Sebring Hosts Final Hybrid IndyCar Test Before Season Start
The full NTT IndyCar Series field will gather at Sebring International Raceway for the final pre-season test on Monday and Tuesday, just before the season opener at St. Petersburg.
IndyCar testing at Sebring
All 27 drivers from 11 teams will participate in the two-day test on Sebring's short course, split into two groups:
Monday Schedule:
- Group 1 (14 drivers): 9am-1pm
- Group 2 (13 drivers): 1:30-5:30pm
Tuesday Schedule:
- Group 2: 9am-12:30pm
- Group 1: 1:30-5:00pm
This split format ensures each group experiences both cooler and warmer track conditions during their full day of testing.
Andretti Global's Kyle Kirkwood notes the significance of this test: "There's a lot of development to our cars over the last five or six months, and this will be the first time we've gone into the season with the hybrid system."
Key Testing Focus:
- New hybrid system deployment strategies
- Testing extended deployment duration of the Energy Recovery Systems (ERS)
- Evaluating performance with increased battery charge availability
The current ERS system:
- Delivers 60hp peak power
- Previously reserved 30% capacity for self-starting
- Used 70% for performance boost
- New testing aims to increase available power deployment time
The test results could influence the system's configuration for the season opener at St. Petersburg.
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