Sato lapped the 2.5-mile Indianapolis Motor Speedway oval in 39.2261s, a speed of 229.439mph – faster than the quickest lap in regular boost-level practice last year.
The two-time Indy 500 winner led a Ganassi 1-2, ahead of team-mate Scott Dixon, AJ Foyt Racing’s Santino Ferrucci, Alex Palou (CGR), Scott McLaughlin (Penske) and Andretti Autosport’s Colton Herta.
Following Tuesday’s washout, today’s running was held in perfect weather conditions. That encouraged teams to run a qualifying setup earlier than usual in the week of practice, as they had extra tires from the rained-out day.
Soon after the green flag waved, Dixon got a double tow off Ganassi-Honda team-mates Marcus Ericsson (the defending race winner) and Palou to reel off a sequence of 228.914mph and 229.174mph inside the first 10 minutes of the six-hour session.
“More [speed] than I expected to be honest, to do a 228 then 229,” said Dixon. “It’s good to see it pulls up strong [in the tow].”
Scott Dixon, Chip Ganassi Racing Honda
Photo by: Michael L. Levitt / Motorsport Images
Palou set a lap of 226.411mph for P2 on his opening run: “The car is pretty fast so far, it’s a good start,” …