Indianapolis 500: Ganassi's Sage Karam leads Monday practice

Karam secured the top spot with an average speed of 225.802mph, putting himself just ahead of team-mates Scott Dixon and Tony Kanaan.

"It's not about how fast you are today, it's about how fast you are on Sunday in two weeks," said Karam, who finished ninth on his debut at Indy last year.

"It definitely feels good, though.

"It's the first time I've ever been P1 at the Speedway, so it's a good feeling.

"We have a lot of work to do. The car's not anywhere near where we want it to be for race day or qualifying.

"We are picking this new aero kit apart and we're figuring it out every time we go out."

Strong gusts of wind prompted left several teams content to spend the day watching from the sidelines - Penske's Juan Pablo Montoya, Will Power and Helio Castroneves only completed five laps between them, although Simon Pagenaud did 31.

But there was still enough time for a handful of drivers to tick off their refresher and Rookie Orientation Programmes, including newcomer Stefano Coletti.

"I have been waiting for three months to get on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway oval," said the Monegasque.

"I didn't get to do the first ROP because I was stuck in Europe because of my visa.

"I finally got to go out on track, and I am very happy. It's very fast."

Elsewhere, Trey Harkins, the fueler on James Jakes' Schmidt car, suffered a left thumb contusion when his was hit by debris when the starter broke.

He was treated and released from the IU Health Emergency Medical Centre.

MONDAY SPEEDS AND TIMES: