Palou tops Laguna Seca IndyCar test, Ericsson crashes

Alex Palou has set the pace in a private IndyCar test at Laguna Seca in which Chip Ganassi Racing team-mate Marcus Ericsson crashed.

Ericsson had a lose at the Turn 6 left-hander, causing left-rear suspension and wing damage to the #8 Honda which sidelined the Swede for a chunk of the day.

A total of 13 cars across six teams took to the Californian venue which hosts the season finale in a week-and-a-half from now, with Palou going quickest at a time of 1:11.440s.

McLaren SP’s Felix Rosenqvist, who was fastest for much of the day, ended up second on a 1:11.677s, from team-mate Pato O’Ward on a 1:11.710s in his Chevrolet-powered car.

Graham Rahal (Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing) claimed fourth on a 1:11.801s, while Ericsson got back out after his prang and set a 1:11.824s on his third-last of 69 laps to round out the top five.

Palou, Ericsson, and team-mate Scott Dixon are all in the hunt for the 2022 IndyCar Series title with just two races to go, and the latter finished seventh-fastest on a 1:11.967s.

Their key rivals at Team Penske, series leader Will Power and the man who is a close second in Josef Newgarden, tested days earlier at Portland, the scene of this weekend’s penultimate race of the campaign.

Power set the pace then, despite a crash of his own too.

Track action at Portland starts on Saturday morning (AEST), with Practice 2, Qualifying, and the race itself live and ad-free on Stan Sport.

Results: Laguna Seca private test Unofficial