Scott McLaughlin explains how his Supercars experience boosts outstanding IndyCar’s hybrid era qualification 

Team Penske's Scott McLaughlin previously raced in the V8 Supercars championship in the land down under before moving to the US and switching to a full-time open-wheel racing seat for the 2021 IndyCar season. The Kiwi driver came out ahead of the Thermal Club race to detail how his Supercar experience aided him in adapting to the hybrid IndyCar power units.

IndyCar introduced the hybrid power units midway through the 2024 IndyCar season. Both Honda and Chevrolet added the necessary electrical components to the existing 2.2L Twin Turbo V6 engine, which added a little over 100 lb to the weight of the car.

While others found it difficult to adapt to the hybrid system and the increased weight of the car, McLaughlin rose to the top. Ever since the introduction of the hybrid power unit at Mid-Ohio, the Team Penske driver has the best average qualifying position 4.2, whereas 2024 championship winner Alex Palou and runner-up Colton Herta average 8.0.

INDYCAR Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg - Source: Getty

The race pace in the 10 or so races since its introduction also highlighted McLaughlin’s prowess as the Kiwi driver's average finishing position of 5.0 is much higher than that of Palou and Herta (7.2 and 7.3 respectively)

McLaughlin detailed how he's familiar with the heavy V8 Supercars that he raced for close to a decade, and the increased weight of the IndyCar gave him a slight advantage. The Team Penske driver said, (via Racer)

“I think the extra weight probably helps me slightly, because it’s what I’m used to a bit more compared to, say, like someone that’s been in open-wheel all their life, but it’s still wildly different,” McLaughlin said.

“And you’re constantly changing things while you’re driving with the hybrid, which is something that I guess I was used to doing in Supercars. You’re always changing the car there, moving your (anti-roll) bar levers, or moving the brake bias, corner to corner. It’s just things that you did with a heavy car that I’m probably a little more comfortable with than other people,” he added

McLaughlin started the 2025 IndyCar season with a pole position but was not able to convert it into a race win. An early caution flag put the Team Penske driver on the backfoot, and McLaughlin wasn't able to recover from the same.

Scott McLaughlin signed a contract extension with Team Penske

Scott McLaughlin raced for Team Penske’s V8 Supercars team in Australia before he moved to the US to race in IndyCar. Considering the supercars experience, the Kiwi driver has now been with Team Penske for close to a decade. McLaughlin, who joined Penske's IndyCar operation in 2021 signed a multi-year contract extension with the team before the start of the current season.

The Kiwi revealed the same via his social media account on platform X, as he posted,

“We’re LIVE and ready for a big 2025! Signed a long term extension in the off-season with @Team_Penske and have been absolutely 100% focused on prep for this year. Let’s kick this season off right! STRAIGHT. TO. THE. MOON. #Thirsty3s”

McLaughlin has been the best-performing Team Penske driver for the last couple of years, finishing third in the championship standings in 2023 and 2024.