Alex Palou Ends Indy 500 Open Test on Top in Final Session

Alex Palou set the fastest time in the final session of the Indy 500 Open Test. The reigning champion clocked what would be the best lap of the session midway through—on just his third lap. Felix Rosenqvist ended up second quickest, followed by Kyle Kirkwood and a surprisingly fast Conor Daly.

For the afternoon session on the final day of testing, teams had converted their cars back from qualifying trim to race trim, including the lower turbo boost setting. It didn’t take long before a pack of drivers began simulating race conditions on track.

Marco Andretti set the early pace, only for Scott Dixon to go quicker and hold onto the top spot for over 30 minutes. After an hour of running, Helio Castroneves—who turns 50 in May—proved he still has speed, jumping to the top with an average lap of 223.211 mph.

Midway through the session, Alex Palou went even faster, clocking a 223.993 mph lap. Felix Rosenqvist, Kyle Kirkwood and the unexpectedly fast Conor Daly came close, but ultimately fell short.

Unlike the earlier "High Boost" session, the afternoon ran smoothly without major incidents. Still, there was a close call when Rinus VeeKay ran out of fuel in Turn 2 while leading a group of cars. Miraculously, the trailing drivers managed to slow down in time and avoided contact with each other or VeeKay. He was able to coast back to the pits and resume the session without a caution.

Ironically, VeeKay’s teammate Jacob Abel experienced the exact same issue in the closing stages—he too ran out of fuel on track. Dale Coyne Racing had previously reported communication issues between the cars and the team during testing, which may have contributed to the incidents.

IndyCar teams now turn their focus to the upcoming races—next week at Barber Motorsports Park, followed by the Grand Prix of Indianapolis the week after. Preparations for the Indy 500 will resume on Tuesday, May 13, with Opening Day.

Full results of the final session