Scott Dixon leads delayed opening day of 2025 Indy 500 open test

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Scott Dixon emerged on top of the leaderboard on Day 1 of the 2025 Indy 500 Open Test, despite a delayed start to the sessions.

Thirty-four drivers took to the iconic Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Wednesday for the first of two scheduled open test days ahead of next month’s Indy 500. Eager to fine-tune their machines and gather data, teams were met with early frustration as technical difficulties disrupted the start of the session.

Internet and communications problems at the circuit raised safety concerns and forced a delay of over two and a half hours, in the morning. To compensate, organisers extended the schedule by an additional hour at the end of the day, allowing teams to recover some valuable track time.

Dixon tops the timesheets

Once action finally began, it was six-time IndyCar champion Scott Dixon who emerged quickest. “The Iceman” set the benchmark with a lap time of 39.9677 seconds, averaging a speed of 225.182 mph (362.418 km/h).

Not far behind was two-time defending Indy 500 winner Josef Newgarden, clocking in at 225.125 mph (362.327 km/h), reinforcing his potential to challenge for a third consecutive win. Takuma Sato, having completed his mandatory Refresher Programme, followed in third. Marcus Armstrong and Colton Herta rounded out the top five.

Strong outing for Honda and midfield teams

Honda engines dominated the day, powering nine of the top ten fastest laps—a strong early showing, though there’s speculation that Chevrolet may be holding back some of its performance for now. Teams like Andretti Global and Meyer Shank Racing impressed as well, with each placing three cars inside the top 10, hinting at a competitive base heading into May.

A total of 2,805 laps were completed across the day, with Ferrari junior and Indy 500 rookie Robert Shwartzman accounting for 133 of those on his own—a notable effort as he continues to get acclimated to oval racing.

Mechanical gremlins briefly sidelined a few drivers. Jack Harvey brought out an early stoppage just 10 minutes into the session due to a hybrid system issue. Though resolved swiftly, he managed only 15 laps and ended the day 31st overall.

Santino Ferrucci experienced a sudden power loss and required a full engine change, limiting his running to a few late-day shakedown laps. Kyle Larson, making his Indy 500 debut with Arrow McLaren and Hendrick Motorsports, also faced a brief technical issue, but his crew quickly resolved it with minimal delay.

The day remained largely incident-free, with the only scare coming from Graham Rahal, who brushed the wall late in the session. He controlled the car well and returned to the pits with only suspension damage.

Qualifying boost runs up next at the Indy 500 IMS Open Test day

Drivers will return to the 2.5-mile (4.023 km) oval on Thursday for the final day of testing. The stint will feature running with increased boost levels, simulating the power levels permitted during qualifying.