Josef Newgarden's teammate opens up on Team Penske overcoming the 'kinks' of hybrid engine
Josef Newgarden's teammate Scott McLaughlin recently spoke about the new hybrid engine. The hybrid system was introduced in Mid-Ohio in July last year.
The hybrid system has been a blessing for some drivers, while it has been a curse for the others, as the weight of the car has been a big issue. The hybrid system adds an additional 100 pounds of weight to the rear end of the car, making it difficult to drive.
However, some drivers have already figured their way around the weight issue and have gotten comfortable with the car, one of them being Newgarden's teammate, Scott McLaughlin.
McLaughlin, while in conversation with Autoweek, spoke about overcoming the kinks of the hybrid engine.
“We're making improvements and getting more comfortable with this hybrid system, but there's still kinks in it and whatnot, and we're trying to iron that out. But from a kinks perspective of having to use it and learning to use it and where to use it, I really do enjoy the complexity about it,” he said.
McLaughlin's Penske teammate Josef Newgarden, during the ACURA Grand Prix of Long Beach, commented on the hybrid engine.
He said:
“There’s nothing evil about it. It's pretty easy to drive.”
The Team Penske seems to have worked out the issues with their car with regard to the hybrid system issues.
The team has put out decent results over the last three Grand Prix's. They opened with a pole position by their #3 driver, and they finished the season opener with Josef Newgarden finishing in 3rd position and Scott McLaughlin claiming the 4th position.
During the second race at Thermal Club Grand Prix held on March 23, the team had a difficult race as both their drivers qualified towards the back of the grid in 17th and 25th positions.
For the race, it was only Newgarden who managed to make up places and secure 13th place, scoring some points after McLaughlin retired on lap 53 due to issues with his car.
On April 13, during the 50th Anniversary ACURA Grand Prix of Long Beach, Josef Newgarden qualified in 15th place, but he kept on moving backwards, and he took the checkered flag in 27th place.
Meanwhile, his teammate Scott McLaughlin started in 7th position and finished the race in 7th position.
Newgarden and his teammte McLaughlin will be looking forward to improving at the upcoming Grand Prix at Barber Motorsports Park scheduled for May 4.
A new reason emerges with regards to Josef Newgarden's seatbelt debacle
American driver Josef Newgarden suffered a seat belt issue at Long Beach Grand Prix which had a huge impact on his race. He went from being in contention of finishing in the top five to finishing last in the race.
IndyCar insider Marshall Pruett gave a new reason for the seatbelt coming loose during the race.
The #2 car driver qualified in 15th for the race and had the potential of finishing alongside his teammates Scott McLaughlin and Will Power but failed to do so due to his seatbelt coming loose on lap 60.
The 34-year-old was forced to pit on lap 61 as it was a safety issue. This made him lose his place and he was lapped by the race leaders twice.
Marshall Pruett from Racer.com spoke about the same on Racer mail box. He shared about his conversation with Ron Ruzewski and highlighted how it might be Josef Newgarden's fault for the seatbelt to come loose.
"I rang Ron Ruzewski who runs the team and he said it was unrelated to previous issues. The belief is Josef managed to hit and twist the buckle in the Turn 11 hairpin with his elbow, which popped all of the belts loose," he said.
A similar issue happened with their other driver Will Power in 2024 and former team Penske driver A.J.Allemendigner in 2014.