Q: There has been a lot of talk about IndyCar’s lack of changeable parts. Prior to the Indy 500, RACER did a great piece on the number of aero options available to teams — I was surprised the number of choices. Granted, most of the options were pre-race decisions and could not be changed during a race. But with complaints about a “spec series,” I expected the broadcast do something more with the options available and picked each team. We even had Rossi change the under-car aero package during Carb Day.
Did every team wind up picking the same options on race day? Even if they all picked the same, the broadcast should answer why. I’m pretty sure my eyes saw some rear wing difference during the pre-race, but little if any mention on TV.
Mike H, Dallas
MP: Brother, I’d need to go back and get the race-day setup choices for 33 teams and compare that to what they did on Carb Day, which is another set of 33 answers I’d need to gather to do a compare-and-contrast, which would take a week or more of work, to provide an answer.
Unfortunately, that’s beyond the Mailbag’s scope. Definitely appreciate the interest and curiosity, so if there are other questions that can be answered in a reasonable amount of time, please send them in.
Q: I’ve noticed in most of the practice sessions so far this year that the three Penske drivers are at or near the top of the time charts and the two Foyt drivers are near the bottom. Since the two teams are in an agreement with each other to fully share information, do think Penske is really sharing their dampers and everything else or do you think Penske just wanted Foyt’s Indy 500 info and never planned to share everything fully?
Paul, Indianapolis
MP: Yes, Penske is sharing what they said they’d share. We’re still talking about a Foyt team that was among the slowest and worst in 2023 trying to become better with help from Penske, but that won’t happen in two races. Foyt also lacks the personnel, culture and funding to be as good as Penske. They will improve as a result of the relationship, but it will take time, and won’t move them ahead of Andretti, Ganassi, McLaren, and so on. It could, however, move them ahead of a few teams in the midfield.
Q: With reference to the letter from Dave (March 20, RACER Mailbag) asking why IndyCars don’t have power steering, I’ve wondered that too.
Quite apart from a potential safety advantage, and whether it would level the playing field between men and women, I’d be willing to bet that power steering would actually make the cars faster. That would be despite the added weight, the power draw, and potential loss of feedback (i.e., “feel”).
That appears to have been the case with all short track (oval) race car divisions. There are plenty of reasons why oval track cars are faster now than they were many years ago, so it’s hard to isolate the effect of power steering. Obviously, with the advent of power steering, reduction in driver fatigue could explain why the cars with power steering started winning more races, but it doesn’t explain why they seemed to be just plain faster. Power steering enables different steering ratios (and smaller steering wheels), and it even influences suspension geometry. Whatever the reasons, there’s convincing evidence that power steering does make race cars faster.
I’d guess F1 teams have spent time on the simulator looking into why this might be. Based on my own experience, I think it’s because it’s possible to make corrections faster, but with more precision, when there is less steering resistance.
Electric power steering can be compact enough that there might be a way to squeeze it into existing cars (if they have an electrical power source).
I think IndyCar should give it serious consideration (and not because it would make the cars faster). Driving race cars is one of very few sports — I can’t think of another, just offhand — where women can compete on completely equal footing with men. [ED: Ultrarunning]. But that’s only true if there’s power steering.
IndyCar is the exception among racing organizations. I would think everybody in IndyCar would want to fix that. If Simona De Silvestro were to say that with power steering she could have whupped everyone, who’s to say she couldn’t have?
Walt, Apple Valley, CA
MP: I’ve yet to hear anyone in IndyCar say they want to be like all the other series. When the Dallara DW37 is designed in just over a decade, I’m sure IndyCar will poll its drivers and ask if power steering is something they want.
Q: I’m already starting to get tired of IndyCar’s media rights talks and wish that IndyCar and the Indy 500 could stay on ABC/ESPN, where it belongs. The idea of Indy being on FOX sounds like the craziest idea ever.
Aeren Maxfield
MP: IndyCar hasn’t been on ABC/ESPN in many years. The Daytona 500 is on FOX. Is that crazy?
Q: I’m not sure if this has been covered already. I have two questions which were inspired from the fires from overheated brakes we’ve already seen early this season. Most of those fires go out by themselves or with a blower. With respect to the hybrid systems yet to be deployed in IndyCar: First, what is the procedure to put out a battery fire and keep it out? I have heard about EV battery fires that have re-ignited hours or even days later. Second, is there any type of containment for the battery (like a fuel cell) to give time for the driver to get out and for the Safety Team to respond?
Rob, Rochester, NY
MP: I don’t know yet on the first question; regulations for all things hybrid have yet to be finalized. The MGU and ESS are encased in the bellhousing, so yes, it’s not near the drivers. Same bail-out situation for a driver if there’s an engine fire behind them.
Q: It’s probably me and me only: A race without fans feels like COVID. I had enough of that stuff.
John
MP: There were fans at Thermal; I spoke with at least 10 percent of them, and they loved being there. But yes, the numbers were really small and did have the look of being empty, except for the shots of folks viewing from the homeowners’ balconies.
Q: Enjoyed the entertaining non-points race, but am curious to know if the teams utilize traditional spotters, and if so, where are they located? Do they simply use TV feeds or are they located around the course?
Pongo in SoCal
MP: Only spotters I saw, and there weren’t many, were atop the media center which is located on drivers’ right at pit-in. With the short races, it was mostly down to the drivers to use their mirrors.