The first open test for the 103rd running of the Indianapolis 500 will kick off today from Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
The test will give IndyCar competitors their first on-track opportunity at the daunting super speedway so far this year.
Some drivers less experienced on the oval, such as Schmidt-Petersen Motorsport’s Marcus Ericsson, McLaren Racing’s Fernando Alonso and Dragonspeed’s Ben Hanley, participated in a brief shakedown on the oval at Texas Motor Speedway last week before heading to Indiana for this week’s test.
Alonso tests at Texas
A total of 29 drivers from 13 different teams are expected to participate in today’s open test. Reigning Indy 500 champion Will Power and his Chevrolet/Team Penske teammates will be among them, along with Alonso in his McLaren-Chevrolet entry. The McLaren-Chevrolet car is fresh off of a transatlantic flight from the United Kingdom, where it was assembled at the team’s headquarters in Woking, England.
Watch @alo_oficial test the #McLaren66 in Indianapolis later today. ??
Live stream via @IndyCar at 4pm (UK time). pic.twitter.com/kkVO6ozL45
— McLaren Indy (@McLarenIndy) April 24, 2019
The test day will be split into three segments, with veteran drivers getting the first on-track opportunity from 11 am-1 pm. Rookie orientation tests for those who have never raced the Indy 500, such as Ericcsson, and Santino Ferrucci, Colton Herta and Felix Rosenqvist, will begin at 1 pm and last until 3 pm. This will also be the time that veterans in need of a refresher, like Alonso for example, can take to the track.
After 3 pm, the track will be open to all drivers for the final three hours of testing.
Following this test, IndyCar Series regulars will turn their attention to the IndyCar Grand Prix held on the IMS road course. Practice and qualifying for the road course race at IMS is scheduled for Friday, May 10, with the race set to go green on May 11 at 3 pm ET.
NBC’s coverage of the 103rd running of the Indianapolis 500, meanwhile, will begin at 11 am on Sunday, May 26.
For now, you can watch the first Indy 500 test of 2019 in the stream embedded above.
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