In this article we go beyond the usual suspects (chassis, engine, aero) to expose what truly causes an increase in lap time and loss of speed: tyre-scrub. While engine power and aerodynamic setups are often pointed at as root causes for bad performance, our article shows they are nearly identical between rivals, so they are rarely the issue.

During a qualifying at the Indianapolis 500, IndyCars hit around 240 mph on the straights, yet bleed 10–20 mph in the corners. Why? They’re full throttle all the way.

The real differentiator? Minimising tyre scrub and tyre drag.

We explain why typical “road-course” setups are inefficient on ovals, and how a carefully tuned asymmetric/parallel setup can reduce drag dramatically — often cutting total tyre-scrub losses by 30–40%. However, this comes at the expense of driver “feel.” At 240 mph, losing that feedback requires trust from drivers in their engineers.

In short: at the Indianapolis 500, it’s not about horsepower or downforce, it is all about tyre energy, precision setup, and courage to run on the edge.

Read the full article below to gain a deeper understanding on how the Indy500 is really won!