IndyCar Series Practice Report: Marcus Ericsson Sets Early Pace at Barber Motorsports Park
BIRMINGHAM, AL – March 30, 2023 — Marcus Ericsson of Andretti Global led the opening practice session for the IndyCar Series at Barber Motorsports Park, clocking a fast lap of 1:07.7470 in his No. 28 Honda.
The session introduced a revised schedule, compressing the full-field practice from 45 to 40 minutes. This change allowed for an extended two-minute segment at the end of each split group, providing drivers more time for qualifying simulations on Firestone’s red-banded alternate tires.
Ericsson set the top time early, opting not to wait for the split session, and he maintained his lead throughout the practice.
Notably, Dale Coyne Racing’s Rinus VeeKay experienced significant delays due to a brake issue, while Arrow McLaren’s Christian Lundgaard encountered an oil leak that sidelined him for a considerable part of the session. Ganassi’s Kyffin Simpson was also kept in the pits for 10 minutes due to a telemetry issue related to his car’s fire extinguisher.
As the session progressed into split groups, Andretti’s Colton Herta led the first group with a lap time of 1:07.7728, while Chip Ganassi Racing’s Alex Palou topped the second group with a time of 1:07.7602. Team Penske’s Will Power (1:07.7869) and Ed Carpenter Racing’s Alexander Rossi (1:07.8098) followed, with Penske’s Josef Newgarden rounding out the top six at 1:07.8667. The top six were separated by just 0.1197 seconds, underscoring the competitiveness of the field.
Despite a few minor incidents, the session overall remained clean.
Next Up: Practice 2 is set for 11:30 AM ET.
Results Summary:
- Marcus Ericsson (Andretti Global) – 1:07.7470
- Colton Herta (Andretti Autosport) – 1:07.7728
- Alex Palou (Chip Ganassi Racing) – 1:07.7602
- Will Power (Team Penske) – 1:07.7869
- Alexander Rossi (Ed Carpenter Racing) – 1:07.8098
- Josef Newgarden (Team Penske) – 1:07.8667
