INDIANAPOLIS – Alexander Rossi drove simply 4 set up laps on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway highway course within the new Dallara IR28 chassis however Saturday’s check supplied the complete expertise. Rain and lightning gave Rossi nearly an hour within the cockpit of the brand new automotive, however he loved the time he did get to drive it.
“The automotive is simply actually rewarding to drive,” Rossi informed media after the session. “It does not do something unpredictable and offers you good suggestions and also you type of know what’s coming.”
Commercial
The damp monitor made it more durable for Rossi to check the IR28, which is able to debut in IndyCar in 2028, to the present DW12 chassis, however he was impressed by the graceful really feel of the journey. Rossi, who drove in Method One in 2015 earlier than debuting in IndyCar in 2016 and successful that yr’s Indianapolis 500, in contrast the IR28 to an F1 automotive.
“I believe anybody that drives a Method One automotive for the primary time, they discover how easy the automotive is, not from a powertrain standpoint, however simply on the floor standpoint,” he stated. “And this automotive begins to get to that degree, and I believe that simply comes right down to construct high quality and the way properly put collectively the whole package deal is.”
1 / 15
See photographs of IndyCar’s new automotive, set to debut in 2028
IndyCar’s new automotive is displayed Friday, July 31, 2026, at IndyCar company workplaces close to Indianapolis Motor Speedway. IndyCar’s new automotive is ready to debut in 2028.
(Grace Smith/IndyStar)
1 / 15
See photographs of IndyCar’s new automotive, set to debut in 2028
IndyCar’s new automotive is displayed Friday, July 31, 2026, at IndyCar company workplaces close to Indianapolis Motor Speedway. IndyCar’s new automotive is ready to debut in 2028.
(Grace Smith/IndyStar)
2 / 15
See photographs of IndyCar’s new automotive, set to debut in 2028
IndyCar’s new automotive is displayed Friday, July 31, 2026, at IndyCar company workplaces close to Indianapolis Motor Speedway. IndyCar’s new automotive is ready to debut in 2028.
(Grace Smith/IndyStar)
3 / 15
See photographs of IndyCar’s new automotive, set to debut in 2028
IndyCar’s new automotive is displayed Friday, July 31, 2026, at IndyCar company workplaces close to Indianapolis Motor Speedway. IndyCar’s new automotive is ready to debut in 2028.
(Grace Smith/IndyStar)
4 / 15
See photographs of IndyCar’s new automotive, set to debut in 2028
IndyCar’s new automotive is displayed Friday, July 31, 2026, at IndyCar company workplaces close to Indianapolis Motor Speedway. IndyCar’s new automotive is ready to debut in 2028.
(Grace Smith/IndyStar)
5 / 15
See photographs of IndyCar’s new automotive, set to debut in 2028
IndyCar’s new automotive is displayed Friday, July 31, 2026, at IndyCar company workplaces close to Indianapolis Motor Speedway. IndyCar’s new automotive is ready to debut in 2028.
(Grace Smith/IndyStar)
6 / 15
See photographs of IndyCar’s new automotive, set to debut in 2028
IndyCar’s new automotive is displayed Friday, July 31, 2026, at IndyCar company workplaces close to Indianapolis Motor Speedway. IndyCar’s new automotive is ready to debut in 2028.
(Grace Smith/IndyStar)
7 / 15
See photographs of IndyCar’s new automotive, set to debut in 2028
IndyCar’s new automotive is displayed Friday, July 31, 2026, at IndyCar company workplaces close to Indianapolis Motor Speedway. IndyCar’s new automotive is ready to debut in 2028.
(Grace Smith/IndyStar)
8 / 15
See photographs of IndyCar’s new automotive, set to debut in 2028
IndyCar’s new automotive is displayed Friday, July 31, 2026, at IndyCar company workplaces close to Indianapolis Motor Speedway. IndyCar’s new automotive is ready to debut in 2028.
(Grace Smith/IndyStar)
9 / 15
See photographs of IndyCar’s new automotive, set to debut in 2028
IndyCar’s new automotive is displayed Friday, July 31, 2026, at IndyCar company workplaces close to Indianapolis Motor Speedway. IndyCar’s new automotive is ready to debut in 2028.
(Grace Smith/IndyStar)
10 / 15
See photographs of IndyCar’s new automotive, set to debut in 2028
IndyCar’s new automotive is displayed Friday, July 31, 2026, at IndyCar company workplaces close to Indianapolis Motor Speedway. IndyCar’s new automotive is ready to debut in 2028.
(Grace Smith/IndyStar)
11 / 15
See photographs of IndyCar’s new automotive, set to debut in 2028
IndyCar’s new automotive is displayed Friday, July 31, 2026, at IndyCar company workplaces close to Indianapolis Motor Speedway. IndyCar’s new automotive is ready to debut in 2028.
(Grace Smith/IndyStar)
12 / 15
See photographs of IndyCar’s new automotive, set to debut in 2028
IndyCar’s new automotive is displayed Friday, July 31, 2026, at IndyCar company workplaces close to Indianapolis Motor Speedway. IndyCar’s new automotive is ready to debut in 2028.
(Grace Smith/IndyStar)
13 / 15
See photographs of IndyCar’s new automotive, set to debut in 2028
IndyCar’s new automotive is displayed Friday, July 31, 2026, at IndyCar company workplaces close to Indianapolis Motor Speedway. IndyCar’s new automotive is ready to debut in 2028.
(Grace Smith/IndyStar)
14 / 15
See photographs of IndyCar’s new automotive, set to debut in 2028
IndyCar’s new automotive is displayed Friday, July 31, 2026, at IndyCar company workplaces close to Indianapolis Motor Speedway. IndyCar’s new automotive is ready to debut in 2028.
(Grace Smith/IndyStar)
15 / 15
See photographs of IndyCar’s new automotive, set to debut in 2028
IndyCar’s new automotive is displayed Friday, July 31, 2026, at IndyCar company workplaces close to Indianapolis Motor Speedway. IndyCar’s new automotive is ready to debut in 2028.
(Grace Smith/IndyStar)
Rossi stated that he and different drivers noticed renderings of the IR28 over two years in the past however that the chassis has utterly modified. Mark Sibla, IndyCar’s senior vice chairman of competitors and operations, informed media Friday that after Penske Leisure fired former IndyCar president Jay Frye in February 2025, the sequence and Dallara used “a clean sheet of paper” to construct the chassis that is on monitor this weekend.
“I believe everybody was like, ‘No, we do not like that,'” Rossi stated of the renderings he noticed prior to now. “And in order that’s nowhere close to this.”
Commercial
On July 24, Rossi and several other different full-time drivers visited the Dallara Expertise Hub in Speedway to view the completed chassis for the primary time. Rossi feels the visuals of the automotive do not do it justice.
“I used to be blown away after I noticed it for the primary time,” he stated. “Even the true photos on-line do not do it justice. The presence that it has in particular person is fairly wonderful.”
Rossi discovered simply weeks in the past that Chevrolet had chosen him to check the automotive, which had a 2.4-liter V6 mule engine in it Saturday that will not be utilized in 2028. Rossi, who stated the automotive has “no negatives at this level,” appreciated that the engine producer appointed him.
“It is fairly unbelievable to have the ability to be part of this subsequent evolution of IndyCar, to do it at IMS, a spot that clearly means rather a lot to me and all of us right here,” Rossi stated. “I get to play a small half within the historical past and the way forward for this championship, and that is tremendous cool.”
Commercial
Alex Palou will likely be Honda’s driver consultant for a check Sunday. Rossi, who’s sometimes not shy to criticize IndyCar when he feels it’s a necessity, appears happy with the product to this point.
“We have all – drivers in addition to followers and groups and sponsors and (media) – have been ready for this for a very long time,” Rossi stated. “And now that it is lastly right here, it is like Christmas morning, so everyone seems to be tremendous enthusiastic about it.”
