After Will Power topped a disrupted opening practice on Friday, the NTT INDYCAR SERIES returned to the streets of Long Beach for Practice 2. With red flags limiting the flow of Practice 1, Saturday morning’s session offered teams another opportunity to build rhythm and refine their setups ahead of qualifying.
Green flag waves at Long Beach for Practice 2
Green flag waves at 10:35 a.m. local time, with David Malukas setting the first benchmark at 1:15.555. Graham Rahal then pips him with a 1:13.157. Sting Ray Robb was the first driver to break into the 1:10s, while Kyle Kirkwood quickly lowered the target further as the first into the 1:09s.
With 35 minutes on the clock, Alexander Rossi moves to the top of the order with a 1:08.674. Moments later, Malukas lowers the benchmark further with a 1:08.296. The field continues to tighten with 16 of the 25 drivers already in the 1:08s.
At 28 minutes left, Pato O’Ward jumps to the top with a 1:08.051, as the pace continues to build and only the bottom seven drivers remain in the 1:09s.
With 20 minutes remaining, O’Ward, Scott Dixon, Alex Palou, Malukas and Josef Newgarden make up the top five, all covered by just three tenths of a second. Caio Collet jumps up to 16th with a 1:08.770, marking a strong start for the rookie. Meanwhile, his A.J. Foyt Racing teammate Santino Ferrucci is sitting 25th after running into issues early in the session.
After losing important track time in Practice 1, Mick Schumacher is recovering well in Practice 2, with a 1:09.117 putting him 21st on the timing screens.
After a clean first half of the session, Nolan Siegel and Will Power have a wheel-touching moment while battling for track position, with Power shouldering his way past the California native. Another touch between Robb and Scott McLaughlin ruins both their laps, with McLaughlin in 16th and Robb in 25th.
As times across the field continue to improve, Palou sets consistent laps on his old tires. However, O’Ward’s fastest time remains at the top of the order. The rest of the field begins swapping tires, gathering more data for the weekend as teams continue to work through their Practice 2 programs.
On new hard tires, Kyle Kirkwood sets the fastest lap of the day so far with a 1:07.794. Kyffin Simpson jumps up to third, posting the best middle sector of the day. His Chip Ganassi teammates Scott Dixon and Alex Palou sit fifth and sixth, respectively.
The battle at the top continues with two minutes to go, as O’Ward jumps back to first with a lap just three thousandths quicker than Kirkwood. Felix Rosenqvist jumps up to third as Rahal jumps to fifth. Nolan Siegel jumps up to 9th.
Green flag for Group 1
In the first split session, Nolan Siegel sets the opening benchmark in the 1:09s before his Arrow McLaren teammate Christian Lundgaard moves ahead with a 1:08.152.
Malukas continues his strong Practice 2 showing with a 1:07.775, the second-fastest time of the day as the pace drops again. Marcus Armstrong then slots into second with a 1:07.881, producing the fastest final sector of the day in the process. The order continues to shuffle as Palou improves to a 1:07.833, moving into second.
The first red flag of the day comes out after Nolan Siegel brushes the wall in turn 8, damaging his front suspension and leaving him unable to return to the pits. When the session resumes, drivers will receive one warm-up lap and one push lap.
Eight cars take the extra lap, with Dixon and Rossi having close calls with the wall and no big improvements. Malukas ends the session with his 1:07.775 as the fastest time.
Group 2 heads out on track
Will Power leads group two out for their split practice. Mick Schumacher brings out the second red flag of the day after hitting the wall just after the fountain.
After the session resumes, Felix Rosenqvist starts the session in first with a 1:09.788. O’Ward has a brush with the wall before jumping to first with a 1:08.750.
The third red flag is flown after Romain Grosjean oversteers into turn 1. Because the clock doesn’t stop for this red flag, the chequered flag is flown and Marcus Ericsson ends the session in top spot with a 1:08.373.
Kyle Kirkwood’s 1:07.542 from the all-car portion of Practice 2 remains the fastest time of the session, with Malukas ending Group 1 on top after a strong 1:07.775.
