Since 2012, Indycar’s choice of bodywork has divided opinion. Well, that’s not completely true—it’s rare to hear many who liked to look of these cars. Though these bulky aero kits generated lots of downforce, they limited overtaking, moved the weight unfavorably towards the rear axle, and littered the circuits with debris every time a nudge took place.

To streamline the course of the race as well as the appearance of the cars, a new aero kit for the 2018 season will do away with those ungainly rear haunches, soften the shape, and, additionally, should improve the chances of passing.

Note the massive tunnel entrances, which funnel air into the floor and away from the draggy tires. Additionally, by losing the rear pods, the weight distribution has been moved forward 2%, which answers the demand for more frontwards bias from the drivers.

The universal aero kit, which comes in a configuration for short ovals/road courses and another for the speedways, consists of new front and rear wings, a new engine cover, and new sidepods. These minimalist pieces bring the overall downforce level down from last year’s 5,500 pounds, and now the underbody will produce a greater percentage of the overall downforce as compared to the older cars: 65% versus 45%.

This shift will bring the cars closer together, as the new components will produce less dirty air, since the majority of turbulence is caused by the wings protruding into the airstream—not the underbody. Therefore, when fighting in close packs, these new cars won’t exhibit as much aero-push as they once did. Recent short oval tests have shown to reduce the following distance of a trailing car by half.

Dominic Dobson, Indycar veteran, gives his take on what the worrying experience of aero-push feels like: “when stuck in the middle of a pack, it was truly terrifying. Though you would set the car up for a mild amount of push at high speed,” as this is the most manageable form of breakaway at high speed, “following other cars closely worsened the understeer, and made the car very unpredictable,” recalls Dobson.

Interestingly, these new bodykits are reminiscent of the CART-era machines that Dobson spent most of his career in. The lower engine coverings reminiscent of those beautiful, streamlined machines of the eighties and nineties, serves as a base for that unmistakable rollover hoop and the svelte, slinky profile.

With the rear wheels exposed and the new sidepods visually shifting mass to the center of the car, it looks more compact, more muscular, and more elegant; somewhat like the bulldoggish F1 cars of the mid-eighties. Additionally, the wider sidepods and relocated radiators better protect the driver and provide the sponors with a little more advertising space, too.

Additionally, this redesign helps keep the fields full, as the basic Dallara IW-12 chassis has been retained and the shoestring operations need not search for another sponsor to buy a new car. Indirectly, it stimulates the engine battle between the manufacturers by lowering the barriers to entry—as another manufacturer would have to build an aero kit with the outgoing rules—thereby allowing a third or fourth entrant. Having seen the way these cars handle the 700 horsepower at their command, I pondered how well they would handle another 200 horsepower.

Also noticeable from the sidelines were the cars’ nervousness under braking. During testing on Feburary 5th, with the sun blazing overhead, the hills as green as ever, and the track providing strong levels of grip, the Schmidt-Peterson car of James Hinchcliffe repeatedly waggled its hips in the uphill braking zone leading into Sonoma Raceway’s Turn 2. Sebastien Bourdais claims “it’s very rear-ride height sensitive, so as soon as you hit the brakes and the rear gets up you lose a lot of rear downforce and the thing starts moving around.”

The overall reduction in downforce—estimates vary between 1,500 and 2,400 pounds—reduces the cars’ ability to apply that power to the pavement. Hints of wheelspin were and spiking engine notes were evident in Sonoma’s slowest corners, which is nothing new, but the cars moved around plenty in the faster sections, like Turn 6 and the Turn 8 esses. Fortunately, Xtrac will provide a slew of gearing options to maximize these new levels of grip, acceleration, and terminal speed.

Less downforce means a finer line to balance the cars on; the drivers will be taxed by not having the same level of high-speed stability. Essentially, drivers will have to manage the cars more carefully, measure their inputs, and take care not to overwhelm the driven wheels. Spencer Pigot (above footage) would occasionally bobble in the middle of the daunting high-speed esses, and putting the power down often involved a bit of wheelspin. Note how, even in the quick Turn 6 (3:33), Pigot needs to be extremely deliberate and progressive with the throttle application. Even after depressing the throttle millimeter-by-millimeter, mild slides are visible from the onboard footage, and from the bleachers, his car would visibly yaw out of this corner—which is something that needs to be seen in person.

No longer is sheer bravery as deciding an element in races; the finesse needed to handle a 700-horsepower Indycar that relies more and more on mechanical grip will sift the best from the also-rans. Let’s hope Firestone can design a softer, stickier tire to suit the new conditions and provide the drivers with the amount of information needed. Regardless, the most skilled drivers now have a platform to better showcase their car control, and the challenge of controlling these stylish cars, now more obvious from the outside, should leave every spectator with a fixed grin spanning the full width of their face—it did for me.