Alex Palou sent an early warning shot to his rivals as he topped the opening practice session of the IndyCar weekend at Portland International Raceway. The Spaniard was quickest from the very first flying lap and never looked back.
His best lap of 58.5716 seconds was nearly a tenth of a second clear of the field, and just under two tenths off last year's pole time. It's a strong statement from Alex Palou and Chip Ganassi Racing, who look to have hit the ground running at this circuit.
Behind him, Kyle Kirkwood put his Andretti Global Honda second, while Rinus VeeKay completed the top three. Will Power and Louis Foster rounded out the top five.
It wasn't all plain sailing, though. High temperatures made setup work tricky, and a few drivers found the barriers. Pato O'Ward was the first to clip the inside wall at Turn 1, damaging his right-front wheel, while Marcus Armstrong nearly repeated the mistake. Both managed to return to the pits and continue running.
Dennis Hauger failed to set a time due to suspected telemetry issues on his Dale Coyne Racing car, while Alexander Rossi was slowest and the only driver more than a second behind Palou.
With another practice session and qualifying scheduled for tomorrow, all eyes will be on Palou to see if he can maintain his edge.
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