Takuma Sato put his foot down in more than way at IndyCar's open test in Phoenix between 8 and 10 February. The reigning Indy 500 champion not only set the fastest lap of the test at 189.855 mph, but also collected more mileage than any of the 23 entries with 384 laps.
Sato was naturally the fastest of the Honda-powered cars in his RLL Racing machinery, but Penske's Will Power was a close second in the overall standings both in terms of pace and total distance covered with his Chevy powertrain (189.769 mph and 346 laps respectively).
The parity between both manufacturers was also reflected in the top ten, with a 6-4 split in the Japanese brand's favour.
The test was also a good opportunity for the rookies to get a taste of IndyCar oval racing. The Brazilians from the class of 2018 stood out from the pack, with Foyt's Matt Leist and Coyne's Pietro Fittpaldi setting the fastest laps among the newcomers.
“The open test was very successful,” said Takuma Sato. “Lots of things done and lots of things to be tried, and I think over the course of two days we learned a lot. Great car, definitely more exercise for the drivers, definitely busier with low downforce."
"It's going to be tricky, it's definitely going to be tricky," said Tony Kanaan. "We are still learning about the downforce but, all in all, I think it was a positive test for us."
With just a month to go before the green flag drops in the streets of St. Petersburg, teams will now focus on private testing to learn as much as possible about the new aeropackage before the start of the 2018 season.
