David Malukas set the pace during practice at the Ontario Honda Dealers Indy in Markham by clocking the fastest lap time. Malukas recorded a time of 1:14.194 in the second practice session of the day, with qualifying scheduled for later in the evening. Following Malukas, Alex Palou secured the second-fastest time with 1:14.560, while Dennis Hauger claimed the third spot with a time of 1:14.592 on the Markham downtown road course.
The event faced a setback when organizers had to cancel the first day of track sessions due to the incomplete course that had not undergone safety inspections.
This year marks Markham’s debut as the host city for the race, having relocated from Toronto’s Exhibition Place, where it had been held since its inception in 1986. Earlier in the day, Palou had also topped the charts during the initial practice session, completing the circuit in 1:14.9915.