What is to be gained from IndyCar’s planned electronic upgrade?

Racer reported earlier this week that IndyCar mandated the use of McLaren Applied Technologies' TAG-400i ECU for every manufacturer to use when the 2.2-liter twin-turbo V6 formula was introduced in 2012, and it's believed a new TAG-600 model is among the ECUs under consideration for 2018. In addition to McLaren, Bosch and Cosworth could also be in the running to earn the ECU supply contract.

To complement the planned ECU update, a new steering wheel dash is also being considered, which would require a significant upgrade to the DW12's onboard data acquisition system. If the existing Cosworth dash is retired, a major vendor like those named above would be needed to outfit each car. This would require new steering wheels as the dash is integrated.

We asked one team owner in the paddock whether the estimated $40,000 expenditure is worth it.

Are the existing electronics failing and need to be replaced anyway? No, our current stuff is old but does the job quite well

Will the new electronics make the racing better for the fans? No

Will the new electronics sell more grandstand tickets? No, not even 1.

Will the new electronics increase TV viewership? No, not at all.

What do you recommend? Save the teams money: $40,000 x 40 cars = $1.6 million. You could put the Long Beach race on Network TV with that money. If they do it anyway, I just hope this new stuff is thought through so it will last a long time