The NTT IndyCar Series chassis and powertrain package for 2028 has been unveiled. Introducing a modernized look designed to provide for faster lap times and improved raceability, the IR-28 race car has been designed to encourage more “wheel-to-wheel action” while also creating the “safest car yet,” according to the racing series.

The IR-28 chassis was developed in partnership with Dallara, with the new car making its competition debut at the start of the 2028 NTT IndyCar Series championship.

IndyCar president J Douglas Boles commented, “With initial testing to begin this week, there is still plenty of work to do before 2028, but we are well on our way to showcasing a new era of IndyCar, which will include enhanced wheel-to-wheel competition, track records, standards in raceability and new benchmarks in safety.”

As part of the improved raceability, the IR-28 will weigh approximately 100 lb less than the current car.

New car design

The entire vehicle has been designed and built from the ground up.

New front and rear wings, optimized for style and efficiency, give the road and street course car an aggressive stance, while the superspeedway wing configuration provides maximum downforce with limited drag in a sleek, high-speed-looking package.

The car’s aerodynamic architecture has been purpose-built to optimize the wake from the front to the back in order to enhance overtaking opportunities. The 2028 design also delivers reduced outwash and, for Indianapolis Motor Speedway, a more aerodynamically stable speedway front wing.

The new car will feature electronically controlled driver-adjustable anti-roll bars, which will enable enhanced tuning and raceability while cleaning up the cockpit by eliminating standard knobs and handles, thus also improving driver safety.

The IR-28 also introduces the Custom AXIS Inertance Control Suspension System, offering expanded spring, damper and inerter tuning within a lightweight shared damping architecture. According to the company, the system improves mechanical grip through suspension optimization while providing greater setup flexibility.

The 2028 powerplant

The power for the new 2028 NTT IndyCar Series machinery will be provided by 2.4-liter twin-turbocharged V6 internal combustion engines capable of producing up to 760hp. Chevrolet and Honda have committed to participate under the new engine formula, which will deliver increased torque, power and overall performance compared to the current generation of IndyCar Series engines.

GM vice president of Global Motorsports Competition Eric Warren said, “This new car builds on more than a decade of collaboration with IndyCar.”

The low-voltage hybrid technology of the IR-28 will deliver greater power storage, more deployment options for teams and the decrease in package weight of approximately 20 lb. The significant performance advancement and deployment variability will be provided through a new partnership with UK-based Helix.

The new hybrid platform will feature the first battery-based energy storage system (ESS) in NTT IndyCar Series history, supplied by BOLD Technology and selected by IndyCar for the program. BOLD’s ESS for the IR-28 delivers approximately 14 times the energy storage capacity of the current supercapacitor-based system.

Xtrac, an exclusive supplier for IndyCar since 2000 and a Helix associate, is providing transmissions for the new chassis. Development includes a gearbox that sheds 25 lb from the current unit.

Safety evolution 

The IR-28 has also been designed to keep drivers safer. From the aeroscreen to the roll hoop to side-impact structures, the new car integrates recent safety and design advancements into its core architecture.

The chassis features wider internal dimensions to accommodate a greater range of driver heights and body types, and enhanced internal airflow and driver cooling for improved comfort and performance.

Decades worth of race and incident evaluations have created a chassis that features stronger, more efficient side-structure design providing increased energy absorption in high-impact situations, IndyCar said.

“Seeing the car for the first time made me even more excited about where IndyCar is going. The design is super cool and feels like a proper next step for the series while still looking like an IndyCar Series car,” said  Alex Palou, driver of the no. 10 Honda for DHL Chip Ganassi Racing.

“We all wanted a new, modern-day car that is lighter and looks futuristic and fast but still has all of the incredible safety advancements that IndyCar is known for,” said Alexander Rossi, driver of the no. 20 Java House Chevrolet for ECR . “There are still a lot of things to work through in terms of on-track testing and how it reacts to the different types of environments it will be exposed to, but from a visual standpoint, it’s incredible.”

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The 2026 FIA World Endurance Championship campaign will conclude with a pair of European races in Spain and Italy, after the current regional security situation and its effect on freight and travel arrangements required the cancellation of the planned events in Qatar and Bahrain.

Following the postponement of the Qatar 1812km from its original date in March to later in the year, the decision has now been taken to replace the final two rounds with races at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya and Autodromo Nazionale Monza.

The inaugural 6 Hours of Barcelona will take place over the weekend of October 16-18, and will mark the first time FIA WEC has visited the track, which has in recent years successfully hosted the European Le Mans Series and Michelin Le Mans Cup.

Monza, meanwhile, has a long association with international endurance racing stretching back more than 60 years, having welcomed the FIA World Sportscar Championship on multiple occasions.

From 2021 to 2023, FIA WEC traveled to ‘The Temple of Speed’ for three consecutive seasons, resulting in triumphs for Toyota and Alpine. The 2026 edition of the 6 Hours of Monza will be held on November 6-8. The calendar change is subject to approval by the FIA World Motor Sport Council.

FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem said, “The FIA has worked closely with our partners in Qatar and Bahrain in recent months to explore every option to preserve both events this season. But due to the ongoing situation in the region, the safety of our teams, colleagues and motorsport fans remains our highest priority. These are never easy decisions, but protecting the well-being of our motorsport community will always come first.

Frédéric Lequien, CEO, FIA WEC, added, “A matter of days after the current Middle East crisis began back at the end of February, we acted quickly in postponing the Qatar event until later in the year, just before Bahrain. A few weeks ago, we were optimistic about being able to race at both venues, but unfortunately, the present situation obliges us to switch to an alternative plan. Logistically, it was imperative to take this decision now to allow manufacturers, teams and the FIA WEC organization to make all necessary arrangements.”

Pierre Fillon, president, Automobile Club de l’Ouest, said, “We are deeply disappointed that we will not be able to race in Qatar and Bahrain this year. These countries have become important members of the FIA World Endurance Championship family, and I want to be very clear – we are fully committed to returning to both venues in 2027 as scheduled. We already look forward to being reunited with our partners and fans there.”

The modifications to the series’s 2026 schedule have no impact upon the nine-round 2027 calendar, which remains as announced on June 12.

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Gazoo Racing will enter the DKR GR FC Hilux, a fuel cell electric vehicle (FCEV), in the 2027 Dakar Rally.

The project represents a new challenge to demonstrate hydrogen fuel cell technology in the demanding conditions of the Dakar Rally. Based on the DKR GR Hilux, the DKR GR FC Hilux replaces its gasoline engine with Toyota’s fuel cell system. It emits no CO2 while driving, with water as its only tailpipe emission.

The Dakar Rally’s high temperatures, rough terrain and long stages make it a demanding test environment for hydrogen fuel cell technology. Toyota said that the project will focus on fuel cell downsizing, cooling performance, durability and energy management.

Lessons learned from developing and operating the DKR GR FC Hilux will contribute to the wider application of fuel cell technology in passenger cars, trucks, buses, trains, marine applications, race cars and stationary power generators. Engineers involved in the project also hope to develop problem-solving skills through hands-on, on-site experience.

Testing and tuning of the FCEV powertrain and its software, together with vehicle build-up, have begun in Belgium. A test program will be conducted progressively in the coming months.

The Dakar Rally will be held in Saudi Arabia from January 1 to January 15, 2027, with King Abdullah Economic City serving as the starting and finishing point.

The DKR GR FC Hilux will compete in the Dakar Future Mission 1000 category, which is dedicated to experimental vehicles and the demonstration of new technologies. The category follows a unique competitive format, with crews of drivers and navigators racing against the clock over 13 stages comprising a total of 1,000 competitive kilometers.

Hydrogen in motorsports

Toyota’s efforts to use hydrogen-related technologies in motorsports began in 2021, when Rookie Racing entered the Japanese Super Taikyu series with the hydrogen-engined ORC Rookie Corolla H2 Concept.

In rallying, the potential of hydrogen engines was demonstrated in 2022, when the GR Yaris H2 completed demonstration runs at the Ypres Rally in Belgium, a round of the FIA World Rally Championship. Further development was showcased through demonstration runs by the GR Yaris Rally2 H2 Concept at Rally Finland in 2025 and Rallye Monte-Carlo in 2026.

In the 2024 Dakar Rally, HySE-X1, a hydrogen-engine buggy, completed the Dakar Future Mission 1000, followed in 2025 by the evolved HySE-X2. Both vehicles were entered by HySE (Hydrogen Small mobility & Engine technology Association), a technical research association in which Toyota Motor Corporation participates.

In circuit racing, the 2026 24 Hours of Le Mans – a round of the FIA World Endurance Championship – featured demonstration laps by the TR LH2 Racing Prototype, which is powered by a liquid-hydrogen engine and based on the TR010 Hybrid race car. In addition, a hydrogen-engined GR Corolla equipped with superconducting technology became the first vehicle of its kind in the world to complete a race in the 2026 Super Taikyu series.

The 2027 Dakar Future Mission 1000 will be the first time Toyota has combined hydrogen and fuel cell technology in its motorsport activities.

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The Abu Dhabi Autonomous Racing League, A2RL, has announced its international racing debut will take place on September 5, 2026, in Imola, Italy, with up to five fully autonomous race cars based on the Dallara Super Formula SF23.

Organized by ASPIRE, the grand challenges arm of Abu Dhabi’s Advanced Technology Research Council, A2RL has evolved from a bold public testbed for AI under extreme race conditions into a competitive racing series.

Reigning A2RL champion TUM (Germany) will compete alongside Unimore Racing (Italy) and PoliMOVE (Italy) at the iconic racetrack in Imola, having qualified through their performances during the 2025 season. Two additional teams, Kinetiz (UAE) and Constructor Racing (Germany), will compete in qualification events ahead of race weekend for the remaining spots on the grid.

Faisal Al Bannai, secretary general of the Advanced Technology Research Council, said, “A2RL began in Abu Dhabi with a clear conviction: the future of mobility must be tested openly, rigorously and at the limits of performance. Its international debut at Imola demonstrates how the UAE is translating bold R&D ambition into globally relevant technology platforms that can accelerate progress in autonomous mobility.”

Stephane Timpano, CEO of ASPIRE, added, “Taking A2RL to Imola is a major milestone in our ambition to build the world’s first international championship for fully autonomous racecars. Few circuits carry the heritage and global standing of Imola, making it a powerful stage for our first international race. This is an important step for autonomous motorsport as both a technology platform and an emerging global sporting format.”

Building on two seasons in Abu Dhabi, A2RL has evolved from a world-first four-car autonomous race into a six-car Grand Final featuring wheel-to-wheel racing at speeds of more than 250km/h.

The league has also become a defining platform for human vs AI competition, with the performance gap between autonomous systems and professional drivers shrinking dramatically from 10 seconds in 2024 to just 1.58 seconds in 2025.

Alongside the on-track progress, A2RL has also built a growing global audience and strengthened Abu Dhabi’s position as a leading hub for autonomous mobility and AI innovation.

Imola

The Imola circuit is known for its elevation challenges, narrow racing lines with limited run-off areas and difficult overtaking zones. Its technical corners and narrow margins will test how autonomous systems manage grip, traffic, positioning and overtaking under constant pressure. For competing teams, the event represents a highly demanding competitive environment where performance will depend on the precision of software, sensor integration, engineering strategy and real-time autonomous decision-making.

Alessandro Tucci, executive director, house of grand challenges at ASPIRE, said, “Imola is the perfect testbed for the top A2RL teams to demonstrate their racing capabilities on an extremely challenging track. Imola does not allow for half-measures. It rewards precision, control and courage, which makes it the right circuit for autonomous racing to show what it can do under real pressure. Every car on track carries the work of engineers and coders pushing AI from simulation into real competition.”

From sim sprint to the circuit

Before testing on the Imola Circuit in August, teams will prepare through A2RL’s virtual racing ecosystem, with the Sim Sprint series running from May 19 to July 17 across high fidelity digital twins of Yas Marina, the A2RL Autodrome, Suzuka and Imola, before concluding on the Yas Marina North Circuit.

In the previous season, Sim Sprint delivered more than 5,000 hours of collective simulation testing and racing across 11 teams.

The platform provides teams with a controlled environment to develop and validate their algorithms ahead of real-world autonomous competition. Across the series, teams will face multi-car racing, overtakes, incident response scenarios and edge cases that are difficult to replicate safely on track. By giving teams more competitive mileage before Imola, Sim Sprint helps prepare AI systems for the speed, pressure and unpredictability of live autonomous racing.

Following Imola, A2RL will return to Yas Marina Circuit in Abu Dhabi for the final round of the 2026 season. The circuit has hosted A2RL since the series launched in 2024 and remains its primary venue as the championship continues to develop.

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Following a joint tender process conducted by the Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA) and the Automobile Club de l’Ouest (ACO), Goodyear has been selected to remain the exclusive tire supplier to the FIA World Endurance Championship‘s LMGT3 class for the 2027, 2028 and 2029 seasons.

The tender evaluation considered a range of criteria, including tire performance across varying track and weather conditions, safety, sustainability, cost, the manufacturer’s experience in supplying tires for LMGT3 competition and the level of technical and operational support provided to teams.

The refreshed range will continue Goodyear’s current single-specification philosophy, with one Goodyear Racing Eagle Medium slick and one wet-weather tire developed around three key priorities: instant confidence, a wide operating window and an enhanced range of sustainable materials.

Both the slick and wet compounds will contain 66% sustainable materials, which will make them the tires with the highest sustainable content in top-level endurance racing.

The new compounds combine recycled and bio-based materials, including recycled steel, rice husk silica, recycled zinc oxide and ISCC-certified polymers and carbon black, with bio-based processing aids and sustainable natural rubber.

The tires will also debut new Eagle-branded sidewalls, bringing Goodyear’s Eagle performance identity more prominently to the track.

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The Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA) Extreme H World Cup will return to Qiddiya City, Saudi Arabia, for its second edition from October 29-31, 2026.

The competition features hydrogen-powered, purpose-built fuel-cell race cars, with equal male and female driver pairings and an off-road format designed to test performance, reliability and clean hydrogen energy technology under demanding conditions.

The event will take place in a purpose-built off-road environment in Qiddiya City, and will combine technical terrain, short-format racing and close head-to-head competition.

At the center of the World Cup is the Pioneer 25, Extreme H’s hydrogen-powered race car. Designed for high-performance off-road competition, it uses hydrogen fuel cell technology to showcase the potential of alternative energy systems in demanding motorsport conditions. The World Cup aims to test the limits of motorsport and related industries while encouraging investment in hydrogen infrastructure and supporting progress toward a low-carbon future.

The 2026 edition will feature a multistage competition format combining time trials, head-to-head racing and wheel-to-wheel finals. Teams will first complete timed runs to establish seeding positions, before progressing through knockout duels and close-format racing.

The return of the FIA Extreme H World Cup reflects the FIA’s broader commitment to using motorsport as a testbed for innovation. By combining hydrogen technology with an international competition format, the second edition will continue to demonstrate how motorsport can support the development and understanding of alternative energy solutions.

Mohammed Ben Sulayem, president of the FIA, said, “The return of the FIA Extreme H World Cup for its second edition marks another important step in the development of hydrogen-powered motorsport. This competition provides an important platform to test hydrogen fuel cell technology in a demanding, high-performance environment, while supporting the FIA’s wider commitment to innovation, sustainability and safety.”

He continued, “Equally, its sporting format remains an important part of its identity, with male and female drivers competing together for the same honors. This reflects the FIA’s continued ambition to support competitions that explore new technologies while promoting greater opportunity and inclusion across motorsport.”

Ali Russell, the managing director of Extreme H, added, “In 2025, we launched a completely new form of motor racing, leading the way in technology, sustainability and equality. This year, together with the FIA, our partners and the support of our host, Qiddiya City, we will go faster, further and harder. Sustainable motorsport has never looked so good.”

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The Automobile and Touring Club of Egypt (ATCE) has begun work to bring the FIA Affordable Cross Car to Egypt, the first country in the Middle East and North Africa region to adopt the project.

The Egyptian FIA Affordable Cross Car will be manufactured using locally sourced materials and offer accessible, entry-level motorsport to people across the country. The FIA Affordable Cross Car was launched by the FIA to expand the base of the road sport pyramid and offer an accessible route for new competitors to participate in events such as Rally or Rallycross.

Training has already begun in preparation for the introduction of an Egyptian National Cross Car Championship using cross cars manufactured elsewhere.

Ali Eissa, president of ATCE, said, “Thanks to the initiative of the FIA president and through his Development Fund, ATCE was able to introduce the FIA Affordable Cross Car project in Egypt, marking a major step forward in developing grassroots motorsport.”

He continued, “This initiative will expand the access to entry-level competition, strengthen the foundation of the motorsport pyramid, and create a clear pathway for new drivers, achieving a breakthrough in enhancing, promoting and improving motorsport in Egypt; not only that but it will make it possible for ATCE to avail of this low-cost racing car for the local market, the countries of the MENA region and eventually the whole African continent. We look forward to seeing it come to fruition in the coming months.”

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Saudi Motorsport Company (SMC) and Extreme H have announced a strategic commercial partnership as part of their joint efforts to advance innovation in sustainable technologies and establish Saudi Arabia as a global motorsport hub.

Extreme H organizes the FIA Extreme H World Cup, a hydrogen-powered racing series featuring mixed-gender teams competing in a three-day program in remote, challenging environments. The partnership will see SMC and Extreme H work closely to strengthen the World Cup’s commercial presence across the kingdom.

Commenting on the partnership, Mansour Almokbel, chief executive officer of SMC, said, “Following the success of the inaugural FIA Extreme H World Cup, we are stepping into the future with even greater ambition. As the races continue to evolve from electric to hydrogen power, they reflect a shared commitment to innovation and to advancing sustainable solutions for future generations.”

He added, “We are proud of our strategic partnership with Extreme H, which marks an important step in advancing our vision to support clean energy and drive meaningful innovation. Saudi Arabia will continue to lead in this journey, helping to shape a new era of sustainable motorsport.”

Ali Russell, managing director of Extreme H, commented, “I am incredibly excited to continue our extensive relationship with Saudi Motorsport Company. We have built a fantastic foundation together over the years, and I am proud for Extreme H to be a key part of Saudi Arabia’s vibrant motorsport landscape. As we move into this next era of hydrogen power, our partnership with SMC will be vital in demonstrating the potential of sustainable technology on a global stage.”

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The Lotus Cup China has appointed Giti Tire as official race tire supplier. The 2026 season will run across five rounds from April to December, featuring 17 teams, 58 drivers and 44 cars. Competitors will run the GitiCompete GTR1 slick tire in sizes 240/650R18 and 300/650R18.

The season opener took place last weekend (April 3-5) at the Sepang International Circuit in Malaysia, which is known for its high temperatures and demanding layout, placing significant emphasis on tire durability, consistency and thermal performance. Round 2 will take place in Shanghai.

The GitiCompete GTR1 has been developed specifically for motorsport use, with a focus on grip, stability, and predictable handling under race conditions. Giti states that the tire’s construction and compound are designed to maintain performance under sustained load, while heat management characteristics support consistent lap-to-lap behavior. The tire has been engineered to deliver responsive steering feedback, enabling drivers to extract performance in high-speed and high-load cornering situations.

Giti uses motorsport as a development tool for its wider product portfolio, with data from tire wear, heat cycles and grip performance feeding into future product development and refinement.

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The Azimut Automobile Heritage Enhancement fund has renewed its partnership with Ferrari Hypercar ahead of the 2026 FIA World Endurance Championship opener in Imola on April 19. The collaboration in the Hypercar class began in June 2023, shortly before Ferrari’s win at the Centenary 24 Hours of Le Mans.

Azimut-AHE will be the official Ferrari Hypercar team partner, and its redesigned logo will be displayed on the number 50 and 51 Ferrari 499P cars fielded by the official Ferrari-AF Corse team in the top class of the FIA World Endurance Championship. The partnership will also extend to the safety car livery in the Ferrari Challenge Trofeo Pirelli single-marque series, where the same logo will feature.

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