Mid-Ohio IndyCar: Rossi edges team-mate Sato in third practice
Andretti Autosport's Alexander Rossi edged team-mate Takuma Sato to take top spot in the third IndyCar practice at Mid-Ohio, as Mikhail Aleshin crashed and caused an early red flag
Rossi's time of 1m04.2303s came in the closing stages of the 45-minute session, where he traded the top spot with team-mate and reigning Indianapolis 500 champion Sato.
Aleshin lost control of his car with just two minutes to go, spinning out in the fast Esses section of the 2.258 mile circuit, hitting the tyre barrier with the rear of his car. The Russian, who had a strong race here last year, finished a lowly 15th.
Scott Dixon was third fastest in his Dallara-Honda, edging his Chip Ganassi Racing team-mate Tony Kanaan.
Team Penske's Josef Newgarden was the only Chevrolet to make the top five. He was ahead of his team-mate and defending race winner Simon Pagenaud, who finished in sixth.
Friday pace-setter Ryan Hunter-Reay finished seventh to make it three Andretti Autosport drivers in the top 10.
James Hinchcliffe, Aleshin's Schmidt Peterson Motorsports team-mate, finished eighth fastest.
2015 winner Graham Rahal was ninth, while Helio Castroneves rounded out the top 10.
Will Power had a tough session. He ran out of fuel early in the session, which brought out a red flag, and would eventually finish in a lowly 19th place out of the 21 runners.
PRACTICE THREE RESULT:
| Pos | Driver | Team | Car | Time | Gap | Laps |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Alexander Rossi | Andretti Herta | Dallara/Honda | 1m04.2303s | - | 20 |
| 2 | Takuma Sato | Andretti Autosport | Dallara/Honda | 1m04.3272s | 0.0969s | 19 |
| 3 | Scott Dixon | Chip Ganassi Racing | Dallara/Honda | 1m04.4696s | 0.2393s | 19 |
| 4 | Tony Kanaan | Chip Ganassi Racing | Dallara/Honda | 1m04.5067s | 0.2764s | 19 |
| 5 | Josef Newgarden | Team Penske | Dallara/Chevrolet | 1m04.5579s | 0.3276s | 13 |
| 6 | Simon Pagenaud | Team Penske | Dallara/Chevrolet | 1m04.6171s | 0.3868s | 18 |
| 7 | Ryan Hunter-Reay | Andretti Autosport | Dallara/Honda | 1m04.6193s | 0.3890s | 15 |
| 8 | James Hinchcliffe | Schmidt Peterson Motorsports | Dallara/Honda | 1m04.6247s | 0.3944s | 15 |
| 9 | Graham Rahal | Rahal Letterman Lanigan | Dallara/Honda | 1m04.6703s | 0.4400s | 20 |
| 10 | Helio Castroneves | Team Penske | Dallara/Chevrolet | 1m04.7137s | 0.4834s | 18 |
| 11 | Marco Andretti | Andretti Autosport | Dallara/Honda | 1m04.7883s | 0.5580s | 17 |
| 12 | Charlie Kimball | Chip Ganassi Racing | Dallara/Honda | 1m04.8202s | 0.5899s | 18 |
| 13 | Spencer Pigot | Ed Carpenter Racing | Dallara/Chevrolet | 1m04.8358s | 0.6055s | 20 |
| 14 | Ed Jones | Dale Coyne Racing | Dallara/Honda | 1m04.8520s | 0.6217s | 18 |
| 15 | Mikhail Aleshin | Schmidt Peterson Motorsports | Dallara/Honda | 1m04.9736s | 0.7433s | 16 |
| 16 | Esteban Gutierrez | Dale Coyne Racing | Dallara/Honda | 1m05.0265s | 0.7962s | 20 |
| 17 | Max Chilton | Chip Ganassi Racing | Dallara/Honda | 1m05.0460s | 0.8157s | 16 |
| 18 | Conor Daly | AJ Foyt Enterprises | Dallara/Chevrolet | 1m05.1167s | 0.8864s | 13 |
| 19 | Will Power | Team Penske | Dallara/Chevrolet | 1m05.1600s | 0.9297s | 18 |
| 20 | J.R. Hildebrand | Ed Carpenter Racing | Dallara/Chevrolet | 1m05.2571s | 1.0268s | 19 |
| 21 | Carlos Munoz | AJ Foyt Enterprises | Dallara/Chevrolet | 1m05.2703s | 1.0400s | 20 |
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