After months of anticipation, the 2015 IndyCar season opener at St. Petersburg, Fla., didn’t disappoint in terms of action and storylines. Now where the teams and series go from here will determine what kind of season we enjoy.
As expected after the pre-season test results the Chevrolet entrants with their redesigned engine and new bodywork dominated the opening race and Team Penske was at the head of the field all weekend. When Roger Penske’s four cars took the top four starting positions in qualifying you knew he’d be celebrating with one of those drivers in the winners circle after the race.
Penske drivers scooped four of the top five overall finishes with Ganassi’s Tony Kanaan finishing third. Not many picked Juan Pablo Montoya to be the Penske driver that scored the victory in the season opener however. In his return to IndyCar last season he struggled early but seemed to get better as the year moved along.
This season, Montoya seems ready to back up his well-known bravado with results and holding off defending series champion and teammate Will Power who, in leading 75 laps of the race showed he’s got some talent left in that 39 year old body.
The expanded Penske clan dominated the top of the time sheets all weekend and the first indications are that adding fourth driver Simon Pagenaud to the mix and new aero kits have only fueled the teams desire for success. They are a step above everyone right now.
Chevrolet drivers claimed the top six finishing spots in the race and seven of the top ten overall and this is already causing some to think a re-examination of the rules is necessary to keep the competition close. I’m not ready for wholesale changes yet, but this is something the series will monitor closely in the first few events.
One of those struggling Honda-powered drivers was Canada’s James Hinchcliffe. In his first race for Schmidt Peterson there was not a lot to be positive about. The team did make some improvements and gains during the weekend but still have plenty of work ahead.
After a pit strategy move failed to pan out and getting tapped from behind and suffering a tire puncture their fate for the day was sealed. Hinchcliffe told me afterwards the second half of the race essentially became a test session where they also gained some information that should help as the season moves along.
IndyCar has felt a resurgence in recent years because of the close competitive racing and if one manufacturer starts running away with victories that isn’t good for anyone. However a reflex aerodynamic rule change to tighten competition now would be a mistake.
Let’s also hope the drivers now recognize all these new aero bits on the cars detach easily when contacted. Too much of the first half in the race at St. Pete was run under caution for debris. The second half ran much smoother when things settled down. Race 3 at the tight course in Long Beach, Calif. will be another test to see if drivers have learned not to nudge one and other and knock body pieces loose.
If the sea of yellow flags continues for clean up of carbon fiber for several events then that will be another issue the series must deal with. You want drives to be aggressive and attempt passing maneuvers but boring your fans with parade laps to clean up the messy results is not the way to put on an entertaining show.
The question will be how do you rectify the issue? Changing the bodywork is no simple task so let’s hope the drivers figure it out quickly.