It could be said that it was an unavoidable consequence of the specific circumstances affecting this season of IndyCar, but the truth is that many cartel pilots based in Europe, who for years missed, scorned and even ignored the American contest, have put the option of getting a seat on their radar. The flow of foreign pilots is something that has not stopped in this regard since the closure was opened in the 80s, but this year the ‘waiting list’ has taken on a remarkable premium tint compared to other seasons.
To the spectacular moment the championship is going through, with great racing quality, a grid that seems to be earning units almost every month, contained costs (between $ 6 million and $ 8 million per season, depending on the team), solid leadership from Roger Penske and a remarkable increase of audiences both inside and outside the United States, we must add the great performance this season of two European pilots in particular: Alex Palou, who leads the championship after signing for Chip Ganassi Racing in his second season in the category, and a Romain grosjean who has rediscovered competitiveness in a partial season with Dale Coyne Racing before losing his fear of the ovals, and perhaps throwing himself into a stronger team.
And all this without mentioning pilots like Takuma Sato or Marcus Ericsson, who at different times and in different ways have found a second home in America in which to get rid of the bad press with which they left the Old Continent, or the publicized experience of Fernando Alonso in three Indy 500s that exposed the competition to a whole new audience, despite ruling out competing in it beyond the big date. For this reason, two former Formula 1 drivers with a recent good poster at the Gran Circo, but without a seat, have begun to seriously probe the possibility of competing in IndyCar, which both had previously left in a third plane or a non-existent one. : Nico Hülkenberg and Alex Albon.
With no clear options to return to the Great Circus in what he already described as his ‘last chance’, Hülkenberg has been in talks with Ed Carpenter Racing for the past year and a half to study the viability of a test at some point, as confirmed by Ed Carpenter in statements to Motorsport.com: «I have spoken with Nico several times. I think that you are really interested to at least experience an IndyCar in a test, but to make this concrete, the intention alone is not enough. I’m sure he and others are even more interested seeing what Romain has done and how much fun he is having. That opens their eyes and makes them wonder what their options really are.
Romain Grosjean, during his recent first test in an oval / @ IndyCar Media
Two years ago, Hülkenberg already had some preliminary contact with Chip Ganassi Racing, but a program with Ed Carpenter Racing would have as an incentive the possibility of occupying his second car, in which for several years the owner drives the ovals and another competitor is exclusively in charge of the road circuits, repeatedly having a third car for the Indianapolis 500. “We have not gone into that kind of detail, we are still getting to know each other and seeing if there is interest in our discipline. My perception is that I don’t think I know enough about it yet to be comfortable in the ovals», Assures Carpenter.
“Anyway, i don’t think i’m ready to say i want to run here», Added the veteran owner-pilot. “I think you are curious enough to want to test drive a car, because right now you will have more questions than answers.” Without the team still being able to finalize the budget to have a second full-time driver and ‘relegate’ Carpenter to a third car for the Ovals, the plans appear to be the same in 2022, with or without the current occupant Conor Daly, whose sponsorship of the Air Force does not receive the green light until the end of the year. Curiously, the team’s main sponsor is the US division of a German company, Sonax.
Rinus VeeKay’s vehicle and its ‘German’ sponsorship. / @ IndyCar Media
Carpenter also has valid current experience with a European pilot in the figure of Rinus VeeKay, whose atypical career saw him give up European cars since he left karting to carve out a career in American promotion formulas. In its second year in competition, VeeKay has hatched with great performances and his first victory at the Indianapolis Grand Prix, occupying eighth position overall despite an untimely injury out of competition that has taken him away from the top 5 he occupied.
Beyond Hülkenberg, orAnother serious contender, in his case maybe even more, is Albon, which has made unfortunate news for being part, with its own data behind the wheel, of the failed claim by Red Bull to try to increase the penalty to Lewis Hamilton after his collision with Max Verstappen at Silverstone. The Thai, who competes in the DTM this year, is not only in talks to sneak onto the Formula E grid, but has started the efforts on his own to try get a seat in IndyCar in 2022 without direct support from Red Bull.
Their conversations had initially been with Arrow McLaren SP and Dale Coyne Racing, but numerous media, including Italiaracing, has published in recent days that Albon will conduct a test with Andretti Autosport next week In an undetermined location, information confirmed by MOTOR.ES independent sources. The 25-year-old pilot is in the shortlist to occupy one of the team’s seats; It is now almost a certainty that Grosjean will replace veteran champion Ryan Hunter-Reay, there is uncertainty about the continuity of James Hinchcliffe In the team’s fourth car, an opportunity that Albon or young junior Kyle Kirkwood will try to seize.
Finally, the profile of European driver looking for an American alternative after failing to reach Formula 1 has never ceased to emerge on the competition horizon (Santino Ferrucci is another prominent recent example), and two names stand out above the rest. The first is Christian lundgaard, of whose interest and recent test with Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing we speak on this portal. The second is Juan Manuel Correa, an American driver currently competing in Formula 3 as part of his rehabilitation after nearly losing his legs in the brutal accident that killed Anthoine Hubert in the Formula 2 race at Spa in 2019.
With half of the Hungaroring round still in dispute, the Ecuadorian native occupies 19th place overall with nine points, with a sixth place as the best result, but seeks to use this season as a transition to what he calls “His definitive return”. To do this, he ponders several options, as he has commented to RACER: «Going back to Formula 2 is on the table, even going to America. I’m looking into racing in IndyCar, and the Indy Lights is also an option, but it’s still pretty early.. If it has four wheels, downforce and is fast I will be happy, but IndyCar is a category that I have followed a lot and has great races, so it is the direction we are evaluating.
Due to the similarities to the car he currently drives, as well as the less abrupt change in level that this decision would imply, racing at Indy Lights would be the smartest option to properly assess an American track record. In turn, this would allow you to progressively adapt to the very tough physical braking demands of an IndyCar, even greater than in Formula 1 (where G-forces present the greatest complication in this regard), and for which their legs may not yet be completely ready, according to Correa himself, who also has contacts at the IMSA and he studies competing in some rounds of the American sportscar competition.