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The 2024 power unit comes with an upgrade, featuring a 2.2-liter twin-turbocharged V-6 engine with hybrid components that provide an additional 150 horsepower when deployed.
Following an impressive post-season Formula 1 test in Abu Dhabi and being confirmed as a 2024 reserve driver for McLaren, 24-year-old Mexican Patricio O’Ward has been busy. He was among the short list of IndyCar drivers who tested the hybrid, expressing some of the expected difficulties.
Describing the challenge ahead, O’Ward remarked, “It’ll be a challenge for next year, definitely. It’ll be a challenge reliability-wise for everyone. And I think it’ll be a challenge in terms of maximizing it. The rules are still very unclear of what exactly, or how exactly everything is going to be ruled out and what you can and cannot do. So, waiting for that. But it’s going to be a work in progress. It’s going to be a learning curve.”
Photo by: Gavin Baker / Motorsport Images
Patricio O’Ward, Arrow McLaren Chevrolet
As part of IndyCar’s plans since the eve of the 2022 season, the hybrid engine has been a work in progress for the series. However, O’Ward expressed a desire for a new chassis to accompany the new engine for 2024.
“I’m definitely one of the ones on the new car boat,” O’Ward said. “It’s annoying that this new era of engine isn’t coming with a new car because we desperately need it. But, you know, I don’t make the calls. All I can do is drive the cars and help develop it the best that I can and maximize it.
“But I really think that IndyCar is in a position where we got to evolve, and we got to take a big step. We can’t take baby steps.”
Furthering his stance, O’Ward pointed at the design of the hybrid cars in the IMSA SportsCar Championship’s GTP class, along with Formula 1.
“Look at IMSA with those new LMDh cars, they’re bad ass,” O’Ward said. “Their engine turns off halfway through pit lane and you look at them and you see the technology and it’s freaking cool. You see these F1 cars and everything that goes into ’em, there’s not one person that doesn’t come here that then says…