The streets of St. Petersburg were filled with the sounds of race cars again on Saturday morning, with the NTT IndyCar Series heading out for the final practice session before qualifying.
After 45 minutes had elapsed in the humid conditions, it was Colton Herta that placed himself at the top of the timesheets.
The California-native lapped the 1.8-mile course on the Florida streets in 1 minute 0.133 seconds, just a hair faster than the fastest time of Friday’s running.
Herta was followed closely by Josef Newgarden and Will Power. The two Penske men looked on form, and had little to complain about after their runs.
Pato O’Ward set the fourth fastest time, and Romain Grosjean was fifth in his new Juncos Hollinger Racing ride.
Grosjean sat on pole at this race last season while driving for Andretti, but tempered his expectations for this weekend as he settles into his position in the smaller team.
The fastest rookie of the morning was Linus Lundqvist, placing his Chip Ganassi Racing Honda in the 16th position.
Felix Rosenqvist, who was fastest on Friday, ended the Saturday practice run in 10th. The real test of speed comes in qualifying, however.
Unlike Friday’s trial format that split the field up into two groups that alternated track time, the second practice session was free for all participants during the entire 45-minute time slot.
There were a few drivers who went long in their braking zones, but all were able to get going without help from the safety crew and consequently the session was run without interruption.
Santino Ferrucci did not take to the track at all, with this AJ Foyt Chevy sidelined due to mechanical issues discovered on the pit lane.
The charismatic driver will have to rely on his historic knowledge of the course when he sets out for qualifying later in the afternoon.
All 27 drivers will take part in the knockout session, which gets underway at 2:00 PM Eastern Time.
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