It was Sunday. After 945 sunrise without result, the seven-time Formula One champion, Lewis Hamilton got up and won the grand prix for the first time since 2021. An hour later, Pato O’Ward, the most popular driver in IndyCar, led the field to the checkered flag for the first time. at 715 days, ending his winless streak since 2022.
And at the same event, IndyCar crossed the important development finish line. Exactly 1,802 days after the series announced in 2019 that it would switch to a hybrid powertrain, the race ended.
Joining F1, IMSA and WRC as champions with a combination of internal combustion engines (ICE) and battery-based energy recovery systems (ERS), IndyCar hopes the launch of the hybrid era will spark renewed interest among automakers. and technology companies to integrate the series.
Its extensive history includes all the innovative engine solutions of the 1900s from early racing diesels to jet turbine propulsion and even some twin engine cars. But the new marriage of a small and powerful 700-plus-horsepower V6 turbo engine with an electric-generating motor, giving IndyCar drivers an extra 60-horsepower kick, is the first time for America to define an open-wheel racing series.
Marcus Ericsson, a five-year F1 veteran who joined IndyCar in 2019 and won the Indianapolis 500 in 2022, has more hybrid experience than the series and raced to fifth place on Sunday at the Mid-Ohio track set in the center of the Buckeye state.
“I think IndyCar should get the credit,” Ericsson told ESPN. “Me and many others, we were worried about introducing a midseason hybrid in a busy schedule, but all the cars finished the race, and it was very impressive. From a driving perspective, it was very different from what I had driven before, because it was more manual. When I was in Formula one, the Hybrid is always very automatic to the combustion engine so you don’t think that the Hybrid is too engineers setting and there is very little that the driver can do with the input.
“But in IndyCar, they make the system automatic in some ways, but it’s more manual, so you as a driver can change a lot of settings on how the hybrid regenerates under the brakes, or off the throttle, or whatever you want to do when the regens you can always change that setting, which is quite fun, because it is another tool to balance the car, depending on how you use it in the braking zone As a driver, we always want more control, and this hybrid allows us to have it.
Although not the first domestic championship to embrace hybridization, the timing of IndyCar’s switch is an important change for current and potential manufacturers in the future.
Supported by General Motors’ Chevrolet brand and Honda, which provided the 27-car Indy field with ICE and ERS, the often-delayed process for hybrids is a necessity for the series as it seeks to add some technological relevance. it is less. With the first race over, American Honda Motor Company’s motorsports manager, Chuck Schifsky, said the company was pleased with its products on the track.
“The first race in the hybrid electric era was a huge success,” he told ESPN. “I think the best thing was the weekend itself. The race was great. A lot of fans at Mid-Ohio, a lot of interest in hybrids, and it was an amazing race. Honda didn’t win, but … we heard from some of the drivers in the interview after, and in some conversations I had with them, they were happy to have another type of technology to play in the cockpit, another tool that could be used to their advantage. I think this is a success, and we are very happy to see it happen.
Together with Chevy, Honda’s powertrain supply contract with IndyCar runs through the 2026 season. The migration to hybrids comes after a year of requests to incorporate some form of ERS by Honda, and with complete conversion, this series is on the clock to try to secure an extension with the American arm of the Japanese brand , and with GM, and to enter into a lease with one other manufacturer to share in supplying boxes.
“Honda feels that fans will find this to be another thing to think about, watch and experience, especially when watching their favorite drivers and how they use the system,” added Schifsky. “For us, we really want to have hybrids in IndyCar because we want to race what we sell, which is hybrids and electric vehicles, and make both of them benefit the fans.
“Basically, every car manufacturer sells some kind of electric vehicle, so having electric IndyCars definitely helps when IndyCar goes out and talks to other manufacturers and tries to persuade them to enter the series. It helps position IndyCar as a higher technology and more advanced race.” , and we think that this can help us make more cars.
IndyCar’s implementation of ERS isn’t perfect, but expecting perfection to launch any new technology is unrealistic. Among the 27 entries, two were known to have been struck by the ERS problem in the race, starting with the six-time IndyCar champion Scott Dixon, whose car stalled and died while preparing to take the start of the 80-lap race at Mid- Ohio road.
He would lose 22 laps by the time the problem was resolved and he was finally in the race. Elsewhere in the field, Rinus VeeKay’s ERS battery was reluctant to charge, which hindered his performance, but the fact that none of the 27 drivers dropped out of the race for any reason – including hybrid failure – defied all expectations.
“From a technology introduction perspective, this could be one of the most successful in the history of motorsports,” said IndyCar president Jay Frye. “Chevrolet and Honda and many companies are phenomenal partners in this whole project. So many people are involved, and we’re just getting started. involved as a hybrid, we couldn’t be happier with the results, and everyone should be proud.