Palou said he believes he ran a similar setup of the car for his test as Rossi. On Wednesday, between the road course spec and the oval spec because of what it takes to develop an oval car, especially on the 2.5-mile oval. Palou reiterated that sentiment after his test.
“It was not as different as when I tested the road course,” Palou said. “On the road course, you’re battling a lot more with the car, and it was quite different. Here, although it felt smooth, I feel like it’s very similar to our current car.”While Rossi’s laps peaked in the 215-mph range, Palou (unofficially) got above 218 mph on his final run of the day. The engineering crew working on the car – which was a makeshift group of mechanics from different IndyCar teams – trimmed the car for a de facto qualifying sim.
Thursday’s test, despite being paused in the middle for light showers, had the benefit of temperatures that didn’t exceed 80 degrees – while it approached 90 degrees Wednesday. That allowed the car to get a few mph quicker around the track.
After testing the IR28 on the IMS road course, When asked if he felt the same way about the car’s oval trim, the five-time IndyCar champion wasn’t as confident.
“I think it’s tough to say, I don’t know,” Palou said. “I think on the ovals, it’ll be very different. I think once we have the hybrid, we have the right amount of power and the teams put effort on the cars … I think it’ll be faster. I don’t know how much faster.”With the car being in its validation testing stages, it doesn’t have the new engine Honda and Chevrolet are developing, new hybrid power unit or qualifying boost. Those factors (along with temperatures warmer than central Indiana typically has in May) made it hard to tell what the IR28 is capable of once teams get their hands on it.
Rossi said he got through around 85% of what Dallara and IndyCar wanted Wednesday, and Palou said they “checked all the boxes” Thursday. With IndyCar officially reaching its offseason, more validation tests will be done in 2026 – including at Sebring International Raceway, where Palou said the plan is for him to be back in the IR28.
Once validation tests are completed, Dallara will give the car to Chevrolet and Honda to finish developing their 2.4-liter twin-turbocharged V6 engines and inserting them for their own tests.
For now, the car has done its last validation tests at IMS. The next time the IR28 reaches the Racing Capital of the World, speed will be a legitimate objective.
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This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: