On his first day in Phoenix, David Malukas experienced "a dream".

On paper, seeing David Malukas lead an official session ofIndyCar on a short oval is not a huge surprise, the young Chicago native having clearly made these tracks of less than three kilometers one of his favorite playgrounds, leading from his very first day in Phoenix, and in a car The fact that he continues to discover Team Penske is already more surprising!

Having impressed at Gateway in Missouri (two podium finishes in 2022 and 2023), the American was expected to perform well at Phoenix, a track with some similar characteristics, with Turns 1 and 2 being quite different from Turns 3 and 4, requiring specific setup adjustments. For his first time on this track, Malukas immediately understood what was expected of him!

"Just from the difference between the corners, it almost reminds me of Gateway at St. Louis, with that difference between the two and trying to set up the car the way you want in that short amount of time on the back straight and changing the car with the tools we have in the car to get a good lap time."

While winter testing days are primarily useful for teams to put in place a plan for the season, and to test the cars in a multitude of conditions, Malukas still attaches some importance to his performance this Tuesday, at least from a mental point of view.

“I think it’s difficult to know where everyone stands during the test days because you’re following your own program, but of course, it’s pleasing. We know we have the pace. The car is good, and we started our oval test series with the team on a strong point. So I’m confident, but was that what we were aiming for today? No, we simply followed our test program and managed to set a time at the top of the timesheets. Does it feel good? Yes, I would say it does.”

A "perfect" environment for Malukas

Team Penske driver after several years in midfield teams, and a missed opportunity with Arrow McLaren In 2024 (Malukas broke his wrist before the start of the season and was fired by the team), the 24-year-old driver still finds it hard to believe that he is now driving for Roger Penske, the most successful team owner in history.

“I feel great. I haven’t felt this good in a very long time. The chemistry between me and the guys, the team, I’m just happy. I get to drive this magnificent car. It’s fantastic. It’s a dream come true for me. So every time I go in and out of the pits, I’m smiling. I have a big smile on my face, and I think that helps improve my performance. You can see that with all the other guys. You know, everyone is giving it their all. They have their own mission to make sure that, as a team, we can get good results. Just being in this environment is perfect.”

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