INDYCAR unveiled renderings of its new 2028 car, which will start on-track testing this week. The drivers like the looks of its sleek INDYCAR feel and will soon get a chance to help test and make tweaks.
“We all wanted a new, modern-day car that is lighter and looks futuristic and fast but still has all of the incredible safety advancements that INDYCAR is known for,” ECR driver Alexander Rossi said in a news release. “This does all of those things.
“There are still a lot of things to work through in terms of on-track testing and how it reacts to the different types of environments it will be exposed to, but from a visual standpoint, it’s incredible.”
Rendering of the new Chevrolet ride.
The car is designed to go faster while also incorporating many of the safety elements implemented since the last car was first designed around 2012. Those safety and other elements added weight and the 2028 car is a fresh opportunity to overhaul the car to keep its INDYCAR style while also making it faster.
That starts with the car, designed by Dallara, that will be 100 pounds lighter, including a reduction of 20 pounds of the hybrid system and 25 pounds of the gearbox.
“I was just as excited to see what was inside the car as I was to see what it looks like on the outside,” Andretti Global driver and INDYCAR champion Will Power said in a statement. “INDYCAR and Dallara have done an incredible job combining updated aerodynamic ideas with all of the safety elements from the current car. It has a seamless look and one that’s also modern and aggressive at the same time.”
In arguably the most impactful development from an engineering standpoint, teams will no longer make and develop their own dampers. On the current car, damper development is key to how the suspension handles because it was the primary area where teams had the most latitude.
Series officials, in a news release, indicated teams will have a variety of options, including more spring, damper and inerter tuning options while using the single-source supplied parts. That potentially could tighten the field and create more parity with the teams having similar options.
The engine will be a 2.4-liter, twin-turbocharged V6 internal combustion engine capable of producing up to 760 horsepower.
That should produce some record speeds, potentially at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, which should also see the benefit of a more aerodynamically stable speedway front wing.
“There is a wow factor,” said defending Indianapolis 500 winner Felix Rosenqvist in a news release. “The first thing that struck me is that it has more room in the cockpit and will fit differently-sized drivers, which is really good. Secondly, it definitely has the INDYCAR DNA, which was a worry for me that it wouldn’t look like an INDYCAR Series car.
“This definitely does. It also has an aggressive look with an integrated aeroscreen and a car that addresses a lot of little tweaks that drivers have asked for. Dallara has delivered on almost everything. I’m super excited for the future.”
The new car will undergo a series of driver tests before competing on track in 2028.
The exact dates and sites of testing will be announced soon.
“Seeing the car for the first time made me even more excited about where INDYCAR is going,” said four-time INDYCAR champion Alex Palou in a news release. “The design is super cool and feels like a proper next step for the series while still looking like an INDYCAR Series car.
“I think the fans are going to love it, and as a driver I cannot wait to get behind the wheel. The most important thing is that we keep the close, fun racing that makes INDYCAR special, and from what I’ve seen, we’re heading in a really good direction.”
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