Alex Palou leads Chip Ganassi Racing 1-2 in Indy 500 open test session one

Alex Palou got an impressive start to day one of the Indy 500 open test by going fastest among the veterans. The first session was delayed by over two hours because of a loss of internet connectivity for the teams, hampering pit wall operations.

The veteran drivers came out on the track at 12:45 pm ET after lunch. Palou, who has been the top dog in the first three races of the 2025 IndyCar season, with two back-to-back wins and a P2 finish, went quickest among the 26 veterans with a speed of 223.303 mph.

Alex Palou's Chip Ganassi Racing teammate, Scott Dixon, the 2008 Indy 500 winner, was right behind in P2, with a speed of 223.007 mph. Felix Rosenqvist of Meyer Shank Racing, which has a technical partnership with CGR, finished in P3 with an average speed of 222.923 mph.

Two-time defending Indy 500 winner Josef Newgarden slotted his No. 2 Team Penske Chevy in P4 with 222.787 mph. The man he overtook to win the 2024 Indy 500, Pato O'Ward, was behind him in P5 with a speed of 222.775 mph.

The session was disrupted twice, as Jack Harvey and Santino Ferrucci's cars came to a halt on the track. While Harvey's No. 24 Chevy suffered a problem with the hybrid PU, Ferrucci "lost power" on his lap. Four-time Indy 500 winner Helio Castroneves, Graham Rahal, 2018 winner Will Power, Ryan Hunter-Reay and 2024 pole winner Scott McLaughlin rounded out the Top 10.

---

Alex Palou surprised by IndyCar's hybrid usage on ovals

Alex Palou drives his No. 10 Honda at IndyCar's Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg - Source: Getty

In the lead-up to the Indy 500 oval test, Alex Palou spoke about an interesting discovery about the hybrid system. The hybrids regenerate only when the driver takes their foot off the throttle or brakes. As a result, the three-time IndyCar champion wasn't expecting the hybrid assist to come into play on ovals, where the drivers go flat-out for the entire race.

However, when the Chip Ganassi Racing star tested their hybrid-powered cars last year, Palou unearthed how the hybrid assist could be smartly used for swift passes on ovals and the Indy 500.

"So honestly, at the beginning when we started speaking about hybrids, and we started testing, I was like, 'Man, on ovals, it's not going to work.' It's only regenerating when you're off the throttle, when you're on the brakes. On an oval and especially at the 500, we just need speed, speed, speed. As soon as you lose like one mile per hour, you probably lose one position. And then we tested four cars - it was Andretti, Penske, McLaren and us early last year, and it was amazing," he said via the RACER Channel on YouTube. [10:55 onwards]

"It was super fun. We get so much tow that actually you release the throttle a lot you can recharge, and then the one that is P1 or even P2, if they're not timing it right and they are not getting enough energy, they don't have as much power... It's going to be quite easier, a little bit easier to overtake even if you're third or fourth in line," he added.

Alex Palou has an impressive IndyCar resume and is aiming for his third consecutive championship this year. However, the Spaniard is in his sixth year in the American series and has yet to win a race on an oval. He would be looking to change that at the Greatest Spectacle of Racing on May 25 this year.