Herta tops Sebring IndyCar test, Magnussen turns out for Ganassi

Colton Herta put Andretti Autosport on top in IndyCar testing at the Sebring short course on Monday, as ex-Formula 1 driver Kevin Magnussen completed evaluation running with Chip Ganassi Racing.

Herta tops Sebring IndyCar test, Magnussen turns out for Ganassi

Magnussen, who made his IndyCar debut at Mid-Ohio last season as a late substitute for an injured Felix Rosenqvist at Arrow McLaren SP, completed 143 laps in Alex Palou's 2021 title-winning #10 machine.

The Dane, who will return to Ganassi's IMSA SportsCar Championship lineup for the Sebring 12 Hours before taking up his Peugeot Le Mans Hypercar commitments, was the slowest of the 17 cars attending the first of the two days testing.

He whittled down to a 52.84s effort, which was fractionally under a second off Herta's front-running pace, although the final classification is heavily caveated by the fact that some drivers tried push-to-pass boost while others did not.

Fresh from his LMP2 class victory in last month's Daytona 24 Hours, Herta pipped Dale Coyne Racing rookie David Malukas to the top spot with a time of 51.85s that was just 0.01s faster than the Indy Lights graduate.

Malukas, who finished second in the Lights standings behind Kyle Kirkwood last season, took a full second off his morning time as the track rubbered in.

He will be joined on track for the second day of testing by former Rahal Letterman Lanigan driver Takuma Sato, as the two-time Indianapolis 500 readies for his first outing with the Coyne team.

Herta’s Andretti team-mate Romain Grosjean was 0.17s off top spot in third, the former Coyne driver having set the fastest time in the morning but setting a near identical time in the afternoon when others improved.

Team Penske drivers Josef Newgarden and Will Power were fourth and fifth, while Graham Rahal led the RLL contingent in sixth.

New Andretti Autosport signing Grosjean was third-fastest

New Andretti Autosport signing Grosjean was third-fastest

Photo by: IndyCar

They were followed by Rosenqvist, who turned more laps this afternoon than any other driver to log the seventh fastest time, Alexander Rossi (Andretti) and Scott McLaughlin (Penske).

Rahal's two new team-mates Jack Harvey and rookie Christian Lundgaard were separated by a mere hundredth, placing tenth and eleventh.

Patricio O’Ward could not replicate his morning time and his AMSP entry slipped down to 14th, behind rookies Kirkwood (Foyt Enterprises) and Devlin de Francesco in another Andretti entry.

shares
comments

Magnussen in Ganassi's IndyCar test line-up for Sebring

Marco Andretti in Indy 500 return for 250th IndyCar start

Nigel Mansell’s greatest F1 and Indycar drives

Nigel Mansell’s greatest F1 and Indycar drives

Plus
Plus
Formula 1
Kevin Turner

Nigel Mansell’s greatest F1 and Indycar drives Nigel Mansell’s greatest F1 and Indycar drives

How Ericsson achieved Indy immortality as Ganassi's main man stumbled

How Ericsson achieved Indy immortality as Ganassi's main man stumbled

Plus
Plus
IndyCar
Indy 500
David Malsher-Lopez

How Ericsson achieved Indy immortality as Ganassi's main man stumbled How Ericsson achieved Indy immortality as Ganassi's main man stumbled

Ranking the top 10 IndyCar drivers of 2021

Ranking the top 10 IndyCar drivers of 2021

Plus
Plus
IndyCar
David Malsher-Lopez

Ranking the top 10 IndyCar drivers of 2021 Ranking the top 10 IndyCar drivers of 2021

How F1's other IndyCar exile finally unlocked his potential

How F1's other IndyCar exile finally unlocked his potential

Plus
Plus
IndyCar
Charles Bradley

How F1's other IndyCar exile finally unlocked his potential How F1's other IndyCar exile finally unlocked his potential

How Ganassi's relentless new champion outfoxed IndyCar's best

How Ganassi's relentless new champion outfoxed IndyCar's best

Plus
Plus
IndyCar
David Malsher-Lopez

How Ganassi's relentless new champion outfoxed IndyCar's best How Ganassi's relentless new champion outfoxed IndyCar's best

Have Harvey and RLL formed IndyCar’s next winning match-up?

Have Harvey and RLL formed IndyCar’s next winning match-up?

Plus
Plus
IndyCar
David Malsher-Lopez

Have Harvey and RLL formed IndyCar’s next winning match-up? Have Harvey and RLL formed IndyCar’s next winning match-up?

Remembering Dan Wheldon and his last and most amazing IndyCar win

Remembering Dan Wheldon and his last and most amazing IndyCar win

Plus
Plus
IndyCar
David Malsher-Lopez

Remembering Dan Wheldon and his last and most amazing IndyCar win Remembering Dan Wheldon and his last and most amazing IndyCar win

Why Kyle Kirkwood is America's new IndyCar ace-in-waiting

Why Kyle Kirkwood is America's new IndyCar ace-in-waiting

Plus
Plus
IndyCar
David Malsher-Lopez

Why Kyle Kirkwood is America's new IndyCar ace-in-waiting Why Kyle Kirkwood is America's new IndyCar ace-in-waiting