Q: During my local broadcast of the St. Petersburg Indy Grand Prix, of all the onboard camera shots shown, I counted only three times where the live telemetry data was displayed on screen. I didn’t count how many times it occurred during the Bahrain F1 Grand Prix, which I watched earlier that day, but I’m pretty sure it was much more than that (although the only data shown here is the instant speed).
Also, it’s been a couple of years since IndyCar started posting onboard pole lap videos on their social media, which is really cool. But there again without the telemetry data, unfortunately. Of course, having an HUD with the live speed along with the throttle and brake inputs doesn’t change a lot to your experience as a spectator. However, if you’re a tech fan, an occasional sim racer, or simply into race car driving, this is definitely an interesting feature to have a look at.
Seeing when these drivers hit the brake pedal and how slow they release it, at which speed they reach a corner apex, when and how fast they apply the throttle on the exit; this is the kind of thing that gives you a closer idea of how these athletes do what they do. And, as far as I’m concerned, it is just some fascinating stuff. Besides, this isn’t like telemetry looks to be a classified piece of information. Any person with a mobile phone can download the F1 TV Pro App, subscribe, and watch a live feed with both the telemetry and an onboard camera footage showing what their favorite driver is doing in the car.
Same goes with the IndyCar official app, which is 100% free (Regardless of the fact that in this case, the telemetry feed is not only very jerky, but also about 20 seconds ahead of what the onboard camera is showing, which makes it pointless…). Hell, even you, Marshall, were able to get your hands on David Malukas’s data during the pre-season testing at The Thermal Club (I’m talking about the video you posted on your YouTube channel). So, why is it that in F1 (a series where every team is observing the next one while being themselves extremely careful with that to reveal publicly) we get to know more about what the drivers are doing in the cockpit than in IndyCar (a series where all the cars are identical except for the engine and the dampers).
Who decides whether or not to show the telemetry data on screen during a given sequence (both in F1 and IndyCar, but especially during an onboard camera shot in the latter)? And would it be possible for IndyCar to add the telemetry data on the future pole lap videos they post?
Xavier
MP: It would be possible, yes. Hopefully they read your question and decide to act.
Q: The ending of the Sebring 12 Hours was exciting, of course. But whenever I watch an IMSA endurance race, I can’t help but wonder what the point is of everything besides the last hour. Inevitably, due to IMSA’s yellow flag rules, no matter who is leading and how big the gap is ultimately it won’t matter because some random GTD or LMP3 car is going to end up in the wall and they’ll reset the field. I understand the point about making for an exciting ending and avoiding one team riding off into the distance, but it essentially ends up making the first 23 hours completely meaningless for a 24-hour race. Just keep your car out of trouble and make sure you have a good last pit stop/restart.
I love IMSA’s sprint races because teams aren’t just biding their time until the end. They’re going flat out from the green because they can’t necessarily count on a yellow to bail them out. But the endurance races just feel like a slog. WEC isn’t perfect either, but at least you need to pay attention from the get go because every minute matters.
I just wish IMSA would get away from this American (i.e. NASCAR) mindset that we need to bunch the field up every time someone loses a mirror (and don’t get me started on the absurd amount of time it takes to go back to green). It makes the whole concept of an endurance race essentially meaningless. Curious to hear your thoughts.
John, Cincinnati, OH
MP: We were just a few minutes shy of having four hours — 33 percent — of the 12-hour race run under caution, John, and yeah, if that was the Rolex 24, people would be rightfully outraged at losing eight hours behind the pace car.
I can’t blame it all on the LMP3 class, but I won’t mind seeing those cars getting the WeatherTech Championship axe next season (that’s what I expect to happen, at least), and from there, we saw all the GTP cars, which have a lot less downforce and a lot more weight struggling in the heat on worn tires, so some of the best drivers in the field were also guilty of contributing to the daylong mess.
The topic is raised in the final question, so I’ll save answering it here, but yes, there must be a better way to handle debris and seemingly minor on-track issues than firing the pace car out to slow the field every damn time…
Q: Just got home from Super Sebring. What an amazing race week! We brought a bunch of first timers and happy to report most will be coming back next year. While other races hold higher prestige, from this fan’s perspective, spending a week camping in Green Park and roaming the track is the best bang for your motorsports buck in North American racing.
Throughout the week, it seemed like the WEC was clear that they care more about oil/gas money from the Gulf States than they do making an amazing sports car gathering. Is there anything that can be done to salvage Super Sebring, or will this combination go the way of the hybrid diesel?
Kyle
MP: All of my WEC friends tell me we just experienced the last Super Sebring, and while I’m a little bit sad, I also won’t mind going back to having the 12 Hour as the main event and filling Friday with Michelin Pilot Challenge as the big warmup act.
What I really hope to see happen is for IMSA to add its Historic Sportscar Racing (HSR) series to the Friday schedule with a great nod to history with a proper vintage race for IMSA’s finest GT and prototype cars from the 1970, 1980s, and 1990s.
Q: Why wouldn’t Roger Penske enter a fourth car for the 500, for one of his NASCAR Cup Series drivers? It would raise the TV ratings for the race and qualifying, and probably fill more seats. Once some of the NASCAR-only fans watch the race, they might become IndyCar fans too. It was always interesting when a driver would do the double that day.
Jim, Ontario, Canada
MP: That thing where Team Penske’s gotten its backside kicked over and over again at the Indy 500 in recent years would be the reason. When you fail to run competitively with three cars, the answer isn’t adding a fourth with a total newcomer.
Q: IndyCar having success at Barber Motorsport Park should open the door for a return trip to NOLA. The first time was a disaster, but that was 8 + years ago and a different IndyCar IMO. And what about Sebring? IndyCar is saying they want a 20-race schedule and i agree, have been saying so for years, so what about Richmond, another great short oval?
AE, Danville, IN
MP: The problems at NOLA weren’t about IndyCar or who was running it back then. It was, as I was told by all who were involved (I was at the Silverstone FIA WEC season opener that weekend) that it was amateur hour and an infrastructural dumpster fire.
IndyCars would snap in half on the full Sebring circuit, so that’s not an option, and yes, if there was a way for IndyCar to get Richmond back on track, I’d love to go back. My last time there in 2001 was a blast as we (Sam Schmidt Motorsports) earned our first IndyCar pole.