IndyCar Reveals Stunning New 2018 Design
Late last month, IndyCar revealed its new-look cars that will run in the 2018 series.
In order to please the fans, designers worked on the appearance of the car first, and then figured out how to make it function on the track.
This approach has paid off. The new design is leaner, sleeker, safer, and more maneuverable than this year’s IndyCars. The 2018 cars were modeled off the IndyCars of the 1990s, which have always been fan favorites.
Fast race cars produce a lot of downforce. The turbulence this creates makes overtaking difficult.
Fans want to see overtakes, so the floor of the new car has been designed to generate most of the downforce. This means there will be much less turbulence behind the cars, so the racing will be more action packed.
Formula 1 has also announced some big changes for 2018.
From next year, drivers’ heads will be protected by a ‘halo’ cockpit protection system. The governing body of Formula 1, the FIA, has been looking to improve driver safety after Jules Bianchi lost his life in a high speed crash at the 2015 Japanese Grand Prix.
Some are skeptical that the halo will effectively protect the drivers, and fans have been less than enthusiastic about the change – mostly because of its ungainly appearance.
While the halo will protect from flying tires, small pieces of debris could still find their way to drivers’ helmets. Jules Bianchi’s father commented that he does not believe the halo would have prevented his son's death as it was caused by high speed deceleration.
Haas driver Kevin Magnussen spoke out against the halo, saying that he does not want the sport to be too safe because that makes it less exciting.
Formula 1 viewership dropped by a third between 2008 and 2015, partly because races are not available on free-to-air TV or via free streaming, but also because fans do not appreciate constant regulation changes.
