The 2-day IndyCar preseason take a look at on the quick circuit of Sebring Worldwide Raceway ended on Tuesday with Marcus Armstrong (Shank-Honda) setting the quickest time of the day. And in comparison with the quickest Monday time, set by defending champion Alex Palou (Ganassi-Honda), Armstrong’s quick lap of 52.372 seconds was in the end 0.254 seconds sooner.
Meyer Shank Racing, is as soon as once more collaborating technically this yr with Chip Ganassi Racing, the three-car staff for which Palou has pushed for en path to his 4 IndyCar titles.
Final yr’s finest time on the Sebring take a look at was set by then-Penske driver Will Energy at 52.255 seconds. This yr, Energy will probably be competing for Andretti International. It isn’t solely a change of staff, but in addition a change of engine companion as he strikes to Honda from Chevrolet. After ending P17 in Monday’s every day standings, Energy completed P4 in Tuesday’s every day standings.
Will Energy in his new trip, the #26 Andretti Honda
Photograph: Michael L. Levitt / Lumen through Getty Pictures
Between Armstrong and Energy on Tuesday had been Energy’s Andretti teammate Kyle Kirkwood and Ganassi veteran Scott Dixon. Penske driver Scott McLaughlin rounded out the highest 5.
The sphere was once more divided into two teams for the second day of testing, with Group 2 driving within the morning and Group 1 within the afternoon, as beforehand introduced. On Monday, it had been the opposite method round. The 2 quickest occasions of the day had been set within the cooler morning hours. Within the afternoon, it was even somewhat hotter than on Monday, with a excessive of 25 levels Celsius.
Mick Schumacher improves
Mick Schumacher, one in every of three rookies on the beginning grid for the 2026 IndyCar season, completed twenty second within the day’s standings. In comparison with his time on Monday, the newcomer at Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing (RLL) improved by greater than 0.8 seconds. So, Schumacher continues to be totally on monitor in his preparations for the season.
Mick Schumacher pursued a constant plan throughout the Sebring take a look at
Photograph: Michael L. Levitt / Lumen through Getty Pictures
“Lap time would not actually matter,” mentioned Schumacher. “It would not actually matter. The one time it actually issues is after we go to St. Pete and do the primary qualifying.
Some individuals will do solely Sebring testing, so they may really carry out to what the Sebring requirements are like. Some individuals put together St. Pete and a few individuals will do another jobs, which we do not find out about. We all know what we’re doing. We need to do our job and put together the proper issues in our opinion.
Hunter McElrea assessments all day for Ed Carpenter Racing
Whereas 23 drivers had been on monitor on Monday, there have been 24 for Tuesday’s periods. For Ed Carpenter Racing, who had skipped Monday, put the the staff’s new simulator driver behind the wheel: Hunter McElrea.
The New Zealander has accomplished just one IndyCar race to this point, within the 2024 season for Dale Coyne Racing. On Tuesday in Sebring, McElrea was allowed to drive each within the morning and within the afternoon as a result of he wasn’t on the monitor in any respect on Monday. McElrea completed a powerful eighth in Tuesday’s every day standings.
The primary of 18 deliberate races is lower than three weeks away, on March 1, on the road circuit in St. Petersburg, Florida, and there will probably be one final two-day winter take a look at. It will likely be one other oval take a look at subsequent week (February 17-18), the groups will probably be testing at Phoenix Raceway.
Phoenix is again on the race calendar for the primary time since 2018, because the second cease of the season on March 7. It will likely be the primary of six oval races this season.
IndyCar take a look at ends in Sebring (Tuesday):
1. Marcus Armstrong (Shank-Honda) – 52.372 seconds (Group 2)
2. Kyle Kirkwood (Andretti-Honda) – 52.479 (Group 1)
3. Scott Dixon (Ganassi-Honda) – 52.514 (Group 2)
4. Will Energy (Andretti-Honda) – 52.611 (Group 2)
5. Scott McLaughlin (Penske-Chevrolet) – 52.636 (Group 2)
6. Felix Rosenqvist (Shank-Honda) – 52.702 (Group 1)
7. Santino Ferrucci (Foyt-Chevrolet) – 52.715 (Group 2)
8. Hunter McElrea (Carpenter-Chevrolet) – 52.729 (Teams 1 and a pair of)
9. Marcus Ericsson (Andretti-Honda) – 52.823 (Group 1)
10. Rinus VeeKay (Juncos-Chevrolet) – 52.845 (Group 1)
11. Alex Palou (Ganassi-Honda) – 52.874 (Group 1)
12. Caio Collet (Foyt-Chevrolet) – 52.891 (Group 1)
13. Josef Newgarden (Penske-Chevrolet) – 53.018 (Group 1)
14. Patricio O’Ward (McLaren-Chevrolet) – 53.036 (Group 1)
15. Christian Lundgaard (McLaren-Chevrolet) – 53.085 (Group 2)
16. David Malukas (Penske-Chevrolet) – 53.167 (Group 1)
17. Louis Foster (Rahal-Honda) – 53.177 (Group 2)
18. Romain Grosjean (Coyne-Honda) – 53.220 (Group 1)
19. Dennis Hauger (Coyne-Honda) – 53.226 (Group 2)
20. Kyffin Simpson (Ganassi-Honda) – 53.228 (Group 2)
21. Nolan Siegel (McLaren-Chevrolet) – 53.286 (Group 2)
22. Mick Schumacher (Rahal-Honda) – 53.430 (Group 1)
23. Sting Ray Robb (Juncos-Chevrolet) – 53.509 (Group 2)
24. Graham Rahal (Rahal-Honda) – 53.519 (Group 1)
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