INDIANAPOLIS — Indianapolis 500 practice before qualifications is all about testing the limit.
Marcus Ericsson found that limit in turn four during Thursday’s practice session that ran for nearly eight hours.
At 3:39 p.m. ET, the 2022 Indianapolis 500 winner was running in a pack of cars to prepare his race day package when he pinched the inside of the turn, hit the curb and lost control of his No. 28 Honda for Andretti Global.
Ericsson’s car hit the outside and inside walls in turn four before spinning into the attenuator on the pit lane wall.
“We were in a bit of a pack of cars, did the slightest touch on the marking there on the inside of the corner and that was enough to send the car around,” Ericsson said after he was released from the IU Health Infield Hospital at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. “The car snapped on me in the middle of the corner and when that happens, you are a passenger at this place.
“It’s very unfortunate.
“All of the progress we have made in the short amount of time we have been on track this week has been lost.”
The driver was uninjured, and his Andretti Global crew is preparing a backup Honda for Fast Friday.
The weather forecast, however, calls for rain putting even more uncertainty into the Gasoline Alley garages as teams need to have a chance to run with the extra boost that IndyCar gives the teams that will increase the engines to 100 horsepower.
Rain has plagued the two previous days of practice at the 2.5-mile Indianapolis Motor Speedway oval, which led to a sense of urgency when Thursday’s practice began at 10 a.m. ET.
Earlier in the day, Linus Lundqvist was also involved in a crash coming out of turn two in The American Legion Honda for Chip Ganassi Racing. He was also uninjured.
Pato O’Ward turned the fastest lap of the day.