best times.
On a commercial level, the race is already a success. The organizer reports over 288,000 ticket requests for 150,000 tickets. McLaren CEO and motorsport entrepreneur Zak Brown confirms: “This is a huge event for IndyCar on a commercial level. We already have great fans who love our racing, but this brings IndyCar closer to new fans. They will love it.”
The second free practice begins at 7 p.m. CEST. The report will also follow in this article. (All info about the IndyCar race in Washington D.C.)
Read more Williams reveals new detail about B-Version: Chassis will be the basis for 2027
