Josh Kirkwood showcased his skills during the first practice session at the Exhibition Place street course, topping the charts with a blistering lap time of 1m00.8075s. The 11-turn, 1.786-mile track proved to be more challenging than ever due to the rough surface caused by a harsh winter in the Canadian city. Although sections of the track had been resurfaced, the uneven asphalt caused cars to bottom out frequently, particularly at Turn 8 and near the apex of Turn 10, where manhole covers were positioned. Graham Rahal criticized the track, describing it as “ridiculously bumpy” and “stupid.”
Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing Takes Early Lead
Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing dominated the first 30 minutes of the session, holding the top two positions. Jack Harvey led the pack, closely followed by Christian Lundgaard. Local hero Devlin DeFrancesco briefly took the lead for Andretti Autosport before being surpassed by his teammates Colton Herta and eventual winner, Josh Kirkwood.
Scott Dixon from Ganassi Racing claimed the top spot after 40 minutes with a lap time of 1m02.2594s. However, his teammate and current points leader, Alex Palou, quickly outpaced him, edging ahead by a mere 0.004s with a time of 1m02.2554s. Alexander Rossi from Arrow McLaren ran later than most and temporarily claimed the fastest time with 1m02.0383s, but he brushed the wall at the exit of the final corner. Kirkwood reemerged to set the new fastest time on the primary tires with 1m01.8639s, followed closely by Rossi and Pato O’Ward from McLaren.
As teams switched to the softer alternate rubber, Christian Lundgaard initially set the pace with a time of 1m01.6996s. However, he was quickly overtaken by Palou, who clocked in at 1m01.3233s. Kirkwood soon reclaimed the top position with an impressive lap time of 1m01.1237s. Andretti Autosport briefly secured the top three spots with Herta and Romain Grosjean joining Kirkwood, but the McLarens of Felix Rosenqvist and Alexander Rossi mixed things up.
Kirkwood remained determined and snatched the top spot with only 40 seconds remaining, setting a time of 1m00.8075s. Grosjean finished 0.05s behind in second place, followed by Rosenqvist, Herta, Scott McLaughlin from Team Penske, Marcus Ericsson from Ganassi, Rossi, and O’Ward. Palou slipped to 12th position.
In a notable development, Tom Blomqvist made his IndyCar race weekend debut, substituting for Simon Pagenaud at Meyer Shank Racing. Blomqvist finished the session in 26th place, nearly 3 seconds off the pace, but still ahead of Santino Ferrucci from AJ Foyt Racing.
The second practice session will commence on Saturday at 10:35 am local time, providing another opportunity for drivers to fine-tune their performance on the challenging Exhibition Place street course.
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