David Malukas set the fastest lap time on Tuesday during the opening day of the Unser IndyCar Open Test at Phoenix Raceway. The 24-year-old Chicago native quickly established himself among the leading competitors on the 1-mile tri-oval, ultimately taking the top spot late in the four-hour session with a lap speed of 172.605 mph, completing the circuit in 20.8569 seconds.
Strong Performance by Team Penske and Competitors
Malukas, piloting the No. 12 Chevrolet for Team Penske, surpassed his teammate Josef Newgarden, who had maintained first place for most of the day. Newgarden, driving the No. 2 Chevrolet and the first driver to break the 21-second barrier, finished just 0.0708 seconds behind Malukas. Andretti Global drivers Will Power and Kyle Kirkwood secured third and fourth positions. Power, a newcomer to Andretti after 17 years with Team Penske, also posted a lap under 21 seconds with a speed of 171.706 mph (20.9661 seconds).
Top Ten Lap Times Reflect Competitive Field
Sixth and seventh places were claimed by Meyer Shank Racing’s Marcus Armstrong and Felix Rosenqvist, followed by Scott McLaughlin from Team Penske, Chip Ganassi Racing’s Scott Dixon, and Alexander Rossi of Ed Carpenter Racing, rounding out the top ten. Reigning four-time IndyCar champion Alex Palou secured fifth place with a lap speed of 171.357 mph in his No. 10 Honda for Chip Ganassi Racing.
Incident and Track Conditions During Testing
The session saw nine caution periods; however, only one involved an incident when rookie Caio Collet lost control in Turn 4, making contact with the outside wall and spinning to a stop near Turn 1. Collet’s race engineer, Mike Armbrester, attributed the accident to impaired visibility caused by the sun’s glare at that section of the track, which likely led to Collet dropping his left-side tires below the yellow line and sliding into the barrier.
Rookie Participation and Lap Counts
Christian Rasmussen from Ed Carpenter Racing led the most laps on the day, completing 114 laps. Rookie drivers Mick Schumacher of Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing and Sting Ray Robb from Juncos Hollinger Racing also logged significant track time with 107 and 103 laps, respectively. Only three drivers managed to surpass 100 laps in total during the session.
Implications for the IndyCar Season Ahead
David Malukas IndyCar pace demonstrated at Phoenix Raceway underscores his rapid adaptation to Team Penske and the developments in car performance within a competitive field. With several experienced drivers showing close lap times, this test sets the tone for a tightly contested season. Observers will watch how Malukas and his teammates build on this momentum as the series progresses.
