O’Ward leads Jones, Grosjean in eight-car Laguna Seca test

O’Ward, who finished fourth in the 2020 NTT IndyCar Series points standings, lapped the classic 2.238-mile course in Monterey, CA., in 1min11.293sec.

That meant he was two-tenths of a second clear of IndyCar returnee Ed Jones, who was just four-hundredths ahead of his Dale Coyne Racing teammate, ex-Formula 1 driver Romain Grosjean.

Felix Rosenqvist made it two Arrow McLaren SP cars in the top four, while Meyer Shank Racing’s fulltimer Jack Harvey finished the day fifth, 0.4sec from top spot.

Rinus VeeKay was the sole Ed Carpenter Racing-Chevrolet driver in action today, and wound up half a second off the ultimate pace.

Two Indy car superstars and former Team Penske teammates in both IndyCar and IMSA Prototypes, were also in action today. Juan Pablo Montoya, who has been confirmed in a third Arrow McLaren SP-Chevy for the Indianapolis 500 but will also likely run the Indy Grand Prix on the road course, finished the day 0.926 from top spot. The former CART Indy car champion and two-time Indy 500 winner has not raced a road course in an open-wheel car since May 2017.

Meanwhile Helio Castroneves, who’ll race for Meyer Shank Racing in six events this year, ended the day 1.5sec from top spot. The three-time Indy 500 winner’s last IndyCar experience on a road course is more recent than Montoya’s, having subbed for Oliver Askew at AMSP last October.