Yahoo Autos IndyCar silly season update, July edition
For the briefest of moments, IndyCar’s silly season has hit the pause button.
Theo Pourchaire was in and then he was out. Nolan Siegel was looking to 2025 to fully launch his career, but now he’s in. Alexander Rossi is in, but he’ll need to find a new home because he’s due to be out in September. David Malukas was out, now he’s in, but only temporarily. And Christian Lundgaard remains in, but he’s headed towards a bigger spotlight.
Despite the temporary break in silliness, don’t let down your guard just yet; there’s plenty of action on the horizon. It’s been a few months since our last installment, so let’s look at where things stand heading into the final eight races.
Among the racers who are in the series and widely known to be unsigned for next year, Arrow McLaren’s Rossi leads the group, due to his experience and track record. Malukas is gaining ground, however, after his starring performances for Meyer Shank Racing at Laguna Seca and Mid-Ohio. Ed Carpenter Racing has the other well-known free agent in Rinus VeeKay, who went through the process last year, came close to leaving, but signed a one-year extension.
Prior to the return by Malukas, I had VeeKay right behind Rossi as the top talent left on the market, but from my calls across the paddock this week, Malukas has moved ahead of VeeKay, and in select instances, in front of Rossi.
Of the existing teams with seats in need of drivers in 2025, it’s Dale Coyne Racing with its Nos. 18 and 51 Hondas, Meyer Shank with the No. 66 Honda currently occupied by Malukas, and Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing with the No. 45 that will be vacated by Arrow McLaren-bound Lundgaard.
Another big player in the silly season is PREMA Racing, which has two new entries on the way next year.
There are other teams that could also be open for business, and some have come as a surprise. Most in that category are pursuing racing’s rarest unicorn — fast and well-funded drivers — and we’ll get to those teams after we work through some of the outside drivers looking in.
Top of the list here is Pourchaire, whose brief foray with Arrow McLaren piqued the interest of numerous team owners. If there’s a downside for the Formula 2 champion, it’s how in many cases, the teams who would love to sign him also have budget shortfalls to resolve. As one team owner said, “Pourchaire, plus money, would be the perfect situation.”
Sadly, the Frenchman isn’t a paying driver, so his options are limited to the few teams who are looking to hire. There’s a handful of other names with those who’ve been in the series this year like Callum Ilott, Toby Sowery and Tristan Vautier, who’ve either been working hard to do more or would welcome a call to continue, but Pourchaire has been the first ‘outsider’ mentioned by team owners within this group. We also have Hunter McElrea, who just completed his first test, and could race for Coyne in the coming weeks.
Shifting away from IndyCar, and with his Formula 1 career facing the possibility of a premature end, Florida’s Logan Sargeant has been looking to the future and isn’t opposed to returning home.
Of the many who I’ve asked, two IndyCar teams (who did not want to be identified) told me they’ve been contacted by and spoken with a representative for Sargeant, and both said the same thing: The Williams driver is interested in IndyCar or sports cars, and wants to be paid to drive.
Coming off a season-best run to 11th last weekend in Silverstone, Sargeant’s been spoken of in a positive manner by multiple owners. But with so few teams who are sitting on a budget to hire a driver, there are some IndyCar veterans who are more likely to get the nod before Sargeant, which could limit his options.
One recent report had Sargeant on the way to PREMA, but when I asked if they’d signed him, or any other driver, Piers Phillips, the team’s IndyCar CEO, offered a succinct answer of, “No.”
F2 drivers, as they’ve done at an increasing rate this decade, have been active in calling IndyCar team owners. F2 race winner Zane Maloney, who sits third in the F2 standings, is one name to watch, and behind him in fourth, fellow winner Gabriel Bortoleto is another prospect whose name I’ve heard in relation to chasing an IndyCar ride. It would be a surprise if they were the only two from F2 who are hunting for IndyCar seats.
On the American open-wheel ladder, there’s no lack of talent in search of an IndyCar home. Indy NXT championship leader Louis Foster and second-place Jacob Abel will be ready to graduate at the end of the season, and among the NXT drivers behind them who are in their second year (or more) in the series, Reece Gold, Jamie Chadwick, James Roe and Josh Pierson are on the clock to try and step up to IndyCar, return and make another run at winning the NXT title, or look to IMSA or another form of racing to continue their careers.
There’s one major item to consider before we run through the remaining teams, and it’s the sheer volume of drivers hoping to land on the grid.
Take the big group from NXT, add them to the F1/F2 drivers that we know of, plus those we don’t, and those already in or around IndyCar, and it’s a numbers game that will leave most on the sidelines when we get to the championship-opener in March. But the pool of options could widen beyond the six vacancies Coyne, Meyer Shank, PREMA and Rahal Letterman Lanigan could have.
A.J. Foyt Racing has been a revelation this year with its No. 14 Chevy driven by Santino Ferrucci. No team has authored a bigger turnaround than Foyt, which entered into a new technical alliance with Team Penske last summer and has Ferrucci holding 13th in the standings — just eight points behind Lundgaard — after nine races, eight of which were road and street courses.
And now, with ovals dominating the rest of the calendar where Ferrucci and Penske cars tend to thrive, there’s a great chance for the No. 14 to creep towards the top 10 before the season finale. His teammate, Sting Ray Robb, is last in the standings — 23rd — among those who’ve contested every race.
According to team president Larry Foyt, the duo aren’t signed beyond 2024, which means change is possible. In light of the team’s newfound pace, it has commanded a lot of interest from other drivers.
“I’m talking to both of my guys,” Foyt told RACER. “I think they both have interest in staying and I’m working on that. But nothing is confirmed yet.”
Ed Carpenter Racing is happy with Christian Rasmussen’s progress but is still mulling options, while Rahal Letterman Lanigan has a preferred option but nothing finalized to fill Christian Lundgaard’s No. 45. Phillip Abbott/Motorsport Images
Ed Carpenter is in the same position with his duo of VeeKay and Christian Rasmussen, who at Mid-Ohio generated the best qualifying performance and race result of his rookie campaign.
“We’re working through all that as we go, and keeping an eye on what’s going on,” said Carpenter, who also confirmed he’ll be returning to the ovals next year. “We definitely like both guys that we have, but we’ve yet to make a final decision or get anything fully done with either of them. We’re going through all the scenarios and making sure we’re where we need to be on the back end of everything before we pull the trigger on exactly what we’re doing. It’s definitely an interesting driver market.”
Juncos Hollinger Racing welcomed Romain Grosjean to the team this season to join sophomore Agustin Canapino. Grosjean made Juncos Hollinger a contender for its first IndyCar podium at Laguna Seca and came close with a team-best of fourth since it debuted in 2017.
Despite its competitive flashes with Grosjean, the team has struggled to find sponsors to support the program. And with Canapino one spot ahead of Robb at the rear of the championship, Juncos Hollinger is another team that isn’t guaranteed to look the same when it returns in 2025.
“We don’t know. We have it all open,” said co-owner Ricardo Juncos, who confirmed they’ll remain at two cars. “The agreements are all options, and all depending on budget. So we’re working really hard to try to identify how much budget we have for next year, and based on that, the choice of the drivers.
“If we can, I can choose the driver I want. If not, sometimes we need some help from the drivers. That’s the way it is. So I don’t know at the moment. It’s little bit too early to see, so I don’t know if we stay the same or not, to be honest.”
Felix Rosenqvist is in the first of a multi-year deal with the team owned by Mike Shank and Jim Meyer, which leaves the increasingly coveted second entry and his future teammate as the key seat to lock down. Keeping Malukas would appear to be the smartest decision, but Meyer Shank is not his only suitor.
Prior to his return, Malukas was a giant question mark due to his wrist injury and also because of the incomplete picture of his capabilities while learning at Coyne. Cue Meyer Shank parking Tom Blomqvist and the oval-heavy schedule to close the season, and Malukas became a perfect no-risk substitute to help get the No. 66 Honda into Leaders Circle contention before searching for a full-time replacement.
And then Malukas made it plain for all to see at Laguna and again at Mid-Ohio that he’s worthy of the paddock’s attention, along with being invited to stay at Meyer Shank for years to come. There’s also no shortage of drivers who would love to take the No. 66 from Malukas, so decisions are looming on both sides.
“We’re way happy with him,” Shank said. “We’ve given ourselves a timetable until after Toronto, so we just want to get next two weeks in the books, and then we’ll see where we’re at.”
Bobby Rahal told us recently that he’s keen on elevating Rahal Letterman Lanigan reserve driver Juri Vips to replace Lundgaard in the No. 45 Honda, but stopped short of saying it was going to happen. And Rahal Letterman Lanigan could have a second opening.
Young IndyCar veteran and Rahal Letterman Lanigan newcomer Pietro Fittipaldi is 20th in the championship with the No. 30 Honda, and from a June interview, Rahal said, “I really can’t tell you exactly what it will look like yet; obviously we like Pietro and we hope he stays. But yes, there’s too many butts, too few seats at this stage.”
Circling back to the main free agents, where might we find Rossi in 2025? Depending on the day, I’ve been told it’s Ganassi — which has been telling free agents it has no openings — or Rahal Letterman Lanigan, or Carpenter, or PREMA. Coyne and Meyer Shank are the only teams I haven’t heard Rossi’s name associated with in a serious manner.
For Malukas, it’s Meyer Shank, Rahal Letterman Lanigan and PREMA, and I’ve heard the same three for VeeKay, as well.
Take the Pourchaires, Fosters, Sargeants, Maloneys, Abels and the rest, run them through the four primary teams in need at Coyne, Meyer Shank, PREMA, and Rahal Letterman Lanigan, then add the possibilities that could emerge at Carpenter, Foyt, and Juncos Hollinger, and there’s a lot of business left to take place before the silly season is over.
