Honda is in the final year of its contract with INDYCAR, and Honda Performance Development President Art St. Cyr is confident of a contract renewal - though he has said to Fox Sports that the aero kit situation is making things on his end a bit more hesitant.

Honda had a weak start to the 2015 Verizon IndyCar Series season with the new manufacturer-specific aero kits. Chevrolet was the dominant manufacturer, winning eight of the 10 first races. Honda-powered cars, though, have won three of the last four races and Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing driver Graham Rahal is second in the series standings. Some people argue Honda isn't handicapped by its aero kit but its teams and drivers, though St. Cyr insists that's not the case.

"Some people will say the two kits are equal now but I don’t think that is a common understanding to most viewers of the Verizon IndyCar Series," said St. Cyr to Fox Sports.

The outgoing INDYCAR President of Operations and Competition Derrick Walker had earlier told Fox Sports that Honda has applied to INDYCAR for "consideration" of a change under the Aero Kit Rule 9.3 to be implemented.

Rule 9.3 states: "In the event that an aero kit is not competitive to such extent that it would be detrimental to the Verizon IndyCar Series, INDYCAR may permit in its sole discretion Approved Suppliers to implement modifications to their respective Aero Kits."

Walker also told that Chevrolet has presented their position on whether the Rule 9.3 is applicable for Honda or not.

Walker also explained that the request for Rule 9.3 application doesn't guarantee modifying the aero kit but there will be a consideration in a wind tunnel situation against the competition. Both manufacturers will have three areas of the car which they can update in any way they would like for the next season. But if Honda's request for Rule 9.3 application is accepted, they will have an additional area of the car open for updates that are necessary to catch up to Chevrolet.

While there is some discussion going on about what the Rule 9.3 means, HPD's St. Cyr thinks it's not meant to enable jumping ahead rivals but to allow fixing some flaws in the kit to be on the level of the rivals.

Chevrolet has had the advantage the whole year," said Cyr. "The aero kit project looks like it will go on for a couple more years so it was never the intention of that to give one car the advantage forever."

The aero kit is holding things up with Honda's contract renewal but St. Cyr insists they want to be with INDYCAR. Walker believes Honda showing so much interest to fix the problems with its aero kit is a sign that they want to continue in the series.

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Kalle Tyynelä is a writer for the VAVEL USA Racing section. Follow him on Twitter at @FINdyCar.

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Kalle Tyynelä
Motorsports and alpine skiing writer. Also interested in tennis and sports business.