Written by Sean McKean
One week separated from the Iowa double-header, the IndyCar grid travels northern for the Grand Prix of Toronto – the third street course of the season. However, the main storyline around this weekend is this being the first street course race that features the hybrid power unit regulations.
A pivotal part of the hybrid regulations lies in the drivers’ hands: deployment. On the straights (or anywhere they see fit), drivers may hit a button to use a four-second increase of energy. Strategically, Mid-Ohio and Iowa are completely different from one another for deployment, and Toronto is not an exception.
Fittipaldi excited for "interesting" race
Despite the newfound difficulties that come from a mid-season regulation change, Rahal Letterman Lanigan’s Pietro Fittipaldi spoke briefly to Divebomb and other selected media in a press conference about his feelings on it.
“The hybrid, it’s interesting,” Fittipaldi said. “I think it shakes things up for the team and drivers. There’s more you need to do in the cockpit.
“It was interesting to see the differences between Mid-Ohio and Iowa in terms of how the teams can regen the hybrid unit and then how much you’re deploying. I think definitely at Iowa, out of basically every corner, you’re deploying, and in the race, it’s a lot of work for the driver. It makes it cool in a way that it’s easier to make mistakes.”
With the newfound strategic element, however, the mechanical element will also be tested – as explained by the Brazilian driver.
“If you don’t click the button and don’t deploy and I think the way you regen as well can change the balance of the car, so it will be interesting to see now at a street circuit how it affects it, how it affects the balance, how it affects the braking zone, and what you can do with the tools to optimise the strategy and racecar,” he continued.
Can Lundgaard repeat last year's success?
If there’s anyone that knows Toronto well, it’s last year’s winner Christian Lundgaard. He came into the weekend quick in all practices, qualifying, and ultimately the race. This year won’t be as easy, though, as he will have to navigate the new troubles that come with the hybrid power unit. Plus, the physical aspect of a street circuit must not be ignored.
In the same press conference, he spoke more about all of these points.
“With the hybrid being implemented now, we’ve had a road course, we’ve had a short oval, coming here the first street circuit,” Lundgaard said. “I think the two drivers on my right [Fittipaldi and Rinus VeeKay] will also vouch for me [in] saying the physicality this weekend will be tough. The track on Friday is nothing like it is on Sunday, so I think Sunday we’re all going to be fighting for our lives and having fun out there.”
As for his preparation for raceday, the Danish driver states that Friday will be a busy time for everyone on track.
“I think Practice 1 is going to be busy from the driver’s perspective trying to figure the track out, trying to figure the bumps out that are different compared to last year but at the same time trying to figure out the best strategy of regen and deploy. We saw this at Mid-Ohio, we all come out there, we’re trying different things. But I think ultimately every single car on the grid was using the same method pretty much.
“I think a street circuit also opens up the opportunity and the possibility of drivers using the energy deployment at different areas. And as we know, it’s the most beneficial in short-speed corners and we have a lot of those around street circuits. I think we’ll be able to find and gain a lot of lap time if you can do it in certain corners,” he said.
Issues with blockages
A common issue on street circuits are blockages. All it takes is one driver to spin at a tight corner and the drivers behind will slowly stack up. But with the new power unit, the possibility of drivers stalling from these incidents is far less.
Lundgaard spoke first on it.
“I hope the yellow flags aren’t going to be more than last year. I think it’s going to help all of us – it’s a tool, if we are in the situation of stalling without any damage, being able to restart the car is a big benefit. It’s going to help the cleanup as well, so hopefully less yellow laps,” he said.
Ed Carpenter Racing’s Rinus VeeKay also added to the conversation.
“I feel like there’s also an issue with track blockages in Turn 1 at the start, so I feel like half of the victims of stalled cars are there, so if they can get going, it takes away the risk of some drivers,” the Dutchman said.
The drivers will take to the track for first practice tomorrow at 15:00 EST (20:00 UK).
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