Pocono IndyCar: Marco Andretti fastest in first practice
Marco Andretti kicked off IndyCar's return to Pocono by setting the fastest time in opening practice
Andretti set the pace with a 221.883mph average on just his third lap, and the time stood for the remainder of the hour-long session.
Tony Kanaan came closest to matching the Andretti Autosport driver, but his 220.819mph effort for KV was still a mile per hour down on Andretti's time.
Ganassi's Charlie Kimball was best of the Hondas in third, with Simon Pagenaud vaulting up to fourth-fastest with his final flying lap.
Current points leader Helio Castroneves rounded out the top five.
A mostly uneventful session was interrupted just once when Will Power's car stopped at Turn 2 with a suspected electrical problem.
Only 23 cars ran as Panther's Ryan Briscoe is skipping practice and qualifying day due to his American Le Mans Series commitments at Lime Rock.
With the teams having spent a full day testing at the track on Thursday, the morning session marked the final opportunity to fine-tune cars before qualifying takes place later on Saturday.
Pos Driver Team/Engine Time Gap 1. Marco Andretti Andretti/Chevy 40.5620s 2. Tony Kanaan KV/Chevy 40.7573s +0.1953s 3. Charlie Kimball Ganassi/Honda 40.7825s +0.2205s 4. Simon Pagenaud Schmidt/Honda 40.8671s +0.3051s 5. Helio Castroneves Penske/Chevy 40.8685s +0.3065s 6. Scott Dixon Ganassi/Honda 40.8688s +0.3068s 7. Takuma Sato Foyt/Honda 40.8832s +0.3212s 8. Will Power Penske/Chevy 40.9543s +0.3923s 9. James Hinchcliffe Andretti/Chevy 40.9551s +0.3931s 10. Alex Tagliani Herta/Honda 40.9600s +0.3980s 11. Ryan Hunter-Reay Andretti/Chevy 40.9794s +0.4174s 12. Tristan Vautier Schmidt/Honda 40.9906s +0.4286s 13. EJ Viso Andretti/Chevy 41.0031s +0.4411s 14. Simona de Silvestro KV/Chevy 41.0787s +0.5167s 15. Josef Newgarden Fisher/Honda 41.0870s +0.5250s 16. Dario Franchitti Ganassi/Honda 41.1757s +0.6137s 17. Sebastien Bourdais Dragon/Chevy 41.2025s +0.6405s 18. Pippa Mann Coyne/Honda 41.2425s +0.6805s 19. Ed Carpenter Carpenter/Chevy 41.2841s +0.7221s 20. Sebastian Saavedra Dragon/Chevy 41.3188s +0.7568s 21. Justin Wilson Coyne/Honda 41.3470s +0.7850s 22. James Jakes Rahal/Honda 41.4317s +0.8697s 23. Graham Rahal Rahal/Honda 41.4646s +0.9026s All drivers use Dallara DW12 chassis
Previous article
Pocono IndyCar: Marco Andretti leads pre-race test day
Next article
Pocono IndyCar: Marco Andretti takes pole ahead of team-mates
About this article
| Series | IndyCar |
| Drivers | Marco Andretti |
| Author | Mark Glendenning |
The Indycar season that proves Michael Andretti is better than F1 showed
Often unfairly characterised as a car-breaker, judged for his lack of an Indianapolis 500 win and a disappointing part-season of Formula 1 in 1993, Michael Andretti was highly respected by his rivals and only thwarted greater success by ill-fortune. When it all came together in 1991, he was a truly formidable force
How McLaren is striving towards IndyCar's elite
The second year of McLaren's full-time IndyCar return is looming, with Patricio O'Ward and Felix Rosenqvist leading its line-up. Strong team personnel and work behind the scenes means that 2021 could be the year it joins the established elite
The enigmatic legacy of a misunderstood Indy stalwart
Flashes of brilliance amid spells of obscurity have been too common for Marco Andretti. While the third-generation racer has opted to bring his full-time IndyCar career to a close, his peaks and troughs have never been for want of trying
Why American racing's top dog is without equal
A byword for success in business and in motorsport for over 50 years, Roger Penske's importance to the US scene cannot be understated. In an exclusive interview, the custodian of the IndyCar Series and Indianapolis Motor Speedway reflects on his journey
The McLaren that rendered its Indy rivals obsolete
When founder Bruce McLaren died in June 1970, his team could have folded. Instead, his loyal band rallied to produce a string of winners - including an Indycar game-changer that won its third Indianapolis 500 five years after its debut
Why Newgarden's best IndyCar season yet wasn't enough
Josef Newgarden feels he didn't put a foot wrong in 2020, yet his finest season-long run of performances failed to yield a third series championship. But in a warning shot to Scott Dixon, Team Penske's team leader has vowed to redouble his efforts in 2021
How Dixon held on in IndyCar's most unpredictable season
Three wins on the trot gave the Chip Ganassi Racing superstar the cushion he needed to hang on for a sixth title in the face of Josef Newgarden's late challenge. Here's the rundown of a typically frantic IndyCar campaign in an extraordinary year
The balancing act required for improving racing at Indy
Calls for an improvement in the racing spectacle at the Indianapolis 500 have been met with small aerodynamic tweaks from IndyCar on superspeedways. But where such high speeds are involved, even minor adjustments require significant planning
