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IndyCar will build a five-second delay into its push-to-pass system for this weekend's race at Mid-Ohio.

The change means that the extra boost provided to drivers will be activated five seconds after they press the button, a delay intended to both add an element of strategy and reduce the defensive benefits of the system.

Drivers will only get the benefit of the additional boost however when they are on full throttle - meaning they can operate the button going into a corner and utilise the advantage on the exit.

IndyCar's director of engine development Trevor Knowles said the revisions would encourage the drivers to use the system proactively.

"After five seconds, when the driver gets to full throttle or already is at full throttle, the overtake will come on. That's to stop from using it as a push to defend," he said. "They'll have to plan ahead."

"You can push the button before you get to the braking zone and when you get on the throttle it will be on overtake.

"If you're the car in front trying to defend, the TV won't show when the competitor has pushed it. It will only show when the overtake is active. If he responds, he has five seconds before his overtake cuts in."

Knowles added that the system, which will also be included at the road/street course events at Sonoma and Baltimore, could undergo further revisions including a recharge period, but cautioned that "we didn't want to introduce too many things at one time."