IndyCar: Hybrid Update After Debut in Mid-Ohio

The NTT INDYCAR SERIES came close to making a flawless debut with the new hybrid system last weekend at Mid-Ohio.

Scott Dixon, the driver of the No. 9 PNC Bank Honda, faced a significant setback on the parade lap. His car stopped in Turn 5and he was unable to refire the hybrid unit, a moment that marred his race.

“Yeah, just got into a parameter that it didn’t like, and it stopped the engine, which it needed to charge the capacitor, which the last thing you want it to do is turn off the only thing that can charge it, and it did.”

“I think there will be some things down the road that will change that. Yeah, it was kind of weird. We didn’t expect it just for the sheer fact we tested a lot of that stuff in pre-season testing. Even in Milwaukee, we had done that.  It was a parameter and just did a run away. There was no time to try and fix it.”

Colton Herta, the driver of the No 26 Gainbridge Honda, was very vocal in January of 2024 about introducing the new system midway through the season.  The Andretti Global driver felt that it could change someone’s chances of winning a championship due to having to learn how to drive with this system.

AutoRacing1 asked Herta what he thought of the debut.

“I think there’s been so much testing that guys have kind of learned what they want from  it as far as setup-wise. You know, we’ve had a lot of testing, and we’ve had a lot of road course testing. So I think it’s it has kind of evened everything out a lot more than what I originally thought in the beginning of the year. ”

“I think Mid-Ohio was successful; it was fairly easy to use and straightforward. You know, I think the most important bit is that it didn’t affect the racing too much, because I think we already had a really good product. So, I don’t think it was a detriment to that.”

“I think it will have a less less of an effect on on the ovals than on the road courses as far as overall lap time. But, I think it can still help you in ways. But it’s not going to have as big of an effect as the road courses.  It works a lot more efficiently when you’re at a lower speed, and the engine has more torque.  Obviously, it has less of an effect when we’re going faster. Same as push to pass.”

Christian Lundgaard expressed his discontent with the hybrid testing at the St. Petersburg race in March.   His Rahal Letterman Lanigan team had not done any testing with the new unit at that point and he was not happy that other teams had the advantage.

The Series scheduled dates at the end of March for the teams that did not have the chance to do any testing of the hybrid.

Autoracing1 spoke with Lundgaard about his experience in Mid-Ohio.

“It was pretty straightforward. I think there’s it’s very easy to overcomplicate and I think  a lot of us really overcomplicated just because we know that people have tested it and we’re trying to make up for that. In the end, I think all teams and drivers really landed on the same spot.”

” It doesn’t really seem like there’s anyone that has a big advantage over over anybody else, which is which is a positive.  It’s certainly more physical, I think.”

“This weekend here at Iowa will will be the most physical race, race weekend that we do and throughout the entire season for sure.”

“I don’t think the hybrid will be used as as much on the oval just because the regen is just overcomplicated for and you lose more time regenning.”

“I think a lot of it is muscle memory in the end. The it’s all it is is really just a procedure. And I think we we’ve gotten to a point all of us where, again, we don’t have enough energy to for it to really be complicated enough. And it’s very, very easy to regen. I think it’s easier to regen than we we first anticipated.”

It will be interesting to see how the drivers use the hybrid this weekend, on the 7/8 of a mile oval.  Will they use it during qualifying and the race?

Qualifying will be today at 2:45 pm CT.  The drivers will have two timed laps, the first one will be for Race 1 later today and the second lap will be for Race 2 tomorrow.

Race 1 is tonight at 7:06 pm and will be broadcast on NBC and Peacock.

Lucille Dust reporting live from Iowa