The Frenchman was joined at the test by Ganassi’s Tony Kanaan, CFH Racing’s Ed Carpenter and Andretti’s Ryan Hunter-Reay, with the day’s programmes aimed at laying down groundwork for next year as well as searching for gains that could be implemented at Pocono in two weeks.

“We don’t get much testing during the season, so it’s great to be here to get ready for next year already,” Pagenaud said.

“We’re doing a lot of aero testing. With the new aero kit, we didn’t really get a chance to extract the best out of it yet.

“There’s so much potential; we’re trying to understand all the bits and pieces. There are a lot of combinations that we’re trying.”

Marco Andretti (Andretti Autosport) and Helio Castroneves (Team Penske) also ran a concurrent Firestone tyre test as preparations begin for the expected speed increases next year.

“Every time you have an opportunity to be here, especially with helping Firestone develop even better tyres, it’s important,” three-time Indy 500 winner Castroneves said.

“The beauty of working with Firestone is they try all the details, and that’s why we’re here. It’s about grip – left side and right side – and what line you can take, and they really want your feedback after every run.”