David Malukas set the pace during the practice session at the Ontario Honda Dealers Indy in Markham, clocking in at 1:14.194 seconds for the fastest lap of the day. Following closely behind, Alex Palou recorded a time of 1:14.560, securing the second-best time, while Dennis Hauger claimed the third spot with a time of 1:14.592 on the challenging Markham downtown road course.
Due to incomplete course preparations and pending safety inspections, the organizers were forced to cancel the initial day of track sessions. This delay impacted the schedule, pushing qualifying rounds to the evening.
Markham is hosting the race for the first time this year, taking over from Toronto’s Exhibition Place, the event’s home since its inception in 1986.
Earlier in the day, Palou had already displayed his speed by topping the charts in the morning practice session with a time of 1:14.9915, setting the stage for an exciting race weekend in Markham.