IndyCar still hasn’t figured out how to implement its hybrid broadcast graphics

If you tuned into NBC’s broadcast of the Bommarito Automotive Group 500 last night, you might have been forgiven for forgetting that IndyCar had introduced hybrid engines. The graphics designers certainly seemed to, at least.

Halfway through the race, graphics outlining hybrid boost, regeneration, and deployment finally made an appearance, but until that point, it seemed as if the NBC broadcast had entirely forgotten about the series’ brand-new powertrains.

What happened to IndyCar’s hybrid graphics?

As the laps ticked by at Gateway, IndyCar fans took to social media to wonder just what had happened to the series’ graphics package displaying information about the series’ new hybrids.

Tom Gaymor, IndyCar’s commentator for Sky Sports, did clarify to a fan that the hybrid displays on the pylon were “like a Christmas tree” and have therefore been dropped — but with no actual explanation coming from NBC or IndyCar itself, fans were wondering if the hybrids were even present.

IndyCar introduced hybrid engines partway through the 2024 season, at Mid-Ohio. The units have been in play for races at Iowa, Toronto, and now Gateway — but there was no formal broadcast graphics package this weekend showing what was happening regarding boost deployment and regeneration.

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Gaymor’s explanation of the “Christmas tree” look on the scoring pylon may be brief, but it does highlight an issue with the overall package.

The “Christmas tree” look is the result of NBC’s using red and green colors on the scoring pylon to highlight when a driver is regenerating his battery and when he’s using hybrid power. Drivers regenerating battery had a green lightning bolt displayed next to their name; those deploying hybrid boost featured a red arrow pointing downward.

Fans took to Reddit to note that the colors were confusing, and the constant flashing on the pylon was distracting — as well as to note that IndyCar’s battery graphic seemed to feature colors out of order. A full battery was denoted by green bars; a slightly emptied battery was denoted by orange, then turned to yellow as the battery drained.

Obviously, early graphics experiments have shown that there’s still ample work to be done in refining the package — but in Iowa, it seemed as if NBC had simply decided to almost entirely cut the hybrid graphics rather than work to make them better.

Perhaps that’s due to the fact that NBC will be IndyCar’s broadcast partner for just four more races in 2024; next year, the series will be aired on FOX. It could be that the series determined there wasn’t enough value in redesigning the graphics to make them clearer and less distracting — but if that’s the case, it’s unfortunate.

IndyCar has made a strong step forward in implementing its hybrid package after several years of development, and it’s unfortunate that the broadcast has not evolved alongside the series when it comes to communicating hybrid information to fans.

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