Pato O’Ward topped the timesheets during the third practice day for the 110th running of the Indianapolis 500. The Arrow McLaren driver set the fastest lap of the day within the opening twenty minutes, although he did benefit from a slipstream. Helio Castroneves and Marcus Armstrong finished second and third respectively, while Takuma Sato was the fastest driver without a tow.

Fast laps are set early

The third day of practice for the Indy 500 took place under sunny conditions, but with a high temperature of 18°C (64°F), it was still cooler than the conditions expected for qualifying weekend.

Shortly after the green flag waved, the track became briefly crowded, resulting in the fastest lap times of the day being set at that stage. Pato O’Ward led the way with a lap of 227.308 mph, ahead of Helio Castroneves at 226.977 mph.

The busy opening phase was followed by a day largely focused on qualifying simulations. The question, however, was how representative those runs really were. In addition to the cooler conditions, the drivers will only get their first opportunity tomorrow — during Fast Friday — to practice with the increased engine boost levels that will be used for qualifying weekend.

In the no-tow standings, Takuma Sato finished at the top ahead of Team Penske duo Scott McLaughlin and David Malukas. However, the standings were not entirely representative, as several laps completed with virtually no slipstream were not counted due to another car being too close.

Tomorrow, during Fast Friday, the boost levels — and therefore the engine power — will be increased as teams continue preparing for qualifying.

Full results of the 3rd free practice session on Indianapolis