ELKHART LAKE, Wis. — Romain Grosjean paced IndyCar’s opening follow at Street America and instantly wished he was not on the high of the board.

“I do not like topping free follow,” the Frenchman stated after Friday’s session.

Grosjean went 1 minute, 47.6781 seconds in his Dale Coyne Racing with RWR Honda on the 14-turn, 4.014-mile highway course, the place he examined two weeks in the past. The previous System One driver should now attempt to keep the tempo by Sunday’s race.

“Whenever you lead a free follow, you do not wish to make many modifications for the remainder of the weekend,” Grosjean stated. “Whenever you’re first, you do not wish to make too huge modifications, however for those who… (are) struggling in follow, you recognize it’s worthwhile to make some huge modifications since you form of really feel there’s nothing to lose.”

Ryan Hunter-Reay was second quickest in follow and adopted by Josef Newgarden.

IndyCar has one other follow scheduled Saturday forward of qualifying and the three quickest drivers within the first session all lobbied for IndyCar to return to a extra conventional schedule. The collection this yr has eradicated Friday morning practices in a cost-saving measure.

“What’s a traditional schedule?” requested rookie Grosjean.

Hunter-Reay defined to him that IndyCar up till this season held two Friday practices, one Saturday morning follow after which qualifying — the identical format utilized in F1.

“The groups apparently are saving cash on doing the shortened schedule as a result of it is one much less day in accommodations, issues like that. There is a greater topic on the economics of the entire thing,” Hunter-Reay stated. “As for a racing driver and followers, it will be higher to have the Friday, Saturday, Sunday again once more.”

Newgarden stated all of his Staff Penske teammates need the outdated schedule again. The 4 Penske drivers are winless by the primary eight races of the season.

Kevin Magnussen, in the meantime, turned his first laps in an Indy automotive within the follow session because the substitute driver for Felix Rosenqvist, who was injured in a crash final week at Detroit. He was Grosjean’s teammate at Haas in F1 till each have been dumped on the finish of final season and the Danish driver has since regarded for work in america.

His full-time job is driving the IMSA sports activities automotive for Chip Ganassi Racing, however the workforce gave him permission to race for Arrow McLaren SP this weekend. Magnussen’s father, Jan, subbed for an injured Emerson Fittipaldi 25 years in the past at Street America and is an F1 veteran and sports activities automotive standout who made 11 begins when IndyCar was referred to as CART.

“It is by no means been a secret that IndyCar is one thing that I’m fairly obsessed with,” Magnussen stated. “It is nothing new. My dad raced Indy automobiles within the mid-90s once I was solely a small little child, and I can keep in mind again then that I used to be considering, ‘I’ve obtained to do this at some point.'”

He is joined within the area this weekend by Cody Shane Ware, who races principally in NASCAR this yr and can make his debut as Grosjean’s teammate. Ware was twenty second on the pace chart, sandwiched between seven-time NASCAR champion Jimmie Johnson and Magnussen.

Oliver Askew additionally returned to the sphere for the second consecutive race instead. He crammed in for Rosenqvist at Detroit however was grabbed by Ed Carpenter Racing for this weekend after Rinus VeeKay broke his collarbone when he fell off his bike throughout a coaching trip.

Askew was ninth quickest in Friday follow and stated returning to a automotive – he was let go on the finish of final season by Arrow McLaren and has no trip this yr – “was similar to using a motorcycle, proper?” He was instantly mortified and insisted he wasn’t making enjoyable of VeeKay, his former rival within the Street to Indy ladder system.

VeeKay, who fist-bumped Askew after the follow session, took the pun in stride.

“I will inform you, using a motorcycle is not that simple,” he wrote to Askew on social media.