Indycar: pilots, calendar and what you should know
This weekend it opens the most important season Wheel on the continent, this is all you should know about inycar.
This weekend the Indycar. The streets of St. Petersburg You will receive the first of the 17 dates of the calendar by 2025 of the highest category of cars of the American continent and in which the Mexican competes Pato O’ward.
O’wardwinner last year of this first date, he will seek in 2025 his first victory in Indy 500 and his first championship in the category. Defending the crown will be the Spanish Álex Palou.
With regard to this beginning of the season we will make a brief review of the basics to follow a career of Indycar properly.
The calendar of the Indycar It is composed of a mixture of permanent circuits, which highlights Road America, urban circuits, such as the traditional Long Beach in California, and the US distinctive in motor racing, the ovals, in which the mythical Indy 500one of the races that make up the triple crown of motoring and that has only completed Graham Rahal (Indy 500, GP of Monaco and 24 hours of Le Mans).
What is Indycar and how are the points distributed?
As in F1there is evidence to adjust the tuning of the car. A classification to accommodate the output grill, but which, unlike the highest category, in Indycar It starts in motion and not from a drawer-that type of start is also an immovable totem in American motor sport. And usually runs on Sundays, but there are nighttime races on Saturdays.
In Indy 500 There are extra points for the classification and they are distributed as follows:
Due to this mix of venues, the cars of Indycar They need two chassians: one for circuits and one for oval (especially if they are high speed like Indy).
Unlike F1in Indycar All teams share the same Dallara Ir-12 chassis with the Dallara IR-18 Aero Kit for Indy 500 and other competitions in ovals with their respective specifications for Short Track or Speedway.
As in F1there is only a tire provider, in this case it is Firestone with its Firehawk. Teams also share brake system and speed transmission. All this leads to the competition being very even, because much of the technology that forms a racing car in Indycarit is the same for everyone.
What it is about is to optimize the package and that is where the human capital of each organization enters-among more and better engineers you can pay, better; Infrastructure and piloting.
Honda vs. Chevrolet in Indycar
There are only two engines suppliers in the category and both Sling as Chevrolet They must be adjusted to a regulatory framework that has to do with specifications such as weight, dimensions, maximum power.
Honda presents the Hi24e Indy V-6 and Chevy El Indycar V6. They have to be 2.2 liters, six V cylinders (as they already assumed), Twin-Turbo with hybrid technology to 12 thousand revolutions per minute. Power between 650 and 700 HP with 150 additional of the hybrid unit. Weight of 112.5 kilos. The ECU (computer) is the McLaren Applied Technologies Tag 400i. It works with 85% ethanol and 15 gasoline.
Indy 500 and the rest of the Indycar calendar
Who are Indycar pilots in 2025?
Pato O’ward and other pilots to highlight
O’ward duck | Mexico | McLaren | Auto 5
Regiomontano is one of the stellar pilots of the serial; A recognizable face that is still on the rise in image and talent.
Fast on a return, good rhythm and reasonable aggressiveness make duck one of the most fun pilots to see in Indycar. It has 7 triumphs in the category with 5 poles. In its 89 races it has ended 56 times in Top 10, which in Indycar standards is a very good average.
O’ward was second in the last edition of the Indy 500, the most famous career of the calendar. His best result in the category was third in 2021.
He is a Pilot Reserva de McLaren F1 and a candidate for the Cadillac project in F1, for his youth, his talent and the impact on the US and Mexican markets, two important markets for both the brand and for the category.
Álex Palou | Spain | Desire | Auto 10
The current champion of the category- already his third in Indycar- is together with the desire.
His strength is the career and cerebral rhythm Management of different competition situations. Aguerrido in the hand in hand, like almost every Indycar pilot due to the adjusted competition, but very intelligent on how to face the fight. Together they design career plans of which they normally get the best out of the situation.
He has 11 triumphs in 81 beginnings with 58 Top 10. He has not won Indy 500.
Scott dixon | New Zealand | Desire | 9
Six times serial champion. This old sea wolf may no longer be the fastest on a return, but his temper and hands continue to give him the speed to have a consistent and competitive rhythm of the race. And in desire, like Palou, he assembles the strategies to be a candidate.
You cannot rule out or stop mentioning this veteran of 402 races with 297 Top 10.
Colton Herta | USA | Andretti | Auto 26
The great bet of American sport. A generational rival of Pato O’ward who seeks to reach the top of the American motor sport with a championship and a triumph in Indy 500.
In 99 beginnings he has 9 wins with 56 Top 10. He is a pilot with a decent race rhythm, a hard hand in hand, but his main strength is his brutal speed on a return. He and Duck, in their training times, were forced to be sprinches.
And yes, he is the American pilot called to lead Cadillac’s efforts in F1.
Scott mclaughlin | New Zealand | Penske | Auto 3
And following the rapids on a return, this New Zealander has 10 poles in 68 beginnings with 43 top 10.
He has one of the best seats in the category and is responsible for getting the maximum both in classification and in the race. He is one of the most complete pilots and if he has not been champion, he may not be the best of career situations, either by mistakes of judgment, or bad fortune.
Josef Newgarden | USA | Penske | Auto 2
Personally it seems to me the most complete American pilot today and if not for his age (34), he would be a serious candidate for the Cadillac project.
This veteran is a hard in every stage: permanent circuit, street, short or fast oval. He has two championships and two consecutive wins in Indy 500. In 215 beginnings he has 31 victories and 131 Top 10.
Will Power | Australia | Penske | Auto 12
As they surely noticed, we highlighted Penske pilots. It is the strongest organization-the next one would be desire-.
And we ended with this veteran of 302 races with 44 wins, 70 poles and 192 Top 10. A twice champion who has not won more because it touched the bad fortune of coinciding with Dixon.
Of the three penske may no longer be the fastest, but we do not rule it out to be a force to consider in the Indycar squad. It is fierce in combat and fast on a return and with all the career rhythm that a car prepared by Penske can give.
