With the debut of IndyCar’s new hybrid system just around the corner, the finer details of how the system will be used during a race weekend have been released.
One of the most consequential of the new rules is the confirmation that drivers will be able to use the system virtually whenever they want throughout the weekend.
Unlike the Push to Pass turbocharger boost, which is still in place and active with its existing ruleset, the hybrid power system will be able to be deployed during the start and restarts of the race.
Drivers do not have to wait until they have completed the first lap on Sunday to use the system, and will be able to use the additional 60 horsepower to get a run into the first turn if they wish.
The rulebook spells this out clearly in the hybrid module section, stating in rule 14.23.1.6 that “Regeneration and deployment will be active at all times, other than when a car is on Pit Lane.”
Each track will have its own use limits set, and drivers will have to abide by a 280kJ per lap limit this weekend at Mid-Ohio.
That equates to roughly four seconds of boost time, which is also the approximate capacity of one full charge of the bank of supercapacitors sitting within each car’s bellhousing.
It will be up to the drivers to recharge the system throughout the rest of the lap, and the next lap’s limit will be in effect when the driver crosses the alternate start/finish line.
The hybrid boost will also be available during qualifying, subject to the same per-lap use limits as during the race.
Drivers who start a lap with a full charge and use it in the optimal locations could see upwards of a tenth of a second gain, which would be quite impactful amid the small gaps that usually feature in IndyCar’s qualifying times.
In addition, the updated rulebook has spelled out how replacement hybrid units will be policed for the remainder of the 2024 season.
Each entrant will only be in possession of a single hybrid unit at a time, with the series handing out replacements from a common pool if and when they are needed.
A working hybrid unit can be replaced after it has been run for 5,000 miles, including all practice and testing mileage, at which time the series will provide a new replacement unit.
Hybrid units may be replaced early if they are damaged or are underperforming, but final permission to receive a new unit lies with the series and not the teams.
If the team initiates a change-out for a new hybrid unit, then that entrant will receive a grid penalty similar to an unapproved ICE engine change. The penalties are nine grid places at an oval and six grid places at a road course.
Each hybrid module, which adds 105 pounds to the minimum car weight, is sealed and cannot be modified in any way by the teams.
After many miles of testing over the past year, the real test of the hybrid module comes this weekend. The physical components will be tested, and drivers and teams will be tested on their understanding of the new system.
