Pato O’Ward led the pack in opening practice at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca, with a 1m09.207s lap pace that set him apart from the rest of the field. His teammate Colton Herta followed closely behind with a 1m09.317s, while Meyer Shank Racing’s Marcus Armstrong secured third place.
The session was marked by several incidents, including spins and crashes from top drivers like Josef Newgarden, Scott Dixon, and Jacob Abel. However, O’Ward’s strong showing helped Arrow McLaren secure the top spot in the opening practice.
“We rolled off really strong,” O’Ward said. “I’m definitely happy with where we’re at in terms of speed. Obviously, we still have more work to do to be more consistent, but it’s been a very good day for us.”
The 40-minute session saw several drivers battle for position, but ultimately, Palou took the top spot with a 1m10.170s lap. The red flag was required due to an incident involving Devlin DeFrancesco, who damaged his car in Turn 4.
Practice two is scheduled for 8:30 a.m. PT on Sunday.
Source: https://racer.com/2025/07/25/O’Ward-leads-loopy-opening-Laguna-practice