Rossi tops second day of Sebring IndyCar test and shakes down WTR Acura
Alexander Rossi finished on top after a second day of IndyCar testing on Sebring's short course, while he also got behind the wheel of a prototype Acura machine

The 2016 Indy 500 winner lapped the 1.7-mile track in 52.272s and completed 105 laps, finishing Tuesday's running 0.106 seconds faster than Andretti Autosport team-mate Colton Herta, who was third in last year's IndyCar championship.
Jack Harvey of Meyer Shank Racing, which has a technical partnership with Michael Andretti's squad, was third, ahead of 2012 champion Ryan Hunter-Reay.
For both Andretti and Meyer Shank, this was the first test of the season, and Rossi's fastest effort was half a tenth quicker than Scott Dixon's session-leading time from Monday.
But Rossi cautioned against reading too much into the times after two days' worth of testing at the venue.
"I know we come here as the one track that can kind of represent a street course in testing but, honestly, after two days of cars running here, there's so much grip that it's pretty much a road course," he told Autosport.
"That said, we did focus a lot on St. Pete packages for when we actually race there [the St. Petersburg round has been shifted from mid-March to mid-April in light of the pandemic constraints].
"We went through four different cars and were able to tune them all to produce a similar lap time, which addresses one of our big weaknesses in previous years - not being able to roll off the truck with a good balance all the time.
"I think toward the end of last year we had found our stride in terms of performance, so it's good to see that carry over and to be able to match Scott [Dixon] from the morning and afternoon of testing the day before."
The Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing-Honda squad also hit the track for the first time on Tuesday, and Graham Rahal turned a remarkable 160 laps on his way to fifth fastest.

He was 0.45s off the ultimate pace, but a couple of tenths faster than team-mate Takuma Sato.
In between the two RLLR cars were two drivers who took part in Tuesday's session - Max Chilton of Carlin and AJ Foyt Racing's Dalton Kellett, both of whom knocked a tenth of a second from their previous best efforts.
Marco Andretti, who last week announced he's switching to part-time IndyCar racing in 2021, was ninth and last.
He has vowed to continue testing for Andretti Autosport as and when needed, but so far the only race he's confirmed to enter in 2021 is the 105th running of the Indianapolis 500.
Andretti's IndyCar machinery was not the only car Rossi tested at Sebring, however, as he also helped complete a shakedown for Wayne Taylor Racing ahead of this weekend's Roar Before The 24, which this year includes a 100-minute race that sets the grid for the Daytona 24 Hours.
Wayne Taylor Racing, which has won three of the last four editions of the race, has this year switched from the Cadillac DPi-V.R to Acura's ARX-05, which won the last two IMSA SportsCar Championships while run by Team Penske.
WTR's single-car entry will be raced full-time by Ricky Taylor and Filipe Albuquerque this year, with Rossi - who was part of Penske's Acura roster (below) for the past two seasons - joining them for the four Michelin Endurance Cup rounds, and Helio Castroneves as fourth man for Daytona.
Rossi said: "I probably only did 15-20 laps in the Acura, because it was more of a shakedown for us, the first time that Wayne Taylor Racing has run the Acura.
"It was in full Daytona spec [set up for high straightline speeds], so it was more a chance for the team to get used to the systems on the car, to make sure that all the drivers fit and, at the same time, do very generic benchmark stuff. But it was useful, so overall a good day in both cars."


De Silvestro to drive in Indy 500 with female-operated Paretta team
The enigmatic legacy of a misunderstood Indy stalwart

Latest news
Mercedes drivers react to wild Bathurst 12 Hours clash
There was understanding between drivers, but frustrations levelled at race officials, following the all-Mercedes clash that decided the outcome of the Bathurst 12 Hour.
The pioneering F1 car that preceded Lotus’s terminal decline
In the hands of Ayrton Senna the actively suspended 99T would be the last F1 race-winning Lotus but, as STUART CODLING reveals, it was a complicated machine that caused more problems than it solved
Horner: Red Bull faces "significant handicap" with F1 aero testing restrictions
Red Bull faces a “significant handicap” for 2023 due to the aerodynamic testing restrictions imposed after winning the Formula 1 world championship and exceeding the cost cap, says team boss Christian Horner.
Bathurst 12 Hour: SunEnergy1 Mercedes wins after dramatic late crash
The SunEnergy1 Racing Mercedes defended its Bathurst 12 Hour crown despite Jules Gounon being spun by fellow Mercedes driver Maro Engel inside the last hour.
Nigel Mansell’s greatest F1 and Indycar drives
It’s 30 years since Mansell won the Formula 1 world title and then headed off to do battle in America. Here are his best races – and the Briton’s memories of them
How Ericsson achieved Indy immortality as Ganassi's main man stumbled
Chip Ganassi Racing team was strong again in the Indianapolis 500, with poleman Scott Dixon and reigning champion Alex Palou leading almost three quarters of the race between them. But when dominator Dixon was penalised for pitlane speeding, ex-Formula 1 driver Marcus Ericsson stepped up to score the biggest win of his career and seize the IndyCar points lead
Ranking the top 10 IndyCar drivers of 2021
In an enthralling 2021 IndyCar campaign, the series bounced back from its COVID-19 truncated year prior and Alex Palou defeated both the established order and his fellow young guns to clinch a maiden title. It capped a remarkable season with plenty of standout performers
How F1's other IndyCar exile finally unlocked his potential
Romain Grosjean's swashbuckling rookie year in IndyCar captured the imagination of many in 2021. But another ex-Formula 1 driver whose potential was masked by five years of toil in, at best, middling machinery also enjoyed a breakout year in 2021 - winning twice and finishing sixth in points. Here's how Marcus Ericsson finally delivered on his promise
How Ganassi's relentless new champion outfoxed IndyCar's best
IndyCar sophomore Alex Palou stunned by overcoming team-mate Scott Dixon and the rest of a white-hot field in 2021. He was consistently fast and crucially showed a level head, rebounding well from setbacks to put himself in a near unassailable position entering the final round
Have Harvey and RLL formed IndyCar’s next winning match-up?
Despite appearing to have an IndyCar job for life with Meyer Shank Racing, Jack Harvey’s departure and move to Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing sparked plenty of debate. However, Harvey's and RLL's combined strengths could prove to be a winning combination - if they get the balance right
Remembering Dan Wheldon and his last and most amazing IndyCar win
Saturday 16 October marks the 10th anniversary of Dan Wheldon’s death. David Malsher-Lopez pays tribute, then asks Wheldon’s race engineer from 2011, Todd Malloy, to recall that magical second victory at the Indianapolis 500
Why Kyle Kirkwood is America's new IndyCar ace-in-waiting
Kyle Kirkwood, the record-setting junior formula driver, sealed the Indy Lights championship last weekend. But despite an absurdly strong junior career and scholarship money, his next move is far from clear
Subscribe and access Autosport.com with your ad-blocker.
From Formula 1 to MotoGP we report straight from the paddock because we love our sport, just like you. In order to keep delivering our expert journalism, our website uses advertising. Still, we want to give you the opportunity to enjoy an ad-free and tracker-free website and to continue using your adblocker.
You have 2 options:
- Become a subscriber.
- Disable your adblocker.