Indycar is often seen as the slower, and less competitive brother to Formula One, and this season has pretty much proven that. Don’t get me wrong, however. Indycar is my favorite motorsport by far, and I believe that it has almost always been far superior to F1. In terms of both on-track content and fan experience, and to the community and beyond. In the 2025 season of the Indycar Series, the champion Álex Palou ran away with the championship, acquiring it at Portland International Raceway with two races left in the season.
2025 was also a breakthrough year for Palou, as he claimed his first career victories on oval tracks, winning the 109th Indianapolis 500, and the second race at Iowa Speedway in the doubleheader weekend. This was a very significant event, as prior to this season, Palou had not topped the podium at a track that only turns left, despite nearly always running near the front of the pack for nearly whole races at a time. He also received a heartbreaking second place at the 2021 Indianapolis 500. Winning eight out of seventeen total races is no mean feat and even a driver of Palou’s caliber cannot be expected to dominate as such. Such dominance is rare in Indycar. However, as it was a spec series, all teams were forced to run the same cars and use the same equipment.
Álex Palou’s domination was not unexpected, however, because since being invited overseas from racing in Japan’s Super Formula in 2020, he has won four out of the six championships he has contested. Also, since joining his current team, Chip Ganassi Racing, he has won four out of five championships that he has participated in, with his streak only being broken by Team Penske’s Will Power in 2022. Palou’s versatility cannot be understated, as he has proven himself fast in all sorts of machinery, ranging from LMDh cars (endurance prototypes), to single seaters such as the Super Formula and the current iteration of the Indycar, the Dallara IR-18.
New to this season was the full time introduction of the Indycar Hybrid Engine, which offered a rechargeable boost to the car that could be charged up and used throughout the lap. This is similar to the push to pass feature that Indycars have had for decades. The estimated boost that the hybrid engine provides is equivalent to an extra 60 horsepower, and along with P2P’s additional 60 horsepower boost, can equate to up to a 120 horsepower boost, which can be deployed and used throughout the lap. The unfortunate part of this otherwise amazing boost for racing is the additional weight that the hybrid engine causes. The additional weight that the hybrid engine causes promotes single file racing because if a driver attempts to drive the car on the limit consistently and push the tires, the tires overheat and offer significantly less grip. When combined with the accelerated wear that the tires will undergo, they lead to significantly slower lap times, and therefore position loss. The weight of the new hybrid engine has been bemoaned by both drivers and fans alike, who are used to the high intensity and numerous overtakes that a typical Indycar race provides.
Álex Palou’s mastery of this new hindrance cannot be understated, as due to his naturally smooth and precise driving style, he had no difficulty in adjusting to the additional weight. Compare this to his veteran teammate, Scott Dixon, who has had a lot of additional difficulty adjusting to the hybrid weight, and is rumored to be experimenting with new setups for next year, in order to not fry his tires.
Looking towards the future, and the 2026 Indycar season, I believe that us Indycar fans can look with the hope and excitement that the silly season between racing seasons has already delivered. The large moves including Team Penske’s Will Power vacating his seat at the No. 12 Verizon Chevy which he has raced for 17 years, and joining the No. 26 Honda at Andretti Global, whose former driver, Colton Herta has signed on to be the new Cadillac F1 team’s test driver, and is also set to contest the 2026 FIA Formula 2 season in order to earn enough Super License points to be able to race for the new Cadillac F1 team. Other news around the paddock include standout Rinus Veekay’s move away from Dale Coyne Racing, who have announced a partnership with Andretti Global for 2026, meaning that they will collaborate on setup data and keep an eye on each other’s drivers as well as signing the champion from IndyNXT, Indycar’s feeder series, Dennis Hauger. Will Power’s replacement in the No. 12 Verizon Chevy has also been announced as David Malukas, who has driven the No. 4 Chevy for A.J. Foyt Racing this past season.
Further down the road, we can expect a new chassis and formula in 2028, which hopefully will bring faster cars, closer racing, and most importantly, the far increased driver safety that the league needs. The hybrid engine will be sticking around, sadly, as it is the only way that Honda will remain involved with Indycar. Without them, there would only be Chevrolet engines for all teams, and a single engine manufacturer is not a reality that the sport needs to face again, as from 2006 to 2011 Honda was the only engine manufacturer. Overall, while this season had its standout moments, the hybrid engine and the rising weight of the cars is an issue that needs to be addressed and adjustments need to be made accordingly.
Sources Cited:
https://www.indycar.com/news/2025/09/09-23-hauger-dcr
https://www.indycar.com/news/2025/09/09-18-malukas-penske
https://www.indycar.com/news/2025/09/09-03-power-andretti
https://www.indycar.com/Fan-Info/INDYCAR-101/Car-Technology/Hybrid-Power-Unit