Kyle Kirkwood warns about unexpected power surge forcing Indy 500 drivers into risky qualifying setups

Andretti Global star Kyle Kirkwood spoke with the media after the 2025 Indy 500 open test and reflected on the behaviour and performance of the hybrid IndyCar around the 2.5-mile oval. The 2025 Long Beach winner warned how the hybrid systems might force drivers into risky qualifying setups for the 109th running of the Indy 500.

Kirkwood, after the test, explained how his team was surprised by the lap times, as they expected it to be slower. The Andretti Global driver suggested that the car was trickier around the turns, and that the drivers would refrain from taking the downforce away from the qualifying like they did in the previous year.

The reporters then asked Kyle Kirkwood if anyone could make an all-out move and opt for extremely low downforce levels for the Indy 500 qualifying. He replied (via Bob Pockrass):

“That's the question. We've always gotten to a point everybody has where you, where you get to a Tremo that's not very efficient when the wing starts going negative. And you saw guys put it in the wall today and that was just because it's hard to drive now. Qualifying sims at the level that we did now compared to last year were much, much harder.”

“It was not the same quali performance that we would have had in previous years. So the weight's definitely playing a factor in that. And I imagine people will be tempted to because it'll be more of a gain efficiency wise. But it's more sketchy for sure,” added Kyle Kirkwood.

The open test at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway from April 23 to April 24 saw the hybrid power units put to the test for the first time. Many drivers expected the lap times to be slower, courtesy of the 100 lbs of added weight from the motor and battery of the hybrid system.

However, that wasn't the case as drivers set lap times with average speed 230+ mph during the boost session, which imitated the qualifying runs. Although the hybrid system did provide the speed boost, the added weight also kept the drivers from pushing the car. Takuma Sato did push the car beyond the limit and paid the price by totaling the car into the barrier.

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Kyle Kirkwood details the tracks where Andretti Global is expected to excel

Kyle Kirkwood won the recent IndyCar race at Long Beach. The Andretti Global driver started on pole position and dominated the race to cross the checkered flag in P1 while keeping Alex Palou at bay. Kirkwood featured on the Speed Street podcast after the race and detailed how the team is expected to one-up their performance at Long Beach at the two upcoming races.

“Long beach Is a special one to the team, and I couldn't really tell you why we're so good there. I actually would rate Long Beach as potentially the third best track that we go to. I think Toronto and Detroit are actually two of our better circuits,” said Kyle Kirkwood. (44:00 onwards)

Kirkwood currently sits second in the championship standings behind Alex Palou. The next IndyCar race takes place at Barber Motorsports Park in the first week of May.