Pato O’Ward finished second in Sunday’s race from The Thermal Club, having been overtaken by Alex Palou in the final laps despite leading for 51 laps.
During the race, there were multiple calls over the radio from O’Ward’s engineer telling him to temporarily stop using the hybrid boost system.
The 25-year-old explained after the race that he was actually only able to use the hybrid system for approximately half of the event, with overheating the main concern.
Ambient air temperatures approached 90°F during the race, with track temperatures hovering around 120°F in the afternoon.
“Yeah, for 50% of the race I couldn’t use the thing,” said O’Ward, talking about his hybrid system. “Just overheats, so…
“Obviously here it’s probably one of the most helpful areas where the hybrid is of good use because of those very stop-and-go corners and long straightaways.
“If you’re asking me if I would have won that race if I didn’t have those issues, the answer is still no.”
O’Ward was not alone, as multiple other drivers had issues with their hybrid systems as well.
Santino Ferrucci was unable to use his hybrid power boost for much of the race, and Scott McLaughlin suffered a larger failure related to the new electric components.
McLaughlin’s system entered a critical failure mode on lap 15, forcing him to come to the pits for extended service.
After the crew drained the battery and reset the entire system, he was able to return to the track but eventually retired for good before the end of the race due to ongoing issues.
The hybrid system has been mandated by IndyCar for nearly a full year, but there appear to be more reliability adjustments to make, especially concerning the heat resistance of the units.
Not all drivers suffered problems during Sunday’s race, and Alex Palou in particular reported that he had no restrictions on hybrid use as he cruised to his second consecutive victory.
