IndyCar: James Hinchcliffe tops Sebring International Raceway test

By Asher Fair | Jan 16, 2019

SONOMA, CA - SEPTEMBER 14: James Hinchcliffe, driver of the #5 Schmidt Peterson Motorsports Honda, on track during pracrtice for the Verizon IndyCar Series Sonoma Grand Prix at Sonoma Raceway on September 14, 2018 in Sonoma, California. (Photo by Jonathan Moore/Getty Images) /

Schmidt Peterson Motorsports veteran James Hinchcliffe topped the speed chart in Tuesday’s 11-car IndyCar test session at Sebring International Raceway.

A total of 11 different drivers representing five of the 10 IndyCar teams with at least one confirmed full-time driver for the 2019 season participated in Tuesday’s test session at Sebring International Raceway in Sebring, Florida.

These 11 drivers tested on the 11-turn, 1.703-mile (2.741-kilometer) short circuit of Sebring International Raceway. Schmidt Peterson Motorsports veteran James Hinchcliffe topped the speed chart in this test session. Hinchcliffe’s teammate, rookie Marcus Ericsson, was one of the other 10 drivers who participated in this test session.

The other nine drivers who participated in this test session were Andretti Autosport teammates Zach Veach, Ryan Hunter-Reay, Alexander Rossi and Marco Andretti, Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing teammates Takuma Sato and Graham Rahal, Ed Carpenter Racing teammates Ed Jones and Spencer Pigot and Chip Ganassi Racing rookie Felix Rosenqvist.

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Jones and Pigot are the only two of these 11 drivers who drive Chevrolet-powered cars. The other nine drivers Honda-powered cars.

None of the drivers who are set to drive for Team Penske, Dale Coyne Racing, Harding Steinbrenner Racing, A.J. Foyt Enterprises or Carlin participated in this test session.

Hinchcliffe topped the speed chart by recording a top lap time of 51.37 seconds (119.346 miles per hour) in his #5 Honda, which was just 0.09 seconds (0.209 miles per hour) faster than the top lap time of Veach, who finished in second place in this test session by recording a top lap time of 51.46 seconds (119.137 miles per hour) in his #26.

Sato, Hunter-Reay and Rossi rounded out the top five in this test session by finishing in third, fourth and fifth place in their #30 Honda, #28 Honda and #27 Honda, respectively. The session’s two Chevrolet drivers finished in sixth and ninth. Jones finished in sixth in his #20 Chevrolet while Pigot finished in ninth in his #21 Chevrolet.

The test session’s two rookies, Rosenqvist and Ericsson, finished in seventh and eighth place in their #10 Honda and #7 Honda, respectively.

The lap times of the 11 drivers who participated in this test session were all within 0.86 seconds of one another. The lap speeds of these 11 drivers were all within 1.965 miles per hour of one another.

Here are the full results of this test session.

NOTE: Times are shown in seconds while speeds are shown in miles per hour.

Rank – Driver – Time – (Speed)
1 – James Hinchcliffe – 51.37 (119.346)
2 – Zach Veach – 51.46 (119.137)
3 – Takuma Sato – 51.48 (119.091)
4 – Ryan Hunter-Reay – 51.62 (118.768)
5 – Alexander Rossi – 51.66 (118.676)
6 – Ed Jones – 51.85 (118.241)
7 – Felix Rosenqvist – 51.97 (117.968)
8 – Marcus Ericsson – 52.00 (117.900)
9 – Spencer Pigot – 52.03 (117.832)
10 – Marco Andretti – 52.13 (117.606)
11 – Graham Rahal – 52.23 (117.381)

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The 2019 IndyCar season, which is scheduled to feature 17 races over the course of almost six and a half months, is scheduled to get underway in slightly under two months with the Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg from the streets of St. Petersburg, Florida. Be sure to click here to find out all the details regarding IndyCar’s 2019 schedule.