Alexander Rossi tests new IndyCar chassis: ‘It’s like Christmas morning’

INDIANAPOLIS – Alexander Rossi drove just four install laps on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course in the new Dallara IR28 chassis but Saturday’s test provided the full experience. Rain and lightning gave Rossi just about an hour in the cockpit of the new car, but he enjoyed the time he did get to drive it.

“The car is just really rewarding to drive,” Rossi told media after the session. “It doesn’t do anything unpredictable and gives you good feedback and you kind of know what’s coming.”

The damp track made it harder for Rossi to compare the IR28, which will debut in IndyCar in 2028, to the current DW12 chassis, but he was impressed by the smooth feel of the ride. Rossi, who drove in Formula One in 2015 before debuting in IndyCar in 2016 and winning that year’s Indianapolis 500, compared the IR28 to an F1 car.

“I think anyone that drives a Formula One car for the first time, they notice how smooth the car is, not from a powertrain standpoint, but just on the surface standpoint,” he said. “And this car starts to get to that level, and I think that just comes down to build quality and how well put together the entire package is.”

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Rossi said that he and other drivers saw renderings of the IR28 over two years ago but that the chassis has completely changed. Mark Sibla, IndyCar’s senior vice president of competition and operations, told media Friday that after Penske Entertainment fired former IndyCar president Jay Frye in February 2025, the series and Dallara used “a blank sheet of paper” to build the chassis that’s on track this weekend.

“I think everyone was like, ‘No, we don’t like that,'” Rossi said of the renderings he saw in the past. “And so that’s nowhere near this.”

On July 24, Rossi and several other full-time drivers visited the Dallara Experience Hub in Speedway to view the finished chassis for the first time. Rossi feels the visuals of the car don’t do it justice.

“I was blown away when I saw it for the first time,” he said. “Even the real pictures online don’t do it justice. The presence that it has in person is pretty amazing.”

Rossi found out just weeks ago that Chevrolet had chosen him to test the car, which had a 2.4-liter V6 mule engine in it Saturday that won’t be used in 2028. Rossi, who said the car has “no negatives at this point,” appreciated that the engine manufacturer appointed him.

“It’s pretty incredible to be able to be a part of this next evolution of IndyCar, to do it at IMS, a place that obviously means a lot to me and all of us here,” Rossi said. “I get to play a small part in the history and the future of this championship, and that’s super cool.”

Alex Palou will be Honda’s driver representative for a test Sunday. Rossi, who’s typically not shy to criticize IndyCar when he feels it’s necessary, seems pleased with the product thus far.

“We’ve all – drivers as well as fans and teams and sponsors and (media) – have been waiting for this for a long time,” Rossi said. “And now that it’s finally here, it’s like Christmas morning, so everyone is super excited about it.”

Zion Brown is IndyStar’s motorsports reporter. Follow him at @z10nbr0wn. Get IndyStar’s motor sports coverage sent directly to your inbox with our Motor Sports newsletter. Subscribe to the YouTube channel IndyStar TV: IndyCar for a behind-the-scenes look at IndyCar and expert analysis.