Honda continues IndyCar street circuit stranglehold into hybrid era

While Andretti Global’s Colton Herta scored his first win in over two years in last weekend’s IndyCar Series round in Toronto, he also led Honda to its third consecutive podium sweep on a street track.

The victory additionally stood as the Japanese manufacturer’s first win in the hybrid era, which was introduced earlier this month at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course.

When it came to the 11-turn, 1.786-mile temporary street circuit around Exhibition Place, not only did Honda sweep the podium but also the top seven finishers, with Ed Carpenter Racing’s Rinus VeeKay the leading Chevrolet runner in eighth.

Herta was joined on the Toronto podium by team-mate Kyle Kirkwood and Chip Ganassi Racing’s Scott Dixon, winner of the previous two street circuit events that also featured podium sweeps for Honda. In fact, Honda has won eight of the last nine street races.

When asked by Motorsport.com during the post-race press conference about why Honda seems to do well on street circuits, Herta shared his thoughts.

“I think it’s a lot of things,” Herta said. “I think typically we have had really good cars. I think Ganassi has brought really good cars to street courses.

“On the engine side, it plays into our hands a lot more on the lower-end stuff. Once we get to the higher-end stuff, we don’t have that competitive edge. On street courses, we do have an edge. It kind of flips and changes throughout the season.

“It is kind of surprising to see that happen. A lot of things go into it. Long Beach was a fuel race. Maybe Honda makes a little bit better fuel. I’m not 100% sure. It sure does seem that way. They’re definitely more competitive on the low end, I think.”

Bryan Herta with David Salters of HRC

Photo by: Michael L. Levitt / Motorsport Images

David Salters, president of Honda Racing Corporation (HRC) told Motorsport.com that the success is simply down to the people.

“As always, a team effort, people working very hard,” Salters said. “Also, racing evolves … there’s a whole load of tools and smart people, as well as the powertrain.

“We contribute with the teams to all areas of the car, whether it’s the aerodynamics or the vehicle dynamics, particularly with the drivers in the loop simulator and that shows up here.

“Firstly, a massive thank you to our teams but then also it’s a massive teamwork between those teams and the drivers and the hard working and smart people at HRC. I keep saying that the car is the sum of the parts and we try to put them all together, and I think where you see that work very clearly is somewhere like this.

“Alright, we’re fortunate to be very successful in these types of events, but there is a lot of effort that goes into it.”