After months of anticipation, we finally got to see IndyCars turning laps around the streets of Washington, DC, ahead of the Freedom 250 Grand Prix, and while it was a sight to behold, it may not have been ideal for teams to get a firm grasp on this brand-new circuit.
A rainy, misty morning meant that the entire circuit was wet at the start of the session, and that meant that the cars had to start off on wet tires.
However, after a brief delay to do some work on an issue with the marshals’ communication system, the sun came out, and parts of the track started to dry. Then it was time for cars to hit the track.
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Those conditions meant that the opening laps were at a snail’s pace compared to what could be done on dry tires with a dry track.
Of course, given the new track and the tricky conditions, several drivers had to use the various run-off areas after overshooting corners.
The closest call of the early part of practice came for Arrow McLaren’s Christian Lundgaard as he spun and clipped part of the outside wall.
With the track drying out, the fastest time of the first “all-skate” session belonged to Alexander Rossi, who put in a 59.606. Interestingly, he stayed in the pits longer than any other driver.
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With the field split into two groups for the next part of practice, several drivers opted for the red-walled alternate Firestone tires. It’s faster than the primary black tires, but not as robust. Drivers have to use both during the race, so getting a feel for both is huge.
One of these drivers was Will Power, and he had a big moment exiting Turn 5 and found the wall with both of his right-side tires.
Kyle Kirkwood led the first group with a 57.374 on the alternate tire.
Several drivers had some issues, including Christian Rasmussen, who needed to take to the run-off and then just a couple of laps later clipped a tire barrier.
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Championship leader Alex Palou led the second group with a 57.612 on the primary tire.
The next session is slated to start at 1 p.m. ET, and you can catch it on FS2.
