Hinchcliffe tops opening day of Indy 500 practice, Alonso fifth on return
James Hinchcliffe led an Andretti Autosport 1-2-4 on the opening day of practice for the 104th Indianapolis 500 as Fernando Alonso clocked the fifth fastest time
Making only his third IndyCar Series outing of the year, 2016 pole-winner Hinchcliffe turned a 224.526mph average on his 35th of 80 laps in the afternoon session to edge team-mate Marco Andretti by 0.18mph.
Similarly impressive was his no-tow speed of 220.732mph, a mere 0.003mph slower than team-mate and 2014 Indy winner Ryan Hunter-Reay who ended the day fourth fastest overall.
The non-Andretti interloper in the top four was series points leader Scott Dixon's Chip Ganassi Racing machine, the 2008 Indy 500 winner clocking a best effort of 224.046mph.
One year after failing to qualify for the 500, two-time Formula 1 world champion Alonso's resumption of his assault on the Triple Crown began well with the fifth fastest time - and top Chevrolet runner - although the Spaniard's Arrow McLaren SP car only completed 29 laps.
Alonso placed just ahead of 2019 IndyCar Series champion Josef Newgarden in the fastest of the four Team Penske entries.
Although Newgarden's Indy-winning team-mates Helio Castroneves, Simon Pagenaud and Will Power were down in 10th, 12th and 23rd respectively, Power, Castroneves and Newgarden had topped the average speeds over 30 laps, equivalent to one full stint.
Top rookie honours went to Alex Palou of Dale Coyne Racing with Team Goh in eighth place, one place ahead of Iowa polesitter Conor Daly, back with traditional pole-contending outfit Ed Carpenter Racing after his strong showing with the Carlin team last time out.
PLUS: How a single-car team is turning the tide in IndyCar
One-time Indy 500 winner Tony Kanaan took a run in Foyt team-mate Dalton Kellett's car to reassure the Canadian rookie that all was well with his machine, and Kellett duly completed his Rookie Orientation Practice, which he hadn't quite done in the early afternoon session.
The third Foyt entry driven by Charlie Kimball had a slightly alarming brush with the Turn 2 wall - curiously, on corner entry - but that was the closest anyone came to causing a yellow. The other caution periods were for track inspections.
After the end of practice, the DragonSpeed car of Ben Hanley, who hadn't turned a lap throughout the day, was allowed out alone on track for a shakedown and to run his Refresher course.
Weather allowing, action resumes tomorrow morning at 11am local (Eastern) time with six-and-a-half hours available to all 33 runners.
Results
| Pos | Driver | Team | Speed | Laps |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | James Hinchcliffe | Andretti Autosport | 224.526 | 80 |
| 2 | Marco Andretti | Andretti Autosport | 224.345 | 96 |
| 3 | Scott Dixon | Chip Ganassi Racing | 224.047 | 61 |
| 4 | Ryan Hunter-Reay | Andretti Autosport | 223.341 | 81 |
| 5 | Fernando Alonso | Arrow McLaren SP | 223.238 | 29 |
| 6 | Josef Newgarden | Team Penske | 223.188 | 82 |
| 7 | Jack Harvey | Meyer Shank Racing | 223.178 | 107 |
| 8 | Alex Palou | Dale Coyne Racing | 223.128 | 60 |
| 9 | Conor Daly | Ed Carpenter Racing | 223.020 | 80 |
| 10 | Helio Castroneves | Team Penske | 222.929 | 62 |
| 11 | Tony Kanaan | A.J. Foyt Enterprises | 222.873 | 58 |
| 12 | Simon Pagenaud | Team Penske | 222.849 | 112 |
| 13 | Takuma Sato | Rahal Letterman Lanigan | 222.551 | 84 |
| 14 | Felix Rosenqvist | Chip Ganassi Racing | 222.541 | 89 |
| 15 | Charlie Kimball | A.J. Foyt Enterprises | 222.438 | 102 |
| 16 | Rinus Van Kalmthout | Ed Carpenter Racing | 222.061 | 76 |
| 17 | Sage Karam | Dreyer & Reinbold Racing | 222.031 | 46 |
| 18 | Alexander Rossi | Andretti Autosport | 221.952 | 77 |
| 19 | Santino Ferrucci | Dale Coyne Racing with Vasser Sullivan | 221.905 | 87 |
| 20 | Ed Carpenter | Ed Carpenter Racing | 221.813 | 102 |
| 21 | James Davison | Dale Coyne Racing | 221.709 | 36 |
| 22 | Colton Herta | Andretti Harding | 221.699 | 91 |
| 23 | Will Power | Team Penske | 221.634 | 124 |
| 24 | Marcus Ericsson | Chip Ganassi Racing | 221.588 | 129 |
| 25 | Graham Rahal | Rahal Letterman Lanigan | 221.498 | 111 |
| 26 | Spencer Pigot | Citrone Buhl Autosport with RLL | 221.492 | 81 |
| 27 | Zach Veach | Andretti Autosport | 221.359 | 98 |
| 28 | Patricio O'Ward | Arrow McLaren SP | 221.341 | 55 |
| 29 | Max Chilton | Carlin | 221.147 | 36 |
| 30 | Dalton Kellett | A.J. Foyt Enterprises | 220.825 | 26 |
| 31 | Oliver Askew | Arrow McLaren SP | 220.130 | 51 |
| 32 | J.R. Hildebrand | Dreyer & Reinbold Racing | 219.859 | 29 |
| 33 | Tony Kanaan | A.J. Foyt Enterprises | 218.306 | 6 |
| 34 | Ben Hanley | DragonSpeed | 0.000 | 0 |
Previous article
Alonso: Indy 500 will be "impossible" during F1 return with Renault
Next article
Why 2020 offers a second-generation racer his best Indy 500 shot
Indy500: Starting grid
IndyCar: Colton Herta takes victory at St. Pete
Barber IndyCar: Lap 1 Crash
Barber IndyCar: Palou wins at Birmingham
The lasting legacy of a fallen Indycar rookie
Jeff Krosnoff was plucked out of obscurity to become a respected and highly popular professional in Japan, and then got his big break in Indycar for 1996. But a tragic accident at Toronto 25 years ago cut short a promising career and curtailed his regular team-mate Mauro Martini's passion for racing
The two key areas where Dixon needs to re-assert his authority
OPINION: Having been Chip Ganassi Racing's IndyCar focal point for the best part of a decade, Scott Dixon has been so far outgunned by new team-mate Alex Palou in 2021. After finishing behind the Spaniard at his traditional happy hunting ground at Mid-Ohio, Dixon has work to do to assume his traditional position in the team and the standings
The winners and losers of IndyCar 2021 so far
At the halfway point in the 2021 IndyCar Series season, we've had seven winners in eight races, spread between five teams – none of them Team Penske. In this unusual season, even by IndyCar standards, who’s excelling and who’s dragging their heels?
Castroneves: How I kept it under control to make Indy 500 history
Helio Castroneves’ overwhelming vivaciousness outside the cockpit belies a hardcore racer who knows how to plot his moves – and then recall it all. A day after his fourth Indy 500 win, he explained his tactics
How 'chess master' Castroneves cemented his Indy legend status
Helio Castroneves joined AJ Foyt, Al Unser and Rick Mears with the most Indianapolis 500 wins after edging past Alex Palou on the penultimate lap of a thrilling race that validated Michael Shank's faith in the veteran Brazilian - who is discovering that there is life after Penske after all
Indy 500 preview: Will experience or youth be victorious at the Brickyard?
A quarter of the drivers racing in the 105th edition of the Indianapolis 500 are former winners - but are they the favourites? The veteran drivers largely impressed in qualifying - but there's also a plethora of young guns looking to secure victory at IndyCar's flagship race...
What will it take to get American drivers in Formula 1?
The FIA says it wants American drivers in Formula 1, but would it take an IndyCar driver to transfer or does an American need to join the European junior ladder system to get there?
Why IndyCar is satisfying Grosjean’s appetite for his second life
After spending the majority of his 179-race Formula 1 career in middling to tail-end machinery, Romain Grosjean finds himself once again with an underdog team in IndyCar. While not without its challenges, he's relishing the more level playing field that means his Dale Coyne Racing crew can expect to claim a few scalps...
