Welcome to the RACER Mailbag. Questions for any of RACER’s writers can be sent to mailbag@racer.com. Due to the high volume of questions received, we can’t guarantee that every letter will be published, but we’ll answer as many as we can. Published questions may be edited for length and clarity. Questions received after 3pm ET each Monday will appear the following week.
Q: I have watched with interest these previews regarding the introduction of hybrid powertrains to IndyCar. What is your best guess as to the reliability issues of these cars? Will we see a higher percentages of breakdowns compared to years past, which may make some of the races more interesting? Also, is there a possibility of Ford getting back into IndyCar with a hybrid setup? Ford has such a history at Indy; I would love for that to happen.
Denny Jones, Garnett, KS
MARSHALL PRUETT: We’re six months out from the first race with new technology, so it’s tough to make predictions while the ERS units are still being tested. Will we have more breakdowns than usual? It would be strange if that wasn’t the case, but we lack the data to offer an answer at this point in time.
Ford has been consistent for more than a decade in expressing its lack of interest in returning to IndyCar.
Q: I’m not sure how to feel about the crash at Turn 1 of Petit Le Mans. The No. 10 was ahead of the No. 31 at some point before the apex, but I’m not sure what he expected to happen going around the outside of the No. 31 at Turn 1. At the same time, the No. 31 did not leave any room.
What were the most common opinions in the IMSA paddock about the crash? What are your thoughts?
Kyle
MP: There’s so much to process here, Kyle.
If it was Jack Aitken or Alexander Sims in the No. 31 Cadillac instead of Pipo Derani, the No. 10 Acura isn’t destroyed against the Turn 1 barriers. But it was Derani — who has forged an extended reputation as someone who will run you to the edge of the road and beyond, and has never been subjected to penalty that I can think of — so as far as he’s concerned, it’s sanctioned. If it wasn’t, he’d leave enough room for Albuquerque to make it around Turn 1.
And if Derani hadn’t used Albuquerque up and done what he did, we’d all be shocked and surprised. What played out is exactly what was expected between these drivers and teams. There’s the other side of this complicated affair, and it’s in knowing the combination of Derani and the No. 31 car is a dog that will bite if you try and engage, so if Albuquerque knew it was Derani behind the wheel, there was a well-known repercussion awaiting him by going for a pass on the outside of Road Atlanta’s fastest and scariest corner.
But how do you blame a driver for trying to pass another driver in a professional motor race where this is what they’re paid to do? And when that attempted pass — done cleanly on the outside — is the difference between winning and losing a championship, how do you blame Albuquerque?
Albuquerque should be able to attempt a pass without fear of being wrecked. Derani should be able to defend as hard as possible without making contact — but there was contact made — and without taking all of the room away on corner exit, but that room was taken away.
This is something IMSA will need to ponder before we go racing again in January. The No. 10 will have a new sister entry in 2024, and you’d hate to see retribution paid to the No. 31 next season. We all love rivalries, but this has the potential to turn ugly if it’s allowed to fester.
Q: This year we saw several caution periods extended due to race control needing to reorder the field. Do we have a reason given for that? Did it just take that long for race control to review footage to see if passes happened before the yellow, or are teams refusing to give up positions while they appeal?
Mike, California
MP: Here’s an answer from IndyCar:
Q: Thank you for your excellent set of Porsche Rennsport Reunion videos. I especially enjoyed the Gunnar Jeannette tour of AO Racing. The only disappointment from an otherwise thoroughly enjoyable event was not having the 1998 Le Mans-winning GT-1. Was the reason for its non-appearance due to the damage sustained going up the Goodwood hill at the Festival of Speed this year?
Larry Haskett, Indianapolis, IN
MP: Yes, I heard the reason was because of the crash.