Palou pounded 70 laps across the circuit’s shorter 1.67-mile structure within the No. 10 Chip Ganassi Racing Honda, setting the quickest general tempo within the afternoon session at a 52.0883s (115.419 mph).
“These days, we do not get as many exams as we wish,” Palou stated.
“We’d all the time need to have loads of take a look at days, however actually, it is tremendous essential after we are just one week and a half out of St. Pete.
“We need to undergo loads of the engineering listing that we have been fascinated with all offseason. We can’t have sufficient time. But it surely’s a option to get the remainder of the drivers, simply all of the crew, all of the staff collectively and try to get some concepts in individual.”
Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing’s Christian Lundgaard ended the day second at 0.019s behind, straight forward of Crew Penske’s Josef Newgarden, who was 0.041s off the highest mark.
Colton Herta (Andretti International) and Alexander Rossi (Arrow McLaren), who logged probably the most laps whole between the morning and afternoon periods with 89, rounded out the remainder of the rest of the highest 5.
“It was a superb day,” Rossi stated. “It is humorous; we have been lucky sufficient to do loads of hybrid testing, however that is actually solely the second day with this package deal, so it was good to get an understanding of the place it’ll be for St. Pete.
“We completed every thing that we needed to at this time, and we really feel assured with the place we’re. I am excited to get to St. Pete and get to work.”
Pato O’Ward put his No. 5 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet in sixth, with six-time IndyCar Collection champion Scott Dixon in seventh for Chip Ganassi Racing.
Andretti International’s Kyle Kirkwood led the morning session however was relegated to eighth general with the outright tempo of the afternoon, a session that noticed every of the 15 individuals set their respective quickest occasions of the day. Scott McLaughlin’s No. 3 Crew Penske Chevrolet slotted ninth on the charts, forward of Ed Carpenter Racing’s Rinus VeeKay in tenth (0.467s off Palou’s time).
Pietro Fittipaldi (Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing) completed the day eleventh, with Meyer Shank Racing’s Tom Blomqvist scoring twelfth and Juncos Hollinger Racing’s Agustin Canapino in thirteenth.
Sting Ray Robb, who joined AJ Foyt Racing over the offseason after spending his rookie marketing campaign in 2023 with Dale Coyne Racing, completed up 14th. Jack Harvey was held out of the morning’s operating by Dale Coyne Racing, however nonetheless managed to place down 63 laps within the afternoon with a better of 53.0766s.
Tuesday will largely characteristic a special group of drivers operating, with the exception being O’Ward, who’s subbing for the injured David Malukas.
