In his first practice session with new sponsor Europa gracing his Chevrolet, Sébastien Bourdais led the way in the 75-minute opening practice for the Verizon IndyCar Series at Barber Motorsports Park.
The KVSH Racing driver’s 1:07.3399 stood atop the charts at the end of the session as teams prepare for Sunday’s Honda Indy Grand Prix of Alabama. The lap may be attributed to his team’s decision to test new LED wheel covers, which way slightly more than typical covers.
Here are the LED lights in the wheels of @BourdaisOnTrack . Adds about a 1/4 lb. Won't be used in race. @GriffPope pic.twitter.com/zxMbb2heur
— Jake Query (@jakequery) April 22, 2016
Behind Bourdais, a surprising session from Honda saw the manufacturer takes positions two through seven. Jack Hawksworth led the way for the group, followed by Carlos Muñoz, Ryan Hunter-Reay, Takuma Sato, James Hinchcliffe and Graham Rahal.
The session was one to forget for defending Indianapolis 500 champion Juan Pablo Montoya. An unsportsmanlike conduct penalty kept the veteran on pit road for the final two minutes of the session. Montoya would end the practice in 12th.
Tony Kanaan ended the session last, among the 21 participants, a victim of electrical issues that ended his session early.
Results
1. Sébastien Bourdais 1:07.3399
2. Jack Hawkswort -.1263
3. Carlos Muñoz -.2739
4. Ryan Hunter-Reay -.3171
5. Takuma Sato -.3785
6. James Hinchcliffe -.3846
7. Graham Rahal -.4430
8. Simon Pagenaud -.4439
9. Luca Filippi -. I4564
10. Scott Dixon -.5059
11. Mikhail Aleshin -.5228
12. Juan Pablo Montoya -.629
13. Josef Newgarden -.6477
14. Marco Andretti -.6549
15. Will Power -.6843
16. Conor Daly -.8013
17. Helio Castroneves -.8686
18. Charlie Kimball -.9930
19. Max Chilton -.9963
20. Alexander Rossi -.1.1841
21. Tony Kanaan -20.6952
Aaron Bearden is a Frontstretch alumnus who’s come back home as the site’s Short Track Editor. When he isn’t working with our grassroots writers, he can be found talking about racing on his Morning Warmup newsletter, pestering his wife/dog or convincing himself the Indiana Pacers can win an NBA title.