While the official start to the Month of May is still several days away, the first practice sessions for the Indianapolis 500 have gotten underway — and they’ve brought a bit of chaos with them.

Two crashes marred the open test; one for NASCAR driver Kyle Larson, and another for former F1 driver Takuma Sato. The latter incident resulted in a huge 94G hit that Sato was lucky to walk away from.

Takuma Sato ‘sorry’ for 94G Indy 500 crash

In anticipation of the 2025 Indy 500, the Indianapolis Motor Speedway opened its gates to teams and drivers at the end of April for an “open test.”

This test is intended to serve several purposes. Because the 500 is the first oval track on the schedule, this open test allows rookie drivers to complete their “rookie orientation” well in advance of the first official practice session. In that orientation, drivers must set laps at incrementally quicker speeds in order to prove that they are capable of mastering the demanding pace of the track.

It also allows veteran drivers to complete any necessary “refresher” laps, while teams can begin gathering data about the performance of the new hybrid power unit.

The first day of the open test went off without a hitch, but two crashes marred the second.

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The first crash came for Kyle Larson, the NASCAR driver who is once again attempting the “Double” — or, competing in the Indianapolis 500 and the NASCAR Coca-Cola 600 on the same day.

Larson lost control of his No. 17 Arrow McLaren-Hendrick Honda during his first mock qualifying run. Though he collided with the wall, Larson walked away relatively unscathed, with a broken right front suspension.

Not long after the session went green again, the second crash came for the No. 75 Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing Honda of Takuma Sato.

The former Formula 1 driver lost the rear of his car coming out of Turn 1, which sent him colliding with the wall in Turn 2.

Sato needed assistance from the AMR Safety Team to exit his car, but he escaped serious injury.

Soon after, he took to X to share an onboard video of the crash, along with his first official statement.

“Huge thanks to
@IndyCar, @DallaraGroup, and @IMS for creating such a safe environment,” Sato wrote.

“Lost the rear at 233mph (375km/h).

“The data recorded a 94G impact.

“Just minor bruises and I’m OK. Really grateful to my crew, sorry for the extra work. We’ll come back stronger for the #Indy500.”

Sato — who competed for Jordan, BAR, and Super Aguri over the course of 90 Formula 1 starts — will be attempting to win his third Indianapolis 500 in 2025. His previous two wins came in 2017 and 2020.

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