Welcome to the Q: Oh no, not this again! The higher-ups are discussing… guaranteed starting positions in the Indy 500? I have a couple of questions:
1. Are they joking?
2. Where is BK, Indy?
MARSHALL PRUETT: Roger Penske is dead serious. He has been advocating for guaranteed starting positions at every IndyCar race, including the Indy 500, for a long time. He has talked about it in interviews with me and others, both before and after he acquired the series.
I understand that the idea of ‘guaranteed Indy 500 starting positions’ has recently gained attention, and if you were not aware of it before, you might have thought it was something new. But it’s not.
Regarding the question of ‘where has “IndyCar introduced nothing that was remotely formal or final in the meeting, but some interesting ideas were shared – and commented on by team owners – that could form the framework of a future system that is heavily modeled on the Leaders Circle program… the same number of 22 Leaders Circle contracts was mentioned, but with a twist where those 22 entries could be guaranteed to start at every race, including the Indianapolis 500.”‘
Also, if you read “In my opinion, if you commit to a full season competing in our series, you should receive the benefits and ensure that you have secured positions on the starting grid. This security will benefit our teams, their sponsors, and their ability to attract drivers.”
Guaranteed positions would provide more security for the regular drivers, but it could take away some of the drama on Bump Day when one of the big names encounters trouble. Phillip Abbott/Motorsport Images
Q: I just finished reading an article about the IndyCar hybrid. While I somewhat understood the overall concept, and I’m sure you have discussed it in previous articles, I now have a better understanding of the technical challenge that IndyCar and Honda/GM have been facing. Specifically, implementing hybrid power on an oval.
Most, if not all, of your readers know that drivers do not lift off the throttle during a lap at the 500, for example. So when would the hybrid system be able to regenerate energy? Obviously, this presents a major technical challenge. The decision to keep the package as lightweight as possible is another technical challenge that led to the use of supercapacitors instead of lithium batteries. As you mentioned before, vendor and supply issues have also slowed down the entire process.
Based on my improved understanding, I can appreciate the delays and commend Honda and GM for taking charge of the project. As you reported, the last test went relatively smoothly, which is a positive sign. While I look forward to its implementation, my only concern is when it should be introduced. Honestly, I’m not sure if it makes sense to introduce it in the middle of the season just for the sake of checking a box. I will continue to stay informed.
Glenn, Renton, WA
MP: Think about drivers running in the draft at Indy where, as you mentioned, they are fully on the throttle and don’t brake. In normal hybrid racing conditions, there would be no way to charge the energy recovery system (ERS) while flying around Indy. Charging would only be possible while braking for pit lane.
To address this, IndyCar and its ERS partners have created an option for drivers to use a ‘fiddle paddle,’ as it is often called. This small paddle is mounted to the back of the steering wheel. Some road-going hybrids have a similar paddle (not the exact same paddle, but the same technology) that allows drivers to lightly squeeze it and engage the motor generator unit (MGU) to spin at low RPMs and harvest electricity that gets sent to the supercapacitor. If you’re driving your hybrid on the freeway and traffic is constantly speeding up and slowing down, cars with this regen paddle give you the opportunity to use the paddle to manage your speed, charge the battery, and avoid using the brake, which can be annoying.
So, instead of having to use the brake to trigger the MGU to wake up and spin and harvest energy in your IndyCar, drivers can gently engage the paddle with their fingertips. This is particularly useful in oval races where drivers in a draft are rarely at full throttle. They have to lift to avoid hitting the car they are drafting off of. With the ERS and paddle, drivers in a draft can use the extra throttle to counteract the slowing/charging effect of the MGU.
In simple terms, if a driver is at 90% throttle in the draft at Indy and wants to recharge their supercapacitor, they can drag the paddle, and the MGU will slow the car by the equivalent of 7% throttle. The driver can then go from 90% to 97% throttle to neutralize the slowing/charging effect of the MGU using the internal combustion engine.
Additionally, if a driver wants to let another driver pass them, they can pull harder on the paddle to get a bigger boost from the MGU and use it to repass them later. This will introduce new strategies to look out for in 2025 when hybrids debut at IMS. And the paddle can be used anywhere, not just on ovals, although it is particularly useful on ovals.
At the other ovals, which are all smaller compared to Indy, we might see drivers lifting more into Turn 1 at WWTR, but they can counteract it by staying harder on the throttle and using a bigger pull on the harvesting paddle to slow their speeds. There will be a lot of strategies to consider when IndyCar goes hybrid.
According to the Source racer.com