IndyCar gears up for 2018 with Sebring tests

Teams from the Verizon IndyCar series have been gearing up for the coming season with tests at the Sebring circuit in Florida, as the grid gets to grips with the new universal aerokit that the series has introduced for 2018. Testing for the teams has been going on for the past month or so with Penske being one of the key players after initially taking part in the manufacturer tests on behalf of Chevrolet. Now Andretti, Ganassi and Dale Coyne Racing have got their first chunk of testing under their belts.  A.J. Foyt Racing, SPM and Ed Carpenter Racing have also got their first miles with the new car.

The tests have been a chance for fans to see some of the teams liveries on the new look machines for the very first time, and they do look absolutely stunning, particularly the #28 DHL car of Ryan Hunter-Reay and the #27 NAPA car of Alexander Rossi. The shimmering blue on the Ganassi of Ed Jones also stood out. On track, the cars were a joy to watch as the drivers wrestled with their new steeds. This new aerokit has really made them 'driver cars' again and there has been high praise up and down the grid on the new cars and how the management at IndyCar has got this spot on. Mario Andretti has commented on the car, saying  "This thing is beautiful as it is. It's just going back to what the pure open-wheel, single-seater should be." 

Ed Jones, #10 Ganassi

2017 champion Josef Newgarden also said “The new car is bolder, it's more daring and really, we believe it has improved aerodynamics that are going to help the racing product tremendously, so I'm looking forward to that probably the most. We believe it's going to be faster, we believe it's going to be safer, it's going to provide better racing like we've talked about."

Tony Kanaan, #14 A.J. Foyt Racing

 The promise of better racing has excited fans and teams alike, after 2017 saw one of the most competitive years, if not the most competitive year, that the series has ever seen. It has been enough to entice Carlin and Harding Racing to run full time from this year, with Juncos and Michael Shank Racing running part time programs with the scope for full time operations from 2019 onwards. More testing takes place this week again at Sebring, which will see Takuma Sato make his highly anticipated test debut for the RLL team alongside Graham Rahal, with further testing throughout the next month before the first race of the year in St.Petersburg, Flordia.