Will Power Kicks Off Long Beach Race Weekend with Fastest Time

Will Power began the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach weekend by setting the fastest time in the first practice session. The Team Penske driver posted his best lap during a qualifying simulation at the end of the session. He was 0.028 seconds quicker than Marcus Ericsson, who finished second, with the top five drivers separated by just 0.065 seconds.

As usual, the Long Beach street circuit looked stunning, with track temperatures reaching 73°F (23°C) under cloudy skies.

Like most street circuits, the first practice session started slowly. Many drivers chose to wait in the pits, while the rookies—who are granted an extra set of tires—took to the track to help clean the racing line.

After 15 minutes, Sting Ray Robb topped the timing charts, but he was soon displaced by Will Power. Five minutes later, reigning champion Alex Palou went even faster, then improved on his own time a few laps later.

The top of the standings remained unchanged for much of the session until McLaren drivers Christian Lundgaard and Nolan Siegel switched to the softer, alternate tires and jumped up to second and fourth, respectively. Palou retained the fastest time during this portion of the session, with Josef Newgarden slotting into third between the two McLarens.

The practice concluded with two ten-minute segments dedicated to qualifying simulations, with the field split into two groups. Power struggled with his brakes during the first segment and overshot Turn 1, but once he got them under control, he laid down the fastest lap. In the second group, Ericsson set the quickest time but fell just short of Power’s mark, ending the day in second place.

The session ran almost without any full-course cautions - except for a short red flag because of a spin by Louis Foster, though that didn’t mean it was incident-free. Several drivers overshot Turns 1 and 9, while the biggest issue came for Pato O’Ward. On just his sixth lap, he clipped the wall exiting the hairpin, damaging his left rear suspension. The entire assembly, including the axle, had to be replaced, leaving the Mexican driver with just one more lap in the session.

Full results of the 1st free practice session on Long Beach