The IndyCar hybrid powertrain continues to be a talking point around the series, eight months after its initial introduction halfway through the 2024 season.

Drivers have largely adjusted to the new driving controls, and teams are still adjusting to the added costs the high-tech system has brought to each entry.

As he approaches 150 race starts and is in the middle of his 10th season in IndyCar, Alexander Rossi talked about what he feels are the pros and cons of the hybrid system in its current form.

“I have a list of cons,” said Rossi with a smile, implying that he was only half joking. “The pros are [the car now] starts itself. You can start yourself.

“The biggest thing is, I truly believe this, this isn’t a marketing PR line, it lays the foundation for future manufacturers to come into the sport.

“It’s no secret that the car market, the automotive market, the world market, in terms of automobiles has changed over the past decade.

“With the current format of engine that we have, it also makes perfect sense that a manufacturer wouldn’t want to necessarily come in and try and catch up to 10-plus years of development of an existing power train, right?”

Not attractive, but impressive

Largely, the hybrid system has not brought about much in the way of visible differences to an outside observer.

Lap times are very similar, the added weight nearly canceling the added power, and there is no discernable sound difference either.

But there are many new components under the side pods and inside the bellhousing that work together and allowed the hybrid system to function with minimal flaws during its first few events.

The technical achievement of the electrified power system is the main area where many see the series has moved forward.

It is this area that Rossi believes will benefit the series in the long run, with reliability from the outset combined with the promise of more visible power delivery in the future standing out.  

“The hybrid, while it might not be that attractive in its current guise, I think in terms of what we’ve done from a reliability standpoint is pretty impressive. What we did last year in terms of implementing a hybrid mid-season and the honestly lack of failures – .

“You’re going to have failures in race cars in every capacity. There wasn’t mass hybrid failures in the championship season. That was a huge win.

“You bring that forward to this year, and because the reliability has been so robust, we can start to incrementally increase the performance, increase the load and duty cycle on it throughout a lap and get more power, which we already saw at St. Pete. At St. Pete, it was already a much more effective tool than it had been at any point in 2024.

“While I think the list of pros now from a performance standpoint is short, I think it’s going to grow. I think for the long-term future health of the series, it doesn’t matter what the cons are at this point because it’s pretty clear that manufacturers want hybrids to be involved.”

Rossi has logged five top 10 finishes since the hybrid was introduced, including a 10th place run with his new team Ed Carpenter Racing in the opening round of the 2025 season.

This May, he will look to use the hybrid system to continue his top 5 streak at the Indianapolis 500 that stretches back to 2022.

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The NTT IndyCar Series has announced a few changes for the upcoming 2025 season, including a few related to pit lane.

A major change for this year is that more tracks will have a two-stage pit speed limit that extends to portions of the track outside of pit lane.

A multistage pit speed limit has already been used at certain tracks in recent years.

At Road America, the pit entry has a long section before drivers reach the actual pit boxes, so a higher speed limit was imposed in that relatively safer area in order to keep total pit stop times from being too long.

The ovals of World Wide Technology Raceway and Nashville Superspeedway had similar limits applied at the end of pit lane, when drivers are required to stay off the banking until they reach the back stretch.

New for 2025, two-stage pit speed limits will be added to the entry portion of both ovals listed above as well as Iowa Speedway.

The changes will help to prevent drivers from pushing too hard while entering the pits, which could cause them to slide up onto the banking where other drivers are coming past at full speed.

Overall pit stop deltas may increase slightly from the changes, but the speeds will likely be set near the maximum that the cars could run on the apron, leading to only minor effects.

Hybrid restarts

While drivers are in pit lane, they will also now be able to use the hybrid system to restart their own ICE engines if they stall.

The hybrid components, introduced at Mid-Ohio last season, have been built from the start to allow drivers to restart their car without the need for a separate starter motor to be attached to the flywheel by a crew member.

Drivers were forbidden from using the system on pit lane, however, with the reasoning being that it is harder for people standing in the area to know when a car will launch.

That restriction has been removed for this season, and drivers will be able to more quickly get going again when the stall while trying to accelerate away after a pit stop.

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The NTT IndyCar Series will race with substantially the same amount of hybrid power in 2025 as was available for its debut this past season.

After multiple delays due to design changes and reliability concerns, IndyCar’s hybrid components were first used in competition during the Mid-Ohio race weekend in early July.

Drivers quickly adapted to the additional controls as they manually adjusted deployment and regeneration rates from behind the wheel, but also reported that there was very little overall gain from the system.

With relatively strict deployment limits imposed per lap and roughly 60 horsepower available from the electrified components, the added weight of the system all but nullified the gains and lap times stayed nearly the same as years prior.

There has been a promise that additional boost can be added to the system in the future, giving drivers more horsepower and putting a bigger emphasis on utilizing the extra power effectively.

While speaking at the ePartrade Race Industry Week virtual conference, IndyCar President Jay Frye revealed that any increases in power will not be introduced before the 2026 season.

“This year, we ran [the hybrid system] for basically half of the season,” said Frye. “Next year will be the first time we run it for a full season. Probably the first time we see any increase in it will be in 2026.

“Think of it like this: the hybrid unit has about 60 horsepower and Push to Pass has about 60 horsepower. Those combinations will still be used and available to the drivers.

“Next year will be the first year we have it at the Indy 500, which will be different. Next year will be kind of a status quo, and we’ll look at it differently for ’26 and going forward.”

Mid-season hybrid introduction deemed successful

Aside from the initial delays that pushed back the rollout of the hybrid systems by over a year, the mandatory introduction of the new components halfway through the season was more successful than some had predicted.

A few incidents threatened to tarnish the rollout, including when Scott Dixon suffered a hybrid failure on the pre-race warmup laps at Mid-Ohio. His CGR Honda was towed back to the garage and his day was ruined before the race even began.

There were also issues with the electronic lockout system, designed to prevent hybrid use in the pit lane, which led to the boost being unavailable to multiple drivers during some of the first oval qualifying sessions with the new components.

The decision to wait another full year before increasing the power output does not seem to be related to those incidents, but rather based out of a desire to run a full season with a stable product before pushing the limits of the system further.

If and when the hybrid power output is increased, there has been talk that IndyCar’s long-used Push to Pass turbo boost system may be retired. But Frye reiterated that those decisions have not yet been made and there are no plans to remove the Push to Pass system in the near future.

“Possibly at some point [we will be able to get rid of Push to Pass],” continued Frye. “Right now, we’re comfortable with drivers having multiple tools. You can use hybrid by itself, you can use Push to Pass by itself, or you can use them together. For ’25 and ’26 we’ll keep that format.

“We think [the hybrid rollout] went very, very well. This is probably an extreme, but in our opinion it was one of the most successful launches of technology in motorsports history.

“From the Milwaukee open test through the end of the season we ran almost 92,000 miles. If you think about it, in those 92,000 miles, there were just a couple minor things that happened over the course of that time. 27 cars running the hybrid unit. It was a great effort by Honda, Chevrolet, all of our teams in the paddock, and everybody at IndyCar to get this thing over the top.

“It took a while, right? That’s always something that’s frustrating. But ultimately once we got the product on track, we think it performed very well.”

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With a few races in the books for IndyCar’s new hybrid powertrain, the series’ drivers are finally getting a chance to evaluate how the system can work in the heat of an event weekend.

Unlike other racing series, deployment of the system’s roughly 60 horsepower boost is done manually, and regeneration of the supercapacitor can be accomplished through software during braking or through manual controls on the steering wheel.

Regardless of which option drivers choose for controlling the system, there are a now considerably more things to manage inside the cockpit as they are travelling down the track at nearly 200 MPH.

As drivers get used to the new duties with each race weekend, they are able to have gain more comfort through repetition.

“I think it is [fun] when it becomes muscle memory, which in Mid-Ohio it was finally getting to that point,” Felix Rosenqvist told Motorsportweek.com during the Iowa weekend. “The simulator helps a lot to play with that stuff as well.

“Early on, it was annoying because you were like ‘I don’t want to do this stuff.’ Then when it becomes second nature, it’s actually quite fun. You do it without really thinking about it.

“That’s why they pay us the big bucks,” he continued, joking about how busy he is in the cockpit. “[We use the tools] a lot. There are a lot of things going on. You gotta use all your fingers. There’s five on each hand.”

Some drivers have chosen to have the hybrid controls linked to buttons on the front of the steering wheel, and some have added a button on the back of the wheel to be activated by their fingers.

The main consideration is driver preference, but practical limitations are also in play. Drivers do not want to be pressing the deployment button with the same finger that would control the upshift paddle, for instance, because both may need to be pressed at the same moment coming out of a corner.

The system is used in a completely different manner during oval races as well, which demand even more manual regeneration when there is little or no braking zones.

For part-time drivers, the challenge is more apparent. Conor Daly, while substituting for Jack Harvey in Iowa, ran his first race with the hybrid and did not have the same comfort level with the system as those around him.

The same is true of Katherine Legge, who is only contesting oval rounds with Dale Coyne Racing this season and only had a couple test sessions to try out the new system before the races last weekend.

“No, I’m still thinking about it,” said Legge, candid in her own lack of comfort with the controls.

“I still need to ask what the best strategy is and stuff like that. Because while you get some feel for it and you start to be able to do it instinctively, you’re still thinking about it. You’re still trying to work out state of charge, decel rates, and stuff. We’ll get there.”

For those drivers that have had the most testing time, the new addition is much more enjoyable at this stage.

The largest teams [Team Penske, Chip Ganassi Racing, and Arrow McLaren in particular] helped IndyCar test the prototype hybrid components on track, and thus have had the most time with their drivers behind the wheel.

Even though the details of the control scheme was in flux during testing, just as the electrical power unit was itself, the additional time still allowed those drivers to commit the basics of the new system to muscle memory.

With only two race weekends having been completed so far, some drivers are enjoying the new system already and can focus on strategically using the hybrid boost instead of the basic mechanics of remembering how to use it in the first place.

“It’s great!” said Alex Palou. “It’s fun, ton of fun. Even on those laps that get to be boring because there’s a stage when nobody is catching you, you don’t pull away, or you have traffic. There was still a lot do, driving wise. As a driver, I thought it was amazing.

“It’s very busy, but I mean, we’re racing. We’re not chilling around. It was good. It was not way too much that I couldn’t concentrate. It was right at the edge of ‘don’t give me more stuff’ because then probably I would be overwhelmed. But it was fun.”

As more races are run with the new system, the novelty will fade and the additional skills will simply become part of the skills needed to be a driver in IndyCar.

For now, it is very much a new challenge that is keeping the field of 27 drivers quite busy behind the wheel.

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On Friday, IndyCar drivers were able to sample the hybrid system for the first time during a live race weekend while turning laps at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course.

There were little if any issues, and they were able to test out various different use cases for the new electrified power boost in the truncated session.

One situation drivers were not able to test out was deploying the hybrid system alongside the standard Push to Pass boost system, because Push to Pass will not be active until Sunday morning’s warm-up and then the race later that day.

Much has been made by the series about the total power output, with 800 total horsepower being achievable if drivers utilize both systems simultaneously.

Alex Palou, the reigning series champion and most recent winner at Mid-Ohio, is not so sure that using both will be in the best interest of drivers, however.

He feels the high power output could put undue strain on the rear tires, which will cause them to break free from their performance window.

“That’s what I’m looking forward to in the warm-up, which is the first time we get the overtake enabled,” said Palou, eager to see what happens when both are used simultaneously. “I don’t think the tires are going to like that.

“[Even with the repaved track], the tires still get all the horsepower at once. I think it’s also going to be tough, pressing two buttons at the same time while going up through the gears, trying to get the buttons right.

“But yeah, I’m excited. For sure, I think it’s something drivers will try the first couple laps in the warm-up. Hopefully that also makes the race more interesting. If people start putting more pressure on the rear tires and struggling more.

“I think it’s actually a really good hybrid system for what we were looking for.”

Palou refused to elaborate on exactly where his hybrid deployment button is on his steering wheel, and how awkward it will be for him to press both boost buttons simultaneously.

Some drivers have chosen to put at least one button on the backside of the wheel, allowing their fingers to activate the system instead of their thumbs.

Sunday morning’s final practice is when drivers will get a chance to try out that particular scenario, and only then will they see if their coordination or their tires are tested more.

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After multiple delays, the NTT IndyCar Series is finally set to introduce a hybrid powertrain at this weekend’s race from Mid-Ohio.

All 27 cars will be fitted with electrified power units that will complement the established 2.2-liter internal combustion engines to deliver over 800 horsepower to the rear wheels.

Although IndyCar is far from the first racing series to incorporate hybrid power into its formula, it has developed a unique configuration that could help it stand out.  As long as the technical achievements incorporated into the cars are noticeable, that is.

It has been a long road to get to this point. IndyCar first started developing a complete hybrid package by working with MAHLE, one of the largest automotive parts suppliers in the world. They designed and built prototypes for a system that would fit inside the bellhousing of the series’ existing Dallara DW12 chassis.

A lot of work was done on the system, but there were multiple hurdles that cropped up once it came time to start running tests on actual race cars on track. Reliability issues were present once the systems were exposed to real world conditions, and lingering supply chain issues that hung around years after the pandemic threatened the ability to properly supply the entire grid.

In late 2022, just a few months before the planned hybrid introduction at the start of the 2023 season, IndyCar announced that implementation would be delayed to 2024. In addition, development of MAHLE’s initial designs were brought in house, meaning the series’ existing engine manufacturers Honda and Chevy took over the project.

The two companies worked together to finalize the design, Honda taking the lead on the energy store and Chevy the motor generator unit, and together have presented a complete unit that will bring hybrid power to America’s top open wheel series for the first time.

The first complete systems tests were run on August 16, 2023. Series veterans Scott Dixon and Will Power completed laps around Sebring International Raceway, and helped a fleet of engineers evaluate performance and make decisions about the best way to solve problems that arose.

As more completed units were produced, further tests were held later in the year at a variety of tracks with an increasing number of teams. IndyCar’s smaller teams were forced to wait until March 30 of this year before they were able to sample the system for themselves, after some 15,000 miles of testing had already completed by the series’ big names.

This led to some calls of unfairness, but the larger teams and their veteran drivers consistently stated their participation in the early testing only helped Honda and Chevy finalize the system, and did not produce an unfair advantage.

“It’s just different,” said Newgarden, dismissing the concerns. “It might suit people, and it might not suit others. It’s certainly something you have to adjust around driving-wise, setup-wise, so we’ll see who copes the best. I don’t think it really matters [at what point the hybrid is introduced].”

The system functions with the same basic principles of other automotive hybrid systems around the world, with an electric motor placed in-line on the driveshaft that can double as a regeneration unit as well. The motor delivers power under acceleration and harvests power under braking to help recover energy that would normally be ‘lost’ as heat in the car’s brakes.

Where IndyCar’s system differentiates itself is in the compactness of the completed unit. The electric motor, energy store, and relevant control electronics all fit within the chassis structure between the ICE motor and the gearbox, and weigh just over 100 pounds.

Another area that is unique is the way in which the system stores energy. Instead of chemical batteries or spinning flywheels, energy is stored in a pack of 20 soda can-sized supercapacitors. These supercapacitors can receive and discharge energy quickly, and can be subjected to many cycles without degradation.

The design choices also allow the system to run at approximately 48 volts, with a safety cap at 60 volts. Implementations in other series can have much higher voltages, with IMSA’s GTP prototypes containing electric systems that run at 700-800 volts for example. IndyCar’s lower voltage numbers will keep drivers, crew, and track workers safe without any new extreme safety procedures having to be introduced.

Although the hybrid systems are delivered to the teams as spec units with no room for physical adjustments, there are a few options that will be made available to drivers. Regeneration in particular can be accomplished by a paddle on the steering wheel, allowing for fine adjustments in regeneration rate, or automatically under braking through software settings.

Deployment will be done via a dedicated button on the steering wheel, which will allow drivers to decide when best to use the extra power boost from the electric portion of their power units. The deployment will be in addition to, and separate from, the existing Push to Pass system that increases the engine’s turbocharger boost pressure to temporarily increase power to the rear wheels.

There are limits that will be imposed by the series, which will be quite restrictive for the first few race weekends. Although the hybrid system will be allowed to be used during qualifying, race starts, and restarts, IndyCar will limit the amount of instantaneous power delivery from the electric motor and will also limit total usage by setting a maximum energy use per lap.

For the hybrid system’s debut at Mid-Ohio this weekend, drivers will have 50-60 horsepower at their disposal and will only be able to deploy the boost for four to five seconds per lap. Once the limit of 280kJ of energy is reached, they will have to wait until the next lap to deploy the system again.

The system is technically capable of supplying quite a bit more power, but IndyCar officials are taking a conservative approach during the first few races to ensure there are no reliability issues that ruin a driver’s race weekend. Extra scrutiny will be applied to any problems that arise, especially considering the system is being introduced halfway through the championship season.

“The system doesn’t really do much,” admitted Pato O’Ward to MotorsportWeek.com. “In terms of performance, you’re definitely not looking at over a tenth anywhere. It doesn’t bring enough performance for it to be actually different in terms of the outcome. You feel the burst, but does it actually translate to performance? Maybe a little bit.

“I think over time, as we learn how to extract more from the unit, I think it will improve. Where we’re at right now, in terms of what limits we can use, there’s not enough. You can’t hear it, you can’t see it. There’s been so much money put into this, time and effort. The fan will notice absolutely nothing.”

Ironically, the biggest change fans may notice is the ability for drivers to restart their own cars if they stall on track. The new electric motor can serve as a starter motor, and the trackside safety crew will no longer have to intervene if a car is stalled following a spin.

This little detail will lead to fewer caution periods throughout the weekend, and could change the pit strategy teams employ if they are expecting longer green flag runs during the race.

But make no mistake, having hybrid powertrains is a big deal for the health of the series. Road relevance is as important as ever, and companies need to be able to demonstrate that on track technologies are helping their business dealings with the general public.

Honda was one of the most adamant of IndyCar’s partners that the series get a working hybrid system in the cars this season. The company was even rumored to have made a demand that hybrid systems be introduced before the end of the 2024, or they would stop supplying the series with engines. A threat made more credible by public comments the company made lamenting the costs associated with operating its IndyCar program.

Whether or not that was the main factor in the decision to introduce the hybrid system mid-season may never be made public, but the result is the same either way. Fans will get to see a hybridized IndyCar for the first time this upcoming weekend, and will witness the biggest technical change to the series since the Aeroscreen debuted in 2020.

There are nine races left in the current season, which will show which teams and drivers are able to adapt to the new regulations best. Those nine races will also serve as the ultimate test to see if all the hard work pays off for a series that could desperately use a positive storyline.

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With the debut of IndyCar’s new hybrid system just around the corner, the finer details of how the system will be used during a race weekend have been released.

One of the most consequential of the new rules is the confirmation that drivers will be able to use the system virtually whenever they want throughout the weekend.

Unlike the Push to Pass turbocharger boost, which is still in place and active with its existing ruleset, the hybrid power system will be able to be deployed during the start and restarts of the race.

Drivers do not have to wait until they have completed the first lap on Sunday to use the system, and will be able to use the additional 60 horsepower to get a run into the first turn if they wish.

The rulebook spells this out clearly in the hybrid module section, stating in rule 14.23.1.6 that “Regeneration and deployment will be active at all times, other than when a car is on Pit Lane.”

Each track will have its own use limits set, and drivers will have to abide by a 280kJ per lap limit this weekend at Mid-Ohio.

That equates to roughly four seconds of boost time, which is also the approximate capacity of one full charge of the bank of supercapacitors sitting within each car’s bellhousing.

It will be up to the drivers to recharge the system throughout the rest of the lap, and the next lap’s limit will be in effect when the driver crosses the alternate start/finish line.

The hybrid boost will also be available during qualifying, subject to the same per-lap use limits as during the race.

Drivers who start a lap with a full charge and use it in the optimal locations could see upwards of a tenth of a second gain, which would be quite impactful amid the small gaps that usually feature in IndyCar’s qualifying times.

In addition, the updated rulebook has spelled out how replacement hybrid units will be policed for the remainder of the 2024 season.

Each entrant will only be in possession of a single hybrid unit at a time, with the series handing out replacements from a common pool if and when they are needed.

A working hybrid unit can be replaced after it has been run for 5,000 miles, including all practice and testing mileage, at which time the series will provide a new replacement unit.

Hybrid units may be replaced early if they are damaged or are underperforming, but final permission to receive a new unit lies with the series and not the teams.

If the team initiates a change-out for a new hybrid unit, then that entrant will receive a grid penalty similar to an unapproved ICE engine change. The penalties are nine grid places at an oval and six grid places at a road course.

Each hybrid module, which adds 105 pounds to the minimum car weight, is sealed and cannot be modified in any way by the teams.

After many miles of testing over the past year, the real test of the hybrid module comes this weekend. The physical components will be tested, and drivers and teams will be tested on their understanding of the new system.

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Nearly every driver on the IndyCar grid was at Iowa Speedway on Thursday taking part in a hybrid power unit test session.

The test served as a hybrid systems test and also as an evaluation of the track’s newly repaved surface.

After completing laps in the afternoon and again in the evening hours, which simulates the time frame of July’s races, drivers had mostly good opinions of the new track surface.

The repaved sections are very smooth, which has led to very low amounts of degradation on the Firestone tires and quicker lap times.

There was also a clear advantage to running in the lower groove through the corners, which could potentially make for difficult passing during the event. Although opinions were split on if that would be different during the race weekend.

“The repave is awesome,” said Graham Rahal midway through the test day. “The corners are so smooth. Faster than last year, for us, about seven tenths of a second. For the pole sitters maybe only a few tenths.

“Awesome grip. I think it’s gonna open up the second lane maybe even more than we had before. I’m pretty excited about it. I think it’s going to be a hell of a good show here.”

The hybrid system functioned well during Thursday’s test, with no reported issues with the electrified power system.

Even with the extra power available, however, the effects on overall performance appear to be minimal at the current power levels made available by the series.

IndyCar is taking a conservative approach with the system, and is limiting the power output at the beginning of its use to ensure that there are minimal hiccups as the hybrid units make thier race weekend debut.

After multiple lengthy delays, the hybrid system will make its full debut at the upcoming race from Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course.

Teams all have their hands on enough units to complete the race weekend, with Honda and Chevy having a stock of spare components available should they be needed.

The full debut of the hybrid systems will be Friday afternoon’s practice session at 3:20 PM eastern time, followed by the Honda Indy 200 at 1:45 PM on Sunday, July 7.

The paddock will then return to site of this latest test at Iowa Speedway for a double-header race weekend at Iowa Speedway on July 13-14.

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Just two days after winning his first IndyCar race in nearly two years, Will Power topped the timesheets during an open test session around the Milwaukee Mile oval.

That was not the only similarity between the test and the recent race at Road America, as Josef Newgarden and Scott McLaughlin also matched their results by finishing second and third on the charts.

The test served a dual purpose, giving drivers a change to sample the Milwaukee oval that is back on the schedule after a long absence as well as giving the entire paddock a chance to complete a final test of the new hybrid system.

The hybrid components will be introduced during a live race weekend at Mid-Ohio, just a few short weeks away.

Tuesday’s running meant that most all of the series’ full time teams could make their final evaluations of the electrified system, and drivers could get used to the multiple regeneration methods available.

The test was successful overall, with no noted mechanical issues from any parts installed on the 20 cars that participated.

After allowing open running for a couple hours, the series enforced a race simulation of sorts, including pace laps and a red flag period.

All went well, and drivers were able to focus on learning the Milwaukee course as much as they were the hybrid systems.

“Yeah, it’s great to be here,” said Graham Rahal, who ended the day with the 10th best time. “I love it. I’ve always loved the Mile.

“I think it’s a tremendous challenge. Great racetrack. Everything that they’ve done to spruce up the pit lane, fix that mess, get the boxes looking nice and everything, is very much appreciated.

“It was beautiful, awesome today. It was great to be back here turning laps. I think it’s particularly coming off Road America, these are two of the best in the country, right here in Wisconsin. Great day.”

The veteran also commented on the use of the hybrid components, relating how it will take time for him to get used to the new controls on his steering wheel.

“Not [second nature] by any means,” he continued. “I think when you’re up in high rpms and stuff, that’s not where it’s efficient. Same in the street car.

“When you’re up doing a qualifying lap, high in rpms, the feeling is really nominal. But, as I said, coming off the corner, low rpms, race running, things like that, it’s quite a large effect, which is cool.

“Even for me today, in my car, they changed basically my entire steering wheel from two days ago to today to add the buttons and change things around. There was a lot in my brain today as far as to figure out in a short period of time. I think it will become more second nature.”

Some teams will have another test with hybrid components later in the week on the Nashville Superspeedway, then the real test will come July 5-7 during the Honda Indy 200 at Mid-Ohio.

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IndyCar confirmed on Tuesday that the series will debut its long-awaited hybrid powertrain during the upcoming Mid-Ohio race weekend.

The introduction of the hybrid system has suffered multiple developmental delays, both due to component shortages and design changes that were necessary to make the unit ready for racing.

Through 23,518 miles of testing at various circuits around the country by every team in the series, IndyCar is now ready to commit to a full launch of the system at the Mid-Ohio Sportscar Course on the weekend of July 5-7.

“The strength of this uncharted partnership between Chevrolet and Honda has pushed this innovative project to the grid in 2024,” IndyCar President Jay Frye said.

“The IndyCar-specific hybrid power unit will bring a new and exciting element to the NTT IndyCar Series with additional energy and overtake options. We cannot wait to see the start of this new era at Mid-Ohio.”

The hybrid components will fit within other parts of the car which were introduced at the start of the year and have been specifically designed to take on the extra pieces.

There will be 20 ultracapacitors mounted inside the bellhousing between the internal combustion engine and the gearbox, with power delivered and regenerated through a Motor Generator Unit attached to the clutch shaft.

Drivers will have the ability to regenerate power automatically through braking or manually through the use of steering wheel paddles.

During testing, both regeneration methods were evaluated, and the series has determined that both options are suitable for use on track.

The hybrid power will be able to be used in conjunction with the existing Push to Pass boost system. The amount of electric energy used will be limited per lap, while a defined total time per race will still limit the Push to Pass system.

Together, the boosted ICE performance and the hybrid components will produce over 800 horsepower, with additional power possible through updates in forthcoming years.

“This is exciting new technology and, like all things new, has presented challenges to us at HRC as we have stepped in with our competitors to help IndyCar make the hybrid system compact enough, powerful enough, light enough and reliable enough to work within the highly-restricted confines of an IndyCar chassis,” said Honda Racing Corporation USA President David Salters.

“We are proud of our associates’ work to develop the supercapacitor pack and control software for the system. We look forward to hybrid tech adding another dimension to the great racing spectacle and entertaining our great Honda and IndyCar racing fans.”

A full field test is scheduled for June 11 at the Milwaukee Mile, which will serve the dual purpose of testing the hybrid units one final time and giving drivers a chance to learn the track, which is back on the scheduled for the first time in nine years.

The Mid-Ohio race weekend gets underway just over seven weeks from now, with the Honda Indy 200 taking place on Sunday, July 7 as the first event to feature the new hybrid system.

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