The IndyCar drivers reported this week that the 2018 speedway aerokit punches a bigger hole in the air than its predecessor. That is perhaps surprising when you note that this year’s kit has the aggressive-yet-svelte look of a Guigiaro design, whereas last year’s aero devices rendered the car as elegant as a Pontiac Aztek.
But if the new IndyCar in superspeedway form tows up to a rival car as well as – or even better than – the 2015-’17 model, it’s now a trickier beast to handle in another car’s wake when it reaches the turns. Rossi spent several laps on Monday running in close proximity with his fellow Indy winner and Andretti Autosport teammate Ryan Hunter-Reay, and then around eight laps of group running.
“Yeah, it’s harder to follow,” he says. “Running behind just Ryan, I was pleasantly surprised that already, when we’re just scratching the surface with this car, I could stay flat. But from my limited experience, if you’re five or six cars back and there’s that much more turbulence, I… doubt anyone will be able to stay flat.
“But I don’t think it will make a great amount of difference to the race itself because the draft effect is so great. It may..."