IndyCar
Rookies take on Indianapolis in open test, Newgarden leads first veteran session
The two-day open test is well underway, and Tuesday featured the Rookie Orientation Program
Mario Fritzsche
Edited: Apr 28, 2026, 11:07 PM
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Mick Schumacher, Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing
Photo by: Penske Entertainment
The official pre-race test in preparation for the 110th Indianapolis 500, is taking place this week at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The open test on the 2.5-mile oval in Indianapolis, in which all 33 drivers entered for the Indy 500 (May 24) will participate, is scheduled for two days (Tuesday and Wednesday).
An important part of this two-day test is the so-called "Rookie Orientation Program" (ROP), in which the rookies in the field must earn their eligibility for official Indy 500 racing activities (free practice, qualifying, race). The ROP was scheduled for two hours on Tuesday, the first of the two test days.
It was particularly exciting for the three full-time rookies in the 25-strong field of 2026 IndyCar regulars: Mick Schumacher, Dennis Hauger, and Caio Collet. For all three, early Tuesday afternoon marked their very first fast laps on the famous 2.5-mile oval as part of the ROP.
Schumacher among those who pass rookie test
The ROP is a mandatory familiarization program on the Indianapolis oval consisting of three stages. In Stage 1, drivers must complete 10 laps at an average speed of 205 to 210 miles per hour (mph) —no faster. Converted to kilometers per hour (km/h), this first stage (Phase 1) requires an average speed between 229.8 and 337.9 km/h over 10 laps.
Once Phase 1 has been successfully completed, the driver moves on to Phase 2. In this second stage, the driver must complete 15 laps at an average speed of 210 to 215 miles per hour (337.9 to 345.9 km/h)—no faster. Once Phase 2 has also been successfully completed, Phase 3 is the final step on the agenda. In this third stage, the driver must complete 15 laps, each with an average speed of more than 215 miles per hour (at least 345.9 km/h).
The following applies to all three phases of the ROP: The required laps do not have to be completed consecutively. However, the prescribed number of laps must be completed within the specified speed range for each phase before the driver can advance to the next phase. The three-stage ROP has been mandatory for all Indy 500 rookies in this form for decades.
On Tuesday, under cloudy skies, both Caio Collet and Mick Schumacher successfully completed the three-stage rookie program as required. Dennis Hauger, the third full-time rookie in the field, has not yet completed Phase 3 within the allotted two hours. However, the Norwegian later completed ROP later in the day.
Nevertheless, three drivers have already successfully completed all three required phases of the ROP. In addition to the full-time rookies in the 2026 IndyCar starting field, a fourth driver participated in this year’s ROP: Jacob Abel, who was one of the rookies in 2025 but failed to qualify for the Indy 500 while driving for Dale Coyne Racing. In May 2025, there were 34 entries for the season’s highlight. Abel was the only one who failed to clear the qualifying hurdle for the race.
For Jacob Abel, therefore, Tuesday’s laps were not his first ever on the Indianapolis oval, unlike those of Mick Schumacher, Dennis Hauger, and Caio Collet. This year, Abel is entered behind the wheel of the Dallara-Chevrolet from his family-owned team—Abel Motorsports, led by his father Bill Abel. The car, which is used exclusively at the Indy 500 and is currently still completely white, bears the number 51.
Veterans’ session: Newgarden leads Sato
Before the two-hour rookie program took place, the Indianapolis Motor Speedway was initially open for two hours to the veterans in this year’s Indy 500 starting field (all 2026 IndyCar regular drivers with the exception of the rookies). It was during this very first session of the day that two-time Indy 500 winner Josef Newgarden (Penske-Chevrolet) set the fastest lap.
Newgarden’s average speed was 223.415 miles per hour (359.474 km/h). Converted to lap time, that amounts to 40.283 seconds. The time was achieved with the help of a slipstream, as all three Penske drivers were on the track at the same time and worked together. Second fastest behind Newgarden was two-time Indy 500 winner Takuma Sato (Rahal-Honda), followed by Patricio "Pato" O'Ward (McLaren-Chevrolet).
The Indianapolis oval will remain open to all drivers until 6:00 p.m. local time (midnight CEST) this afternoon. In addition to the 2026 IndyCar regulars, this includes those veterans for whom the Indy 500 on May 24 will be their first IndyCar race in a year and who have not tested on the Indianapolis oval since then. This group of drivers is referred to as "refreshers."
This year’s “refresher” group includes: Ed Carpenter, Helio Castroneves, Jack Harvey, Ryan Hunter-Reay, and Katherine Legge, whose No. 11 HMD/Foyt Chevrolet was confirmed just this week as the 33rd entry for this year’s Indy 500. However, the car experienced technical issues on Tuesday, which is why Legge has not yet been able to participate in this year’s Indy 500 pre-race test.
Translated from German
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