Will Power put Penske on top in the Friday afternoon practice session ahead of IndyCar’s Detroit double-header.
The 75-minute-long session is the only practice running before the field goes into qualifying for Saturday’s opening race.
Having struggled to even get onto the grid for the Indianapolis 500 last month, Power made a more encouraging start to the next stage of the IndyCar season with a 1m17.2768s lap right at the end of the Friday running.
That last-gasp effort denied Sebastien Bourdais and AJ Foyt Racing the top spot.
Pato O’Ward had been fastest for Arrow McLaren SP during the part of the session when most were using the harder Firestone tyres, and stayed near the top in third when the field largely switched to the softer red tyres.
REPLAY: @jimmiejohnson and @smclaughlin93 involved in separate incidents during practice. Scott has been checked and cleared.
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The session was disrupted early on when Penske rookie Scott McLaughlin – who had just gone fastest – slid into the barriers and did enough damage to end his day. Having completed just five laps of the unfamiliar track, McLaughlin goes into qualifying at a huge disadvantage.
Jimmie Johnson spun and stalled his Ganassi car at the same time as McLaughlin’s crash. But he was able to rejoin and get the full session under his belt, albeit lapping 5.5s off the pace.
REPLAY: @RGrosjean is exploring EVERY INCH of this track.
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— NTT INDYCAR SERIES (@IndyCar) June 11, 2021
Romain Grosjean also had a spin as he got to grips with the bumpy Belle Isle street track for the first time. He had a couple of spells at the top of the times early on before being pushed down the order, and ended up 1.3s slower than Power in 13th.
Championship leader Alex Palou was 15th, while his Ganassi team-mate and nearest points rival Scott Dixon was fourth ahead of Andretti Autosport duo Alexander Rossi and Colton Herta.
REPLAY: A little luck and a lot of skill. That was a close call for @rinusveekay.#INDYCAR // #DetroitGP // @detroitgp pic.twitter.com/LZq1aydC3q
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Rinus VeeKay, winner on the Indianapolis road course last month, got away with a huge slide right at the end of the session that sent him into a wild trip over the high kerbs and grass.
Practice 1 Results
| Pos | Name | Team | Car | Gap Next | Gap Leader | Best Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Will Power | Team Penske | Dallara DW12-Chevrolet | 1m17.276s | ||
| 2 | Sébastien Bourdais | A.J. Foyt Enterprises | Dallara DW12-Chevrolet | +0.153s | +0.153s | 1m17.429s |
| 3 | Patricio O'Ward | Arrow McLaren SP | Dallara DW12-Chevrolet | +0.085s | +0.238s | 1m17.514s |
| 4 | Scott Dixon | Chip Ganassi Racing | Dallara DW12-Honda | +0.103s | +0.341s | 1m17.617s |
| 5 | Alexander Rossi | Andretti Autosport | Dallara DW12-Honda | +0.041s | +0.382s | 1m17.658s |
| 6 | Colton Herta | Andretti Autosport | Dallara DW12-Honda | +0.154s | +0.536s | 1m17.812s |
| 7 | Marcus Ericsson | Chip Ganassi Racing | Dallara DW12-Honda | +0.16s | +0.696s | 1m17.972s |
| 8 | Josef Newgarden | Team Penske | Dallara DW12-Chevrolet | +0.06s | +0.756s | 1m18.032s |
| 9 | Rinus VeeKay | Ed Carpenter Racing | Dallara DW12-Chevrolet | +0.113s | +0.869s | 1m18.145s |
| 10 | Ryan Hunter-Reay | Andretti Autosport | Dallara DW12-Honda | +0.058s | +0.927s | 1m18.203s |
| 11 | James Hinchcliffe | Andretti Autosport | Dallara DW12-Honda | +0.293s | +1.22s | 1m18.496s |
| 12 | Takuma Sato | Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing | Dallara DW12-Honda | +0.021s | +1.241s | 1m18.517s |
| 13 | Romain Grosjean | Dale Coyne Racing with RWR | Dallara DW12-Honda | +0.068s | +1.309s | 1m18.585s |
| 14 | Felix Rosenqvist | Arrow McLaren SP | Dallara DW12-Chevrolet | +0.169s | +1.478s | 1m18.754s |
| 15 | Alex Palou | Chip Ganassi Racing | Dallara DW12-Honda | +0.045s | +1.523s | 1m18.799s |
| 16 | Graham Rahal | Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing | Dallara DW12-Honda | +0.02s | +1.543s | 1m18.819s |
| 17 | Conor Daly | Ed Carpenter Racing | Dallara DW12-Chevrolet | +0.054s | +1.597s | 1m18.873s |
| 18 | Max Chilton | Carlin | Dallara DW12-Chevrolet | +0.004s | +1.601s | 1m18.877s |
| 19 | Simon Pagenaud | Team Penske | Dallara DW12-Chevrolet | +0.016s | +1.617s | 1m18.893s |
| 20 | Ed Jones | Dale Coyne Racing with Vasser-Sullivan | Dallara DW12-Honda | +0.187s | +1.804s | 1m19.08s |
| 21 | Jack Harvey | Meyer Shank Racing | Dallara DW12-Honda | +0.233s | +2.037s | 1m19.313s |
| 22 | Santino Ferrucci | Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing | Dallara DW12-Honda | +0.027s | +2.064s | 1m19.34s |
| 23 | Dalton Kellett | A.J. Foyt Enterprises | Dallara DW12-Chevrolet | +1.467s | +3.531s | 1m20.807s |
| 24 | Scott McLaughlin | Team Penske | Dallara DW12-Chevrolet | +0.318s | +3.849s | 1m21.125s |
| 25 | Jimmie Johnson | Chip Ganassi Racing | Dallara DW12-Honda | +1.61s | +5.459s | 1m22.735s |
