Scott Dixon continued Honda's impressive start to the St. Petersburg IndyCar weekend by leading second practice for the Firestone Grand Prix on Friday afternoon.
Andretti Autosport's Marco Andretti headed up a Honda-powered 1-2-3-4 in FP1, but it was Dixon and Chip Ganassi Racing which led the way in second practice as drivers continued to dial in around the street circuit.
Dixon posted a fastest lap time of 1:02.5591 during FP2 to finish two-tenths of a second clear of Penske's Will Power at the top of the timesheets. Power was the sole Chevrolet-powered driver to end the session in the top five.
Dixon's Ganassi teammates Tony Kanaan and Charlie Kimball finished the session third and fourth respectively, with Dale Coyne Racing's Sebastien Bourdais rounding out the top five.
The session offered an important warning shot from Ganassi, which made the switch to Honda engines and aerokits over the winter after a multi-year stint with Chevrolet.
It was not a trouble-free session for those under Honda power, though, as Andretti's Takuma Sato crashed out early on after a brake issue at the final corner caused him to career into the barrier. The Japanese driver was unable to get back out, leaving him at the foot of the timesheets without a flying lap to his name.
Running in St. Petersburg resumes on Saturday with final practice and qualifying ahead of Sunday's race.
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