Two linked and perfectly coordinated moves in the IndyCar driver market have been announced with barely 24 hours to spare. Andretti Autosport was the first to go out on the ring confirming that Kyle Kirkwood will be its new addition. The reason for his arrival was the departure to another team of Alexander Rossi, whose fate has been formalized this Thursday by being announced by Arrow McLaren SP as the new driver of its expanded three-car lineup for the 2023 season, for which Pato O’Ward was already confirmed last week.
The 30-year-old Californian winner of the centennial edition of the Indianapolis 500 in his debut in the test in 2016, he changed his mind after having played for seven years in the category at Andretti, a team he arrived at after his five Formula 1 races and his Formula 2 runner-up, and with which he established himself as one of the great stars of the IndyCar Series. In the 103 races that he has contested to date, Rossi has obtained seven wins, six poles and 25 podiums, achieving a runner-up in 2018 and a third place fighting for the 2019 title.
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With a view to the press conference that will take place on Friday, the official announcement has been sparse on the specific details of his hiring, beyond being a ‘multi-year contract’. The team managed by Taylor Kiel has not specified either if Rossi arrives at the team as the occupant of the third car that McLaren SP will field in all races next year, or if he would occupy the car that he currently drives. Felix Rosenqvist with #7. A detail that is not trivial, since the position of the Swede seems to be in question.
Despite Rosenqvist’s renewed performance at the start of the season and his good performance in the Indianapolis 500, in which he finished fourth after having led the race with 20 laps to go, different American media assure that his place in the team could be taken by Rinus VeeKay. The Dutchman currently competes for Ed Carpenter Racing and his contract ends at the end of this year, which makes him one of the most coveted free agents in the upcoming winter market due to his good, and irregular, performances.
Be that as it may, Rossi will arrive at McLaren SP in search of shaking off the bad feelings of his last years in Andretti, where he has been far from aspiring to the title due to various performance deficiencies, problems in the pits and mechanical failures, in addition to significant doses of misfortune. His fifth-place finish in the Indy 500 is by far his best finish in the first six races of the year, and he ranks 11th overall on par with his 2020 and 2021 finishes. Since his Road America Grand Prix win 2019, Rossi accumulates 43 races without victoryand his second-place finish at the Portland Grand Prix last year is the only podium finish in his last 23 races.
Will there be a surprise at the Silly Season… with Álex Palou?
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However, far from calming the waters of the ‘Silly Season’ with this signing, McLaren SP could set it on fire even more. A few minutes after Rossi’s announcement was made known, journalist Jenna Fryer of the Associated Press assured on Twitter that the most mentioned name “by half the paddock at least” to occupy the third car of McLaren SP would be “that of the reigning IndyCar champion”, in reference to Alex Palou. A possibility that would undoubtedly be surprising given the high performance and great comfort of the Spanish driver in the environment of Chip Ganassi Racing… as long as it is not mere interest, or a trial balloon to renegotiate the contract.
Photos: IndyCar Media