After years-long effort, IndyCar is ready to unveil its hybrid engine system this weekend in Ohio
IndyCar will unveil its hybrid engine system this weekend at the Mid-Ohio race track
INDIANAPOLIS — On the second floor of an upscale steakhouse in downtown Indianapolis, just days before their engines would be put to the test against each other in the Indianapolis 500, engineers from Chevrolet and Honda sat side-by-side and shared a toast.
In a collaboration of rivals, they had worked to push the IndyCar Series into a new era.
Over in the corner, sitting on a stand, was the product of their work, a hybrid unit that will fit neatly inside the existing chassis from Dallara, and works with each manufacturer's existing 2.2-liter, twin-turbocharged V-6 engines. Once installed, the first-of-its-kind design promises to dramatically alter the way IndyCar races are run.
“It's going to be a massive shift,” said Team Penske driver Scott McLaughlin. “We think we've got some sort of an idea of what it will do from the testing we've done previously with the hybrid. But it's going to be different for everybody.”
They will find out precisely how different this weekend.
After no hiccups during a final full-field test June 11, the hybrid system is poised to make its debut on Sunday at Mid-Ohio in an IndyCar regular-season race presented, quite fittingly, by the 2025 Honda Civic Hybrid.
“I think we’re well-placed for this,” said Arrow McLaren team principal Gavin Ward, whose teams in Formula 1 already are familiar with hybrid systems. “We were keen to have hybrid. We were very keen for the hybrid system in general. We’re looking for a new car. We’re keen for areas for us to really catch up. Frankly, this is an opportunity for us.”
The push to engine hybridization began in earnest years ago, when Chevrolet and Honda wanted to better align
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