Dixon victimized by hybrid system glitch

Unfortunately for Chip Ganassi Racing’s Scott Dixon, the six-time champion was the lone driver -- the only one out of the 27 -- to be struck by an ERS issue on Sunday at Mid-Ohio, and it came on the parade laps as the field prepared to take the green flag for the 80-lap contest.

Parked on the circuit with a stalled and powerless No. 9 Honda, Dixon was towed back to the paddock as the race got under way without him. He’d climb from the car as his crew and his Honda Racing Corporation US powertrain technician searched for the cause of the problem.

He’d join the rest of the drivers on lap 22, pulling away from the pits where a race-long effort to stay out of the way allowed the New Zealander to turn 40 laps before retiring when it became impossible to improve his position of 27th and last.

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Having entered the race holding third in the championship with a 32-point deficit to teammate Alex Palou, being the hybrid casualty came with a price as he fell to fourth in the standings and had his gap to Palou more than double to 71 points.

“Kind of weird,” Dixon said. “There was no alarm. But when I looked down, because the team said, ‘You’ve got to go into recharge,’ something started discharging the capacitor immediately, like at an excessive rate. So some kind of failure there with the power side of the hybrid, which is definitely not a great way to start it for the first time.”