The first practice session for the 2026 Honda Indy 200 at Mid-Ohio offered an intriguing mix of encouraging pace, familiar storylines, and a few surprises as teams began dialing in their road course setups.
At the top of the timesheets, it was Will Power who set the benchmark with a 1:05.5540, leading a competitive session ahead of Kyle Kirkwood, Álex Palou, Christian Lundgaard, Pato O’Ward, Rinus VeeKay, Nolan Siegel, Marcus Ericsson, Josef Newgarden, and David Malukas.
Practice 1 Results
- Will Power – 1:05.5540
- Kyle Kirkwood
- Álex Palou
- Christian Lundgaard
- Pato O’Ward
- Rinus VeeKay
- Nolan Siegel
- Marcus Ericsson
- Josef Newgarden
- David Malukas
Andretti looks fast… now comes the difficult part
One of the biggest takeaways from Friday was the pace shown by Andretti Global.
Kirkwood finished second while Ericsson placed eighth, continuing a trend of improved outright speed that has surfaced at several points this season. The question, however, isn’t whether Andretti can produce fast cars over a single lap. It’s whether they can convert that speed on Sunday.
Their pit lane execution has repeatedly undermined strong weekends, making it difficult to capitalize on competitive pace. If Friday is any indication, the raw speed is certainly there again. The challenge is avoiding another race where strategy or pit stop execution erases what the drivers accomplish on track.
The optimism surrounding the team’s speed remains tempered by that recurring weakness.
Josef Newgarden continues to impress despite injury
Perhaps the most surprising performance belonged to Josef Newgarden.
Still dealing with the effects of his foot injury, Newgarden ended the session as Penske’s fastest driver in ninth. Given his physical condition, many expected a more conservative weekend, yet he once again demonstrated that he continues to extract strong performances despite not being fully healthy.
His recent performances have made it increasingly difficult to separate his injury from his results. He has continued producing competitive drives while limited physically, adding another solid practice performance to that growing list.
Will Power puts Penske on top
While Newgarden’s effort stood out, the headline still belonged to teammate Will Power, whose fastest lap topped the session.
As with any opening practice, nobody is celebrating just yet, but Penske begins the weekend exactly where it wants to be—with one of its veterans setting the pace.
Palou remains the benchmark at Mid-Ohio
Although he finished third, it would be difficult to overlook Álex Palou entering the weekend.
His record since joining Chip Ganassi Racing speaks for itself:
- 3rd
- 2nd
- 1st
- 2nd
- 2nd
Consistency like that has made Mid-Ohio one of Palou’s strongest circuits, meaning a third-place practice result hardly changes expectations. If anything, it reinforces them.
Even without topping Practice 1, he remains one of the favorites heading into qualifying and Sunday’s race.
Nolan Siegel’s encouraging trend continues
One of the more interesting stories developing over the past several race weekends is Nolan Siegel.
After another top-ten performance in practice, his recent improvement is becoming increasingly difficult to dismiss as coincidence. He also showed promising pace at Road America before his race was interrupted, and now backs that up with another strong session at Mid-Ohio. There is growing evidence that much of his early-season struggle may have been tied to the enormous expectations that came with being rushed into a high-profile seat. As those expectations have seemingly eased amid ongoing driver market speculation, Siegel has begun driving with noticeably more confidence.
Whether that turnaround arrives too late to change his future remains uncertain, but the speed has unquestionably improved.
His recent form also revives discussion surrounding McLaren’s decision to fast-track him into the car in the first place. The move continues to be viewed as premature, with the pressure of replacing an established driver creating an exceptionally difficult environment for a young driver still developing.
Rinus VeeKay delivers another surprise
One of Friday’s pleasant surprises came from Rinus VeeKay, who finished sixth.
Juncos Hollinger Racing has often struggled to consistently challenge near the front on road courses, making VeeKay’s result stand out. There may be a practical explanation, however. Both Juncos Hollinger Racing and Andretti tested at Mid-Ohio last week, potentially giving both organizations a valuable head start on setup compared to much of the field.
Whether that advantage carries into qualifying remains to be seen, but both teams certainly looked well prepared for the opening session.
Mid-Ohio’s brutal conditions
Drivers weren’t the only ones battling Friday’s conditions.
The Mid-Ohio paddock was greeted by extreme heat, with those at the circuit describing it as the hottest day there since 1995. The oppressive temperatures quickly became one of the biggest talking points of Practice 1, creating physically demanding conditions before the weekend had even properly begun.
If the weather remains similar through qualifying and the race, endurance could become just as important as outright speed.
Broadcast delivers its usual memorable moments
Away from the timing screens, the broadcast produced several lighter moments.
Townsend Bell’s past experience having memorabilia stolen resurfaced during a discussion about Rolex Daytonas, prompting an awkward realization in the booth. There was also surprise that Will Power happened to know Benjamin Pedersen personally, while another unexpectedly personal comment from Will Buxton briefly left the broadcast searching for a response.
And, naturally, no Mid-Ohio broadcast would be complete without yet another enthusiastic celebration of Bavarian Meats, a recurring favorite that somehow continues to generate almost as much excitement as the on-track action itself.
Practice is only the beginning
Friday’s opening session answered a few questions while raising several more.
Penske looks quick. Andretti appears to have genuine pace. Palou remains exactly where everyone expected him to be.
Newgarden continues outperforming expectations despite his injury. Siegel’s recent resurgence is beginning to look legitimate. And with testing potentially giving Andretti and Juncos Hollinger Racing an early setup advantage, the competitive order could still evolve significantly before qualifying.
Practice 1 rarely decides a race weekend, but it has certainly given plenty of reasons to watch what happens next at Mid-Ohio.