IndyCar braces for the 2026 season finale, as the grid will have their first taste of the Laguna Seca racing weekend with Practice 1. Last time out, Arrow McLaren’s Pato O’Ward, had secured two very impressive wins at both races held at the Milwaukee oval track, in spite of the rain stoppages and delays.
Race 1 of the Mile, ultimately finished on Sunday, also awarded Alex Palou his fifth IndyCar championship, definitely inducing the Spaniard into the Hall of Fame of the series, as he becomes the third most successful driver of the history of the sport.
IndyCar Practice 1 goes green at Laguna Seca
Nolan Siegel was among the first drivers on track for the forty minutes full grid session, running over the kerbs and going slightly astray. Juncos Hollinger Racing’s VeeKay set the first early benchmark in 1:13.343, eventually improving it to a 1:11.507.
Siegel and then Rossi improved the benchmark, with Penske’s Josef Newgarden spinning out on track and causing the first red flag of the racing weekend at Turn 6. Luckily, the American, who had suffered a severe injury after crashing out of the Indy 500 and who had also crashed out of Milwaukee Race 2, is able to immediately resume his session and restart his car no.2.
The top 5 at the moment of the crash included Siegel in P1, as well as Rossi, VeeKay, Simpson and Armstrong, with only 12 drivers out on track. Session restarted with 23 minutes left on the clock, with Dixon spinning out off track at the hairpin and into the runoff.
Session resumes with a new leader
After the restarting of the session, O’Ward went fastest in 1:11.084, whereas Rosenqvist set the first lap time in the 1:10s with 15 minutes left on the clock. Rosenqvist and O’Ward are joined in the top ten by Ericsson, Ferrucci, Siegel, Rossi, McLaughlin, Malukas and VeeKay.
Palou went fastest in 1:10.905, with the Spaniard definitely not going to give a break to the rest of the grid in spite of achieving another title. With ten minutes left on the clock, recently announced for Meyer Shank Racing Schumacher is the fastest rookie, in P12. The German will reunite with former fellow Ferrari Driver Academy and Prema colleague Marcus Armstrong.
The session came to an earlier end as AJ Foyt’s Santino Ferrucci spun out and hit the tyre wall at Turn 9. The American was wheeled away from the wall and able to drive his car no.14 back to the pits on his own, albeit with damage.
Palou thus ended the group session on top, with future and former teammates Rosenqvist and O’Ward completing the provisional top 3, and Ericsson and Ferrucci rounding out the top 5.
Group 1 takes the field again
The IndyCar grid will continue their acknowledgment of the track in two separate groups, driving 12-minute long sessions. Lundgaard set the early benchmark for the first set of drivers, lapping in 1:12.432, with Siegel setting the first time in the 1:10s of the group.
Ganassi’s Simpson lowered the best session time to 1:10.376, as Siegel spins and ending into the off track dirt. However, the Ganassi man’s effort wasn’t rewarded for long. In fact, his teammate and championship winner Alex Palou set the first lap time in the 1:09s, going almost 0.5s faster than his teammate as he clocked a 1:09.899.
Runner up in Milwaukee Race 1, losing to Pato O’Ward only in the final stages, Penske’s David Malukas is sitting in P4. The positions didn’t change in the final 2 minutes of the season, with the Ganassi men stepping out of their challengers.
Group 2 is ready to rumble
Andretti’s Kyle Kirkwood led the pack for Group 2 of IndyCar Practice 1 at Laguna Seca. O’Ward had the best early attempt in 1:10.176, leading from Ericsson in 1:10.461 and Newgarden. The following laps are not as successful as the first one for any of the drivers currently out on track, as some opt for a quick pit and setup change.
With 4:31 minutes on the clock, RLL’s Foster ran up to provisional P3 in 1:10.780, whereas McLaughlin, O’Ward and then finally Rosenqvist bolted to the top, with the first two lapping in the 1:10.319 and 1:10.176. On the other hand, the Swede winner of the Indy 500 was the first person within the group to dive into the 1:09s on a 1:09.990.
Combined lap times see Palou leading from Rosenqvist. They were the only drivers in the 1:09s. Pato O’Ward was P3 on a 1:10.1
