The NTT IndyCar Series has approved the use of a new steering wheel for 2025.
The Cosworth Mk 3 model, which is an optional unit for teams to purchase, has been chosen by eight of IndyCar’s 11 full-time teams and presents drivers with a wider frame — a larger diameter — to generate more force and leverage in the move from 284mm to 310mm.
The units also boast larger data display screens and more buttons and rotary knobs placed in more ergonomic areas, which will be helpful for drivers as the manage and control the new energy recovery systems through the steering wheel.
So far, the Mk 3s, which cost approximately $19,000 apiece, have been ordered by AJ Foyt Racing, Arrow McLaren, Chip Ganassi Racing, Ed Carpenter Racing, Juncos Hollinger Racing, PREMA Racing, Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing and Team Penske, but one or more drivers within those eight teams will continue with the Mk 2s they used last season. Max Papis Innovations, the steering wheel company owned by the former driver and current IndyCar race steward, supplies the quick-disconnect mechanism for the Mk 3s.
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“Nowadays, with the hybrid, we’re doing so much stuff with the steering wheel compared to before,” Chip Ganassi’s reigning champion Alex Palou told RACER. “We need to look at so many different things, like the energy that we have, or the amount of energy that we have left to use; we’re doing a lot more stuff.
“The previous steering wheel I was using, it was great. But we needed more buttons, or we needed more rotaries, or we needed also the buttons to be in positions that we physically couldn’t do it. The new steering already has it, and we don’t even have to work on it. It’s like a blank paper and we can just put the buttons wherever we want. So, yeah, with this one, it gives us a lot more options, and at the same time, keeps it easier for the team to look after.
“The display, I think it’s a tiny bit bigger, which will help. And there’s a lot of buttons that I have at the back of the steering wheel. There’s more toggles and paddles. It’s pretty fancy.”