Takuma Sato has topped IndyCar’s pre-Indianapolis test while Fernando Alonso was hamstrung by an electrical problem on his return to The Brickyard.
Alonso, who made his first and so far only start in the 2017 Indianapolis 500, missed the first 45 minutes of the rookie/refresher session due to a technical issue which saw his #66 McLaren Chevrolet towed back to pit lane.
The Spaniard ended up last of the nine drivers in that hit-out, and one of four who failed to complete their refresher program on a weather-affected day.
Those drivers, including Helio Castroneves (#3 Team Penske Chevrolet), will have to do so on the first day of practice for the Indianapolis 500 on May 14.
Sato (#30 Rahal Letterman Lanigan Honda) set the pace in the ‘veteran’ test session with a fastest average speed of 226.993mph (365.310km/h, 39.6488s), usurping Ed Carpenter’s 226.414mph (364.378km/h, 39.7502s; #20 Ed Carpenter Racing Chevrolet).
Will Power was fourth (226.225mph, 364.074km/h, 39.7834s; #12 Team Penske Chevrolet) and Scott Dixon sixth (225.605mph, 363.076km/h, 39.8927s; #9 Chip Ganassi Racing Honda) in the veteran session.
Colton Herta (#88 Harding Steinbrenner Racing Honda) was fastest in the rookie/refresher session at 226.108mph (363.886km/h, 39.8040s).
He also set the fastest non-tow lap of the day at 223.121mph (359.078km/h) after Sato, the 2017 Indianapolis 500 winner, had done so in the earlier session.
Tony Kanaan (#14 AJ Foyt Racing Chevrolet) virtually sat out the day due to an oil leak.
Next on the calendar is the IndyCar Grand Prix on the Indianapolis roval from May 10-11.
Results: Veterans
| Pos | Num | Driver | C/E/T | Time | Avg speed (mph) | Total laps |
| 1 | 30 | Takuma Sato | D/H/F | 0:39.6488 | 226.993 | 32 |
| 2 | 20 | Ed Carpenter | D/C/F | 0:39.7502 | 226.414 | 36 |
| 3 | 21 | Spencer Pigot | D/C/F | 0:39.7658 | 226.325 | 41 |
| 4 | 12 | Will Power | D/C/F | 0:39.7834 | 226.225 | 40 |
| 5 | 28 | Ryan Hunter-Reay | D/H/F | 0:39.8262 | 225.982 | 32 |
| 6 | 9 | Scott Dixon | D/H/F | 0:39.8927 | 225.605 | 40 |
| 7 | 63 | Ed Jones | D/C/F | 0:39.8955 | 225.589 | 32 |
| 8 | 22 | Simon Pagenaud | D/C/F | 0:39.9014 | 225.556 | 40 |
| 9 | 18 | Sebastien Bourdais | D/H/F | 0:39.9316 | 225.385 | 39 |
| 10 | 27 | Alexander Rossi | D/H/F | 0:40.0113 | 224.936 | 39 |
| 11 | 15 | Graham Rahal | D/H/F | 0:40.1322 | 224.259 | 47 |
| 12 | 26 | Zach Veach | D/H/F | 0:40.2139 | 223.803 | 44 |
| 13 | 98 | Marco Andretti | D/H/F | 0:40.3044 | 223.301 | 39 |
| 14 | 2 | Josef Newgarden | D/C/F | 0:40.3518 | 223.038 | 38 |
| 15 | 5 | James Hinchcliffe | D/H/F | 0:40.3592 | 222.997 | 49 |
| 16 | 60 | Jack Harvey | D/H/F | 0:40.3978 | 222.784 | 42 |
| 17 | 4 | Matheus Leist | D/C/F | 0:40.4184 | 222.671 | 34 |
| 18 | 23 | Charlie Kimball | D/C/F | 0:40.6194 | 221.569 | 18 |
| 19 | 59 | Max Chilton | D/C/F | 0:40.7990 | 220.594 | 22 |
| 20 | 14 | Tony Kanaan | D/C/F | 7:12.8116 | 20.794 | 3 |
Results: Rookies/Refresher
| Pos | Num | Driver | C/E/T | Time | Avg speed (mph) | Total laps |
| 1 | 88 | Colton Herta (R) | D/H/F | 0:39.8040 | 226.108 | 61 |
| 2 | 3 | Helio Castroneves | D/C/F | 0:39.8998 | 225.565 | 45 |
| 3 | 77 | Oriol Servia | D/H/F | 0:40.4031 | 222.755 | 38 |
| 4 | 10 | Felix Rosenqvist (R) | D/H/F | 0:40.4352 | 222.578 | 72 |
| 5 | 25 | Conor Daly | D/H/F | 0:40.6148 | 221.594 | 56 |
| 6 | 19 | Santino Ferrucci (R) | D/H/F | 0:40.7909 | 220.637 | 63 |
| 7 | 7 | Marcus Ericsson (R) | D/H/F | 0:40.8379 | 220.384 | 59 |
| 8 | 48 | JR Hildebrand | D/C/F | 0:40.8669 | 220.227 | 42 |
| 9 | 66 | Fernando Alonso | D/C/F | 0:41.1542 | 218.690 | 29 |
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