Ed Carpenter Racing’s Alex Rossi and four-time IndyCar champion Alex Palou have completed a shakedown in the IR-28 at IMS.
Last Tuesday, the series unveiled its first renders of the car they are due to use from 2028, with widespread approval from the current grid. The DW12 chassis has been used since 2012, named after the late, great Dan Wheldon.
Indy 500 winners Rossi and Palou had the privilege of completing the first laps with the brand new car. As it rained across the weekend, the 2026 points leader returned to the track on Tuesday to complete some valuable mileage and data for the series in the dry.
Rossi and Palou react to driving the IR-28 IndyCar package at IMS
The former F1 driver lauded the work of the series to deliver the car and hit the track.
“I’ve been a part of some new car launches before, and I can’t say that any have gone as smooth as this one has.
“That’s down to everyone involved. We’ve all been waiting for this for a long time. Drivers, fans, teams, sponsors and all of you have been looking forward to it, and now it’s finally here. It’s like Christmas morning.”
The 34-year-old did not hide his love of driving the new machinery, and he says everything that could be done considering the wet conditions was completed.
“It’s hard to do a full comparison because of the conditions we were dealing with, but everything you could hope for from a day like today was accomplished.
“The fact that the car is completely new and the only real issue we had was replacing one sensor is phenomenal. That’s a huge testament to Dallara, INDYCAR and everyone involved.
“The car has a lot of incredible qualities that we haven’t even scratched the surface of yet. It was an incredible start and just a joy to drive.”
High praise from Alex Rossi for the car
“Aesthetically, it ticks every box you could hope for. I was blown away the first time I saw it. The pictures don’t do it justice.
“The presence it has in person is pretty amazing. It looks aggressive, and even with a completely new chassis, new aerodynamics, new electronics and a spec damper package, the baseline was very comfortable from the get-go.
“There’s obviously a lot more to unlock, but it was a great starting point.”
The 2016 Indy 500 was also extremely grateful for the opportunity — and to do it at IMS.
“To be able to be a part of this next evolution of INDYCAR and do it at IMS, a place that means so much to me and all of us here, is super cool.
“I get to play a small part in the history and the future of this championship, and that’s a big privilege. I enjoyed every minute of it.”
Alex Palou on his turn in the IR-28
Having completed laps in the car on Tuesday in dry conditions, the four-time champion enjoyed the opportunity to test the 2028 package.
“It was good.
“We got a lot more laps in. It was great to get some dry running and new tyres to see how this car really feels.”
On the IR-28 car itself, the 2025 Indy 500 winner was full of praise like Rossi.
“The new car is awesome. It basically feels like the current car, but it’s built better. Everything just feels refined. When you lean on it, all the shifts, everything just feels really good.”
As with any racing driver, they will always want to push to the limits. However, yesterday and the weekend was about collecting information and data for Mike O’Gara and co.
“It’s tough [not to push].
“As a driver, I come with the mindset of not pushing at all and just trying to give feedback and be relaxed. Then I go one lap and I can give a bit more and by the end, I can go full push. I like to push. That’s how I feel good with myself and the car.”
On the differences to the 2026 machinery, he believes the IR-28 has more downforce, surpassing his feelings ahead of the test.
“It feels like more downforce, or at least more efficient downforce. The basics already feel a lot nicer than what we have now.
“Honestly, it already surpassed my expectations. When you look at it, it’s very similar to our current car, but it actually feels a lot different. It feels like a completely different new car, which is great. I didn’t expect that, so I’m already happy.”
Palou grateful for the opportunity to be the second driver to pilot the IR-28 on circuit
“It’s actually very special. I was telling my dad that because six or seven years ago I wasn’t part of any team and just wanted to be part of something like this. Now to be the second driver to test the new car is awesome.
“It’s awesome that Honda, INDYCAR and Dallara trust my feedback. I also think it’s super important that we get feedback from a lot of different drivers because everybody focuses on different things. I might be thinking about braking while somebody else is thinking about steering or something else. Having a big variety of drivers testing it is only going to make the car better.”
