Java House Grand Prix of Monterey: Opening Practice Report
WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca hosted the opening practice session for the Java House Grand Prix of Monterey under sunny conditions, where 27 drivers took to the track for 80 minutes of exciting action.
Top Performers
Arrow McLaren’s Pato O’Ward secured the fastest lap with a time of 1m09.207s in the No. 5 Chevrolet during a qualifying simulation run. His closest competitor was Colton Herta of Andretti Global, clocking in at 1m09.317s. The session’s top five was rounded out by Marcus Armstrong (Meyer Shank Racing, 1m09.368s), Alex Palou (Chip Ganassi Racing, 1m09.368s), Callum Ilott (PREMA Racing, 1m09.674s), and Christian Rasmussen (Ed Carpenter Racing, 1m09.674s).
"We rolled off really strong," O’Ward stated. "I’m definitely happy with where we’re at in terms of speed."
Incident Reports
The session was marred by incidents, notably involving Devlin DeFrancesco, whose crash on Turn 4 curtailed his practice and ended with significant damage to his vehicle. Alexander Rossi also sustained damage after hitting the wall and was unable to continue. Scott Dixon, Josef Newgarden, Jacob Abel, and Rinus VeeKay experienced spins, with Newgarden’s ending in a gravel trap, necessitating a tow.
Despite their struggles, Dixon and his teammates McLaughlin and Power finished 24th, 16th, and 17th respectively, while Newgarden found himself in 26th.
Session Breakdown
The 40-minute session began at 2 p.m. PT. Initially, Christian Lundgaard led with a time of 1m11.307s. After 15 minutes, Christian Rasmussen climbed to the top with a 1m10.746s lap, but Palou, the defending winner at Laguna Seca, took the session lead with a time of 1m10.170s at the 20-minute mark.
A red flag was issued due to DeFrancesco’s incident, and following its resolution, minor spins by Dixon and Abel occurred, with Rossi sustaining another significant crash.
Conclusion of the Session
At the end of practice, the session concluded with O’Ward, Herta, Rosenqvist, Rasmussen, Malukas, and Armstrong leading their respective groups. The upcoming practice session is scheduled for 8:30 a.m. PT.
UP NEXT: Practice Two, 8:30 a.m. PT
