By John Sturbin, Raceday San Antonio
Led by Colton Herta, five Honda-powered drivers dominated the time sheet Friday during practice for the Ontario Honda Dealers Indy Toronto at Exhibition Place, the final NTT IndyCar Series street race of the season.
Herta, of Andretti Global w/Curb-Agajanian, recorded the session’s fastest lap at 1-minute, 1.0399- seconds/105.334 mph around the tight 1.786-mile/11-turn temporary circuit that proved especially problematic for fellow-Californian Alexander Rossi.
The final minutes of practice saw Rossi and rookie Linus Lundqvist of Sweden whack tire barriers, reducing the amount of time left for half of the field to complete a final timed lap. The front end of Rossi’s No. 7 Ryde Arrow McLaren Chevrolet clipped the tire barrier in Turn 8, following through into the wall at corner exit. Once stopped, Rossi removed his right glove and clutched his hand and wrist in pain.
Rossi was examined and released from the INDYCAR Medical Unit. But the incident resulted in a broken right thumb, knocking the 2016 Indianapolis 500 champion out of Sunday’s race.
“First of all, I’m very thankful for all the men and women on the NTT IndyCar Series medical team and for all the great work they do,” said Rossi, whose best lap of 1:02.2747/103.246 mph placed eighth overall. “I do have a broken right thumb. It’s unfortunate because the injury occurred when I almost made it around the corner, and I didn’t want to give up on it, so I didn’t quite get my hands off the wheel in time. However, everyone seems optimistic about the kind of injury it is.”
On Saturday morning Arrow McLaren management announced that Frenchman Théo Pourchaire would drive the No. 7 Chevrolet for the remainder of the weekend. Pourchaire, who wheeled the No. 6 Arrow McLaren entry earlier this season, is scheduled to arrive at the track from Europe prior to qualifying on Saturday afternoon, missing Practice 2.
Rossi has returned to Indianapolis to begin treatment. “We are just gutted for Alex and the entire No. 7 crew,” Team Principal Gavin Ward said. “We’ll do everything we can to support him, and that’s really what matters today.”
Saturday’s schedule began with Practice 2 at 10:30 a.m. (EDT); qualifying for the NTT P1 Award is booked for 2:45 p.m. Final practice is Sunday at 10 a.m., with all sessions carried live exclusively on Peacock and the INDYCAR Radio Network.
Herta finished third in last year’s Toronto race and was second in 2022. “Overall, the car was really nice,” said Herta, who has a pair of top-three finishes on street circuits this season in his No. 26 Gainbridge Honda and won pole for last month’s Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix. “(It) feels like the same car that we brought the last two years, which we’ve had podium results. And so hopefully that bodes well for us.” Herta logged 26 laps Friday.
Meyer Shank Racing’s Felix Rosenqvist of Sweden (No. 60 AutoNation/SiriusXM Honda) recorded Friday’s second-quickest time at 1:01.3323/104.832 mph and Chip Ganassi Racing’s Marcus Armstrong of New Zealand (No. 11 Ridgeline Lubricants CGR Honda) was third at 1:01.7791/104.074 mph.
Completing the top-five was Chip Ganassi Racing’s Scott Dixon (No. 9 PNC Bank CGR Honda) at 1:01.8717/103.928 mph and Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing’s Graham Rahal (No. 15 United Rentals Honda) at 1:02.0162/103.676 mph.
A.J. Foyt Racing’s Santino Ferrucci (No. 14 A.J. Foyt Racing/Sexton Properties Chevrolet) logged the day’s fastest lap by a Chevrolet-powered driver at 1:02.0519/103.616 mph.
“Yeah, it’s definitely a solid start,” said Ferrucci, a resident of Dallas. “Obviously want to keep that top-10 momentum going for us and the team. It’s very important. Really do love this place. I think I can do quite well here. I’ve had some really good street racing success this year. It’s good to roll out of the trailer and be somewhat competitive.”
Recent history suggests it will be important for drivers to perform well during qualifying. The past four Toronto race winners have started on the front row _ two from P1, two from the No. 2 position. This race is the last of four on street circuits in 2024. Dixon, the six-time series champion from New Zealand, has won the past two.
Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing’s Christian Lundgaard of Denmark (No. 45 Hy-Vee Honda) won last year’s Toronto race from pole, and led 54 of 85 laps. While his margin at the finish line was 11.7893-seconds _ third-largest of the season _ Alex Palou and Herta drove from their respective 15th and 14th starting positions to finish on the podium. Lundgaard’s best lap Friday ranked 12th on the chart.
Three-time Toronto race-winner and native Australian Will Power was involved in the first incident of Friday’s practice. The two-time series champion spun his No. 12 Verizon Business Team Penske Chevrolet without contact in Turn 9, then was able to use the series’ new hybrid until to restart the car and continue without requiring a caution flag. Power’s best lap of 1:02.5581/102.778 mph ranked 15th overall in the field of 27.
Agustin Canapino of Argentina spun his No. 77 Juncos Hollinger Racing Chevrolet harmlessly minutes later in Turn 8, and also kept the car running. Later, Rossi and Lundqvist hit the tire barrier in nearly the same fashion.
Series point-leader Palou of Spain (No. 10 DHL Chip Ganassi Racing Honda), who was seventh Friday, has a 35-point lead over Power in the standings as both drivers chase their third series championship.
Sunday’s race is one of six remaining on the schedule. Pato O’Ward (No. 5 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet) has climbed from sixth in points to third in recent weeks. O’Ward is 52 points behind Palou in pursuit of his first series title. O’Ward’s best lap Friday was good for 16th overall at 1:02.5634/102.769 mph.
“First off, I’m thinking about my teammate (Rossi) right now and am just gutted for him,” said O’Ward, a native of Mexico with family ties to San Antonio. “As for the No. 5 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet, it was a tough day. We had a hybrid water coolant issue that we’re still investigating, which meant that we didn’t get to run on the Firestone alternate tires. It was a tough session; not just for us, but others as well, so we’ll see what Saturday brings.”
This field includes Hunter McElrea, who finished second last season in the INDY NXT by Firestone standings. Driving the No. 18 Courtesy Corporation Honda, the 24-year-old New Zealander became the 44th driver to make their series debut with Dale Coyne Racing, including four this season. That group includes Toby Sowery, who is making his second series start this weekend in the team’s No. 51 Global Karting League/Vuzix Honda. The new DCR teammates finished 18th and 25th, respectively, in Friday’s practice.
