Ana Beatriz tested Thursday for Andretti Autosport in what a team official called a "getting to know you" session at Sebring International Raceway.
Beatriz turned 45 laps around the 10-turn, 1.67-mile short course in James Hinchcliffe's No. 27 Dallara-Chevrolet (Hinchcliffe in car above LEFT). Her best lap was 54.4621sec, 13th fastest of the 15-car field participating in the second round of the IZOD IndyCar Series open test at SIR.
The Andretti Autosport team official said Beatriz's session would last only one day, adding that “nothing is currently in place” for the future.
Beatriz drove for Dreyer & Reinbold Racing the past two years, but DRR is going with Oriol Servia in a single-car effort this year. The Andretti official said the team thinks highly of Beatriz, and that Thursday's test was another step in the team's evaluation of her.
Honda had the early edge Thursday as the week-long test session resumed. Chevrolet had the edge in the first two days, led namely by Team Penske and Andretti Autosport, but Honda's flagship team, Chip Ganassi Racing, took to the track Thursday and led a sweep of the first four positions.
Scott Dixon had the fastest lap, 51.7932sec in the No. 9 Target Chip Ganassi Racing Dallara-Honda. That was significantly faster than Chevy's best lap of the first two days – a 52.1413 by Helio Castroneves – and significantly faster than the second-fastest lap of Thursday's morning session, a 52.6101sec effort by Mike Conway.
Teams will continue testing Friday at Sebring in the final open test before the 2012 season opener March 25 at St. Petersburg, Fla.