The NTT IndyCar Series just began its 12th season with the Dallara DW12 chassis as the mandatory chassis that all teams have to use to compete in the series.
There have been some changes to the chassis design in that time, including some large additions such as the Aeroscreen and many smaller additions aimed to improve the safety and competitiveness of the design.
But with a wholesale redesign not having happened for over a decade, fans and drivers alike have begun expressing their desire to have a new car introduced to help keep the series feeling fresh amid increased motorsports popularity.
IndyCar President Jay Frye addressed those concerns recently by sharing his view that so many updates have been made to the chassis design over the years, the only thing that hasn’t changed is the name.
“So I think if you look at this car, I mean, people have asked us about a new car all the time,” said Frye. “If you look at the DW12 compared to where it is today, it’s not the same car. It’s not even close to the same car.
“I think one of the things if we’ve missed of anything is as we went through the years is not renaming it as we’ve went.
“The chassis is completely different than it was in 2012. The car is completely different than it was in 2012. There’s nothing on this car today that’s the same as it was then.
“So there will be a pretty large evolution with the new engine — or not the new engine — with the hybrid coming next year, so the car will look different. It will look different than — there will be gradual changes beyond that in ’25 and ’26.
“Is it a completely new car? Yes, it is. It’s a completely new car now.”
The new hybrid components are scheduled to be added to all IndyCar entries next season, which will be a significant change for the series.
There has been some concern from drivers that the added weight of the new electric system will unbalance the car, and that a new chassis design is the best way to deal with that problem.
At this time, however, a new chassis has not been publicly announced to be in development.
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