The streets of St. Petersburg buzzed with the roar of race cars once again on Saturday morning as the NTT IndyCar Series took to the track for their final practice session before qualifying. Colton Herta emerged as the fastest driver after the 45-minute session in the hot and humid conditions. Herta completed the 1.8-mile course in Florida with a time of 1 minute 0.133 seconds, just slightly quicker than the fastest time from Friday’s practice. Josef Newgarden and Will Power followed closely behind Herta, showing strong form for the Penske team. Pato O’Ward and Romain Grosjean also posted impressive times, rounding out the top five.
Grosjean, who secured pole position at this race last year while driving for Andretti, had more modest expectations this weekend as he adjusts to his new team, Juncos Hollinger Racing. The morning session also saw Linus Lundqvist shine as the fastest rookie, placing his Chip Ganassi Racing Honda in the 16th position. Felix Rosenqvist, who held the fastest time on Friday, finished the practice run in 10th place. However, the true test of speed will come during the qualifying session.
Unlike Friday’s format, which divided the field into two groups for alternating track time, the second practice session allowed all participants to freely navigate the track for the entire 45-minute duration. While a few drivers pushed the limits of their braking zones, they were able to recover without assistance from the safety crew, resulting in an uninterrupted session. Unfortunately, Santino Ferrucci was unable to join the action due to mechanical issues with his AJ Foyt Chevy. Despite this setback, Ferrucci will rely on his familiarity with the course as he prepares for qualifying later in the afternoon.
All 27 drivers will participate in the knockout qualifying session, scheduled to begin at 2:00 PM Eastern Time.