INDYCAR SEASON PREVIEW

Can the smaller teams topple Penkse and Ganassi?

Story by Mary Bignotti Mendez

Withan all-time high field of 27 full-time entries from ten teams, the 2023 NTT IndyCar season looks to be even more competitive than previous years. Can another team push Team Penske or Chip Ganassi Racing off the top title step? Except for 2012, when Andretti Autosport won the championship with Ryan Hunter-Reay, Ganassi and Penske have each captured five succeeding titles.

Potentially, the Andretti team may find its way ahead with drivers Devlin DeFrancesco, Romain Grosjean, Colton Herta, and Kyle Kirkwood. Three of those four drivers made it into Qualifying’s Fast Six at the St. Petersburg season opener with Grosjean seizing Pole.

Canada’s own DeFrancesco, in his sophomore season at Andretti, said, “I’m looking forward to getting back to it after a long off-season. A lot of work has gone into everything across the board. I think we're going to be quite strong this year.

“We looked at the events where we were strong and not so strong. We've analyzed why. We looked at the qualifying on-boards of my teammates, discovering the various differences, whether that was line, balance, and which corners I struggled in and why. I want to be fighting at the front, fighting in the Fast 12 and Fast Six much more often. It's the first time I've ever done a championship for a second year in a row, so I very much look forward to putting everything I learned last year together and seeing what we can do.

While drivers most want to win the Indianapolis 500 and the series championship, unlike other motorsports series, it’s possible any driver can win a given race. And because there have been 11 different winners across a season, every driver believes he can win.

“It's no secret that last year was not a good one for us,” lamented Herta. “We need to do better on all fronts. The off-season has been looking at everything and just trying to improve. We need mistake-free weekends. It's hard on a weekend when you don't roll off the truck well, because everybody tends to make steps every session, so you always tend to be behind. We've just been missing a little bit, a tenth or two, and that's enough to qualify fifth or 13th.

“In 2022, I was trying to mimic what the Andretti car was like, and never got to that point with the AJ Foyt car,” stated Kirkwood, the 2021 Lights champion. “I was fully focused on doing so well with that team and trying to progress them forward. But it's nice to have that transition year, where you're able to hone your skills and learn all the different things that you don't learn in junior formulas: pit stops, strategy, and having two different types of tires.

Another title challenger is Arrow McLaren with drivers Pato O’Ward, Felix Rosenqvist, and the addition of Alexander Rossi moving over from Andretti Autosport.

“At the end of the day, in IndyCar, as much as teammates will help 56 Inside Track Motorsport News in order to gather data, it doesn't mean they're going to specifically help you in what you need,” explained O’Ward. “In Formula 1, this is the car; you need to learn how to drive this certain car. In IndyCar, it's very different where you can really tailor and customize it to what you want it to feel or drive like.

“Last year, we had our best average qualifying positions during a season. But we had four DNFs. One of those was unlucky but the others were mishaps. Alex likes a car similar to what I do, to be able to point well. At Andretti, it was an extremely strong car in the rear. I feel like our (McLaren) car is very different to that. I'm curious to see what he thinks and how he develops where we can find more time.

Rossi, reunited with renowned engineer, Craig Hampson (four titles with Sebastien Bourdias), stated, “It's been very cool to watch the Arrow McLaren team evolve over the past couple of months. There were close to 40 hires with people still wearing name tags. Everyone is finding a new role, learning who's who, finding everyone's strengths and weaknesses. The commitment to that kind of performance and results goes without saying. It's apparent throughout every level of the organization.

“To be with the same team for a third year is huge for me, basically the same group as previous years,” clarified Rosenqvist. “I feel like I have all the tools I need to perform. What you look to improve is all the small details. We had some standouts last year and some low points. Obviously, in IndyCar now it's very tight. Very small differences can make you go from P10 to P1. It's all within a couple of hundredths or tenths. We'll be tough this year.

Meyer Shank Racing returns with Simon Pagenaud (the 2019 Indy 500 winner and champion while driving for Team Penske) and Helio Castroneves (who won his fourth Indy 500 in 2021 with this team), proving that smaller teams can win in IndyCar.

“We do a lot more simulation work these days than we ever have done before,” described Pagenaud. “That's the truth for the teams and where the money goes now. We don't have access to race tracks with the regulation (only two in-season test days). We're losing touch to the tracks and cars. We have several packages we think might be better for the problems that we had last year. One of the main issues was tire wear. We are going to evaluate what we found on the simulator and make sure it translates into real life.

“Testing twice last year translated to a street course where we were extremely strong but didn't translate to the road courses. Because Firestone brings a different type of tire for each track, it makes it very difficult for us to figure out what the tire really needs, which is the most important thing on the car. We know the car so well that the margin for improvement is very small.

Another modest team is Dale Coyne Racing with returning Rookie of the Year runner-up, David Malukas. Making the transition from the Indy NXT series (previously Lights) as teammate is Sting Ray Robb.

“Staying another year in Indy NXT would have been a big risk because there was a tire compound change that didn't allow for teams to have any data from the past (changing from Cooper Tires to Firestone),” revealed Robb, who won one race and scored 8 podiums in NXT. “Driving for Andretti last year, I was able to lean on the data from past champions as well as have knowledge of where to brake, where to shift, all the stuff that we can go back and review. With the new tire compound, you don't know who's going to be the best team, who's going to be the quickest. If I finished third or fourth in the championship rather than second or first, it lowers my stock value and lessens a welcoming opportunity to step into IndyCar.”

Another team to watch is Juncos Hollinger Racing with Callum Ilott, returning for his second year, who stated, “I'm just a bit more relaxed. I know my limits. I know what I'm confident in, and I know what should and shouldn't happen. My race craft has always been slightly weaker than the qualifying side. We've had incidences where I've made mistakes and made the wrong decisions under pressure. At Iowa, we had great race pace but couldn't keep up in the pit stops, losing four or five positions every stop. If you put me in the quickest car, I don't think there's many people quicker. Having a teammate to at least share some feelings is going to be very helpful.”

Joining Ilott is Agustin Canapino, a 15-time Argentine touring champion who never competed in a single seater until his 12th place finish at St. Petersburg.

At A.J. Foyt Racing, Santino Ferrucci joins Benjamin Pedersen, a rookie transferring from Indy NXT with five podiums, including a win. Teams continuing with the same line up are Ed Carpenter Racing (Conor Daly and Rinus VeeKay), Team Penske (Scott McLaughlin, Josef Newgarden, and Will Power) and Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing (Graham Rahal, Jack Harvey, and Christian Lundgaard).

Chip Ganassi Racing returns with Scott Dixon, Marcus Ericsson (St. Petersburg winner), Alex Palou, and rookie Marcus Armstrong driving the road courses and Takuma Sato competing on the ovals.

The season ahead could have a surprise challenger, likely Andretti, or McLaren, who could beat Ganassi or Penske to the title. Just don’t count those other teams out. IT