Honda needs a miracle at Indy 500 says furious Michael Andretti

IndyCar gave Honda permission to make changes to its aero kit in the interests of closer competition over the winter, but the new 'domed skid' rule to raise ride-heights for the Indy 500 after last year's airborne accidents has enraged Honda teams.

Honda requested underwing strakes to help give back some of the downforce taken away by the titanium additions to the underside, but IndyCar prohibited this.

"I told them back in December that if they continued down the path of the domed skid the story will be more about the domed skid than the 100th running of the Indianapolis 500 and that is where we are at," Andretti told Autosport.

"I'm hoping to God we are going to get there and by some miracle the Hondas will be competitive with the Chevrolets but there isn't a lot of hope because we didn't get what we needed and are locked in.

"That's going to be the story of the month of May and what is disappointing is it didn't need to be that way."

The 500 will be a 350,000 sellout - the largest crowd in over 20 years - as it celebrates its 100th running this year.

"If we put on a crappy show it's not going to be good," Andretti said.

He remains disgruntled about the entire aero kit concept, devised to allow Honda and Chevrolet to add their own identities to the Dallara DW12 chassis.

Created under Randy Bernard's reign as series chief, the aero kits were delayed on cost grounds until 2015.

Andretti hopes Jay Frye, who replaced Derrick Walker as IndyCar's competition boss for this year, might rethink the rules.

"We are trying to fix them but when you start behind the eight ball like last year you are playing catch-up and you will continue to play catch-up until we get rid of these stupid kits," Andretti said.

"I'm begging Jay Frye.

"Don't even go there about Randy Bernard.

"I delayed it for two years and then good old Derrick Walker came along in 2013 and screwed the whole thing up.

"Honda did not want the aero kits. I blame Chevrolet and Roger Penske for pushing the aero kits hard in the beginning. That is what we are up against."

Though Honda renewed its IndyCar deal, the agreement was only guaranteed for two years with three further seasons as options - which leaves Andretti concerned in the current atmosphere.

"There are some pretty upset people right now at Honda," he argued.

"It's different now. It's more American run so you don't have the 100 per cent support like we did from Japan when it was [a case of] whatever it took.

"Now there are budgets that have to be kept to.

"It's definitely different than in the early 2000s."