Chevrolet insight helping Coyne with Honda

Bourdais and Boisson have used Chevrolet engines for the past three years at KV Racing, but have joined Dale Coyne’s Honda-powered team during the off-season, where they are joined by Craig Hampson, who came from Andretti Autosport-Honda.

Cannon, who will be engineering for IndyCar’s only fulltime rookie in 2017 and reigning Indy Lights champion Ed Jones, said this new influx of insight is already paying off for the team.

He said: “There are certain tracks where Craig’s car went well, tracks where mine went well, and certainly Olivier’s too. And of course the big difference was the aerokits.

"You can see the similarities between what Craig’s used to and what I’m used to, obviously, and then the difference in what Olivier knows from working with the other manufacturer. The differences in the cars’ mechanical setups provide a clue as to what the differences are on the aero side and what are each aerokit's particular sensitivities.

“It’s been interesting and good to have some more helping hands to know what we’re up against." 

Bourdais offers Jones an “ideal opportunity”

Cannon said that the presence of four-time Champ Car champion Bourdais as teammate is something that will help rather than intimidate Jones.

“If you’re a rookie in this series, you couldn’t put yourself in a better situation,” he said. “If you think about how long Sebastien, Tony Kanaan and Scott Dixon have been doing this, there’s so much to learn.

“All you can do in Ed’s situation is acquit yourself well, learn your craft, and build your toolbox. So when you’ve got a truly great teammate like Sebastien, that can help you fill that toolbox quicker.”

Cannon said that the Coyne team’s recent test at Sebring, Jones’s first for the team, had been a great opportunity for the youngster to have his input validated by the veteran.

“We were able to put Sebastien in Ed’s car and check he was heading in the right direction in terms of setup,” said Cannon. “And Seb got out and said, ‘Yeah, that’s fine.’ No issues. So Ed had that affirmation, which was important.

“Here at Phoenix, Ed did his rookie test on Wednesday, and today he just needs to get more miles, tag onto the back of others and learn his craft.”