CHEVY AIMS TO SHIFT BALANCE OF POWER
Crucial to Andretti Autosport’s championship aspirations will be Honda continuing to hold an edge over Chevrolet, although that is by no means a foregone conclusion. In the 11th and final year of the 2.2-litre twin-turbo V6 formula, Chevrolet is not throwing in the towel to focus on perfecting its 2.4-litre hybrid units for 2023. It’s got something up its sleeve to try to reverse the trend that has meant Honda overcoming its previous deficit and beating Chevy to the manufacturers’ crown the past four years, and powering the two most recent drivers’ champions.
Given the minimal amount of fettling the manufacturers can do to the current engine, Chevy has decided to emulate its rival and allow more variations in engine mapping to tailor its characteristics to an individual driving style.
“We’re re-evaluating every part of our programme, including how we tackle a race weekend and how we operate with our teams,” says Rob Buckner, GM’S Indycar programme manager. “So there are modified approaches that we’re going to be trying in 2022. Relying on driver feedback is probably not the right thing to do it because the details are so small that drivers won’t feel it, so we have to do a better job of summarising and making data-driven decisions on the way our engine operates at the track.
“That said, we use driver feedback to help define our goals, and our expectation is to increase the levels of driveability refinement and consistency that our drivers are looking for. We get pretty constant feedback that our engines can be pretty difficult to drive, [and] there are some areas where our engine is very strong and some areas where we can use a bit more oomph.”
But Chevy, which powers Penske’s attack, is unlikely to gain ground when it comes to fuel mileage. Last year, when engines were at their leanest fuel settings as drivers tried to extend a stint, Honda’s superior punch out of a turn meant their drivers could arrive at the end of a medium-length straight travelling some 6mph faster, allowing them to back off sooner, thereby saving fuel, while turning the same lap time as a Chevy-powered rival.
“IN SOME AREAS WE CAN USE A BIT MORE OOMPH” ROB BUCKNER