Testing of the new supercapacitor system has been carried out by the grandee teams of engine suppliers Chevrolet and Honda – namely Team Penske and Arrow McLaren, and Andretti Global and Chip Ganassi Racing respectively.
The 2.2-litre twin-turbocharged V6 engine fitted with the hybrid technology was originally planned to be ready by the season-opening Grand Prix of St. Petersburg on 10 March.
Despite over 15,256 miles of testing logged with the new power unit at Indianapolis (on the oval and road course), Milwaukee Mile, St. Louis, Barber Motorsports Park, Road America and Sebring in post-2023 season running, the programme was postponed in December until after May’s Indy 500.
“I think for us, it was tricky,” said Grosjean, who switches from Andretti to the smaller Juncos Hollinger Racing for 2024. “It was an advantage for some that was pretty significant, and when we were doing the drivers' meeting early in December, the guys were asking a question about the hybrid, and I had no idea what they were talking about.
“Definitely kind of happy that it's been postponed. It's also going to allow us to start with a known concept on the car and move from there and see when the hybrid comes in, and hopefully by then we do have a lot more knowledge on it.”
Source: Autosport