The Andretti ace, who this weekend will race in Wayne Taylor Racing’s Cadillac DPi-V.R in the Rolex 24 Hours at Daytona, was fast in IndyCar testing at Sebring yesterday, but admitted that not being one of Honda’s official test teams for the 2018 car was a major hindrance.

“We’re five or six days behind in testing, and that’s big,” Hunter-Reay told Motorsport.com. “We’re only going to be on track [at a roadcourse] for three days before St. Pete. We’re behind the 8-ball on that, so hopefully we can overcome it.

“We didn’t have a manufacturer deal by the time the manufacturers allotted their test teams. We were left without a chair when the music stopped.”

Asked if that restriction had affected his target for the opening round of the season at St. Petersburg, a track where he has four top-three finishes, he said: “We’re only in this to win, and we have a great team. Anything off the podium will be a disappointment. I’m hoping we can catch up – I know this team has in the past.”

Hunter-Reay, who hasn’t won an IndyCar race since Pocono in 2015 – partly down to Honda aerokit struggles, partly down to Andretti Autosport’s own issues – was positive about the new universal aerokit and how well it suits his driving style. However, he was wary of reading too much into his performance at Sebring.

“I’ve only been in it for two days at Sebring,” he said, “which is kind of a unique track. It’s pretty much out on its own in terms of relevance to other tracks.

“But I’m enjoying the car so far. I’m busier behind the wheel and it has a smaller window to get the laptime out of it. So I’m enjoying that. So far, so good.

“I think it will improve the racing because you don’t have all that downforce, where everyone is so evenly matched and it covers up mistakes. With less downforce, it will expose weaknesses, either in set-up, or [driving] mistakes.”