Welcome to the RACER Mailbag. Questions for any of RACER’s writers may be despatched to mailbag@racer.com. We love listening to your feedback and opinions, however letters that embody a query usually tend to be printed. Questions acquired after 3pm ET every Monday might be saved for the next week.
Q: Did Will Energy himself actually determine it was time to make a change from the crew the place he has had excellent success?
Mike Talarico, Charlotte
MARSHALL PRUETT: Will did as many high-value free brokers have performed and ask for precisely what he desires, which on this case was an extended runway with Staff Penske, then held agency to that ask, and rejected a lesser supply. So sure, he did flip down the supply, as a result of what was provided didn’t align with what he wished.
It’s a basic ploy, proper? When you don’t need somebody to do one thing for you, supply them what they don’t need… and so they are inclined to go away.
Energy had one thing higher within the works with Andretti and, as RACER’s David Malsher-Lopez wrote, didn’t waste his time with what Penske wished to formally current him with in a contract signing.
Feeling wished is a vital factor, and this grew to become a wedding that ran its course. No less than from the Penske facet. Energy was keenly involved in maintaining it collectively and tried and preserve the connection however the people in control of the crew – earlier than and after the firings in Might – have been chilly to the idea. It’s their loss, however life strikes on.
Q: Right here I’m sitting at my work desk and the Willy P announcement simply dropped. As a lot as I attempt to be OK with this, I have to admit, I’m not.
I do know that Will is within the latter a part of his profession however I nonetheless hate seeing the opportunity of it being actually near the top. The half that isn’t making sense to me is the half the place Will is Penske’s newest champion, and he’s additionally nonetheless able to profitable. So what am I lacking? In my thoughts it’s a no-brainer to maintain him. What goes on behind closed doorways with these selections that common people like me aren’t capable of see? In my thoughts I might suppose you’d need to preserve your champion round, however clearly what I feel and the way enterprise works do not appear to correlate.
Mike, Rawlins, WY
MP: I’m reminded of Roger Penske’s decades-long reference to his workers as ‘human capital.’ Seen a method, it’s a heat expression of worth for the individuals who comprise Staff Penske, and on this case, their innate worth, like property, like cash.
After which there’s the chilly interpretation of describing individuals – flesh and bone – as ‘human capital,’ like value-based commodities to maintain, commerce, or launch, based mostly on their means to generate revenue or another type of price.
Clearly, Staff Penske arrived on the conclusion that as an asset, Energy’s worth had declined and he was not price maintaining within the portfolio. Your query, which is similar I raised right here within the Mailbag for final month or two, is similar: How can Penske devalue Energy’s price to this diploma?
If Energy was a buying and selling card despatched into PSA for grading, I don’t suppose he’d get a ten, however you’d count on no less than an 8. The distinction right here is Penske’s grading of Energy is a 4, which is unnecessary.
Previous to the beginning of the season, after I interviewed former crew president Tim Cindric about extending Energy’s contract, he talked about one thing about Will profitable the Indy 500 as a state of affairs that might assure continuation. It blew my thoughts. It additionally supplied a deep perception into the standing of issues – Energy would want to drag off a miracle to remain – that stated the local weather had turned reasonably frosty. And right here we’re, regardless of it making no sense, and the icy pre-season tackle the matter has come true.
It’s not misplaced on me that in 2025, a 12 months the place Staff Penske acquired extra unsuitable than proper with its choice making in IndyCar, it capped the season by making its largest blunder of all by undervaluing and jettisoning Energy.
I feel many people are accustomed to the selections from Staff Penske being sharp and pushed by plain and customary sense we are able to all see. It’s once we can’t discover that logic the place we query ourselves – we have to be those lacking one thing – however the dealing with of Energy’s end-of-career part is a reminder that, like its most up-to-date season, this monolith is greater than able to stepping into odd instructions.
Essential takeaway, nonetheless, is that this isn’t a mistake from their viewpoint; that is what they wished. That includes possession of the choice. So if it really works, we’ll have the newest in a protracted line of sturdy proof that I’m an fool. And if it doesn’t, effectively, that might be unhappy as a result of a struggling Staff Penske doesn’t assist the sequence in any approach that involves thoughts.
I need to see the titans of every sport beat the heck out of one another on the best way to settling the championship. Staff Penske falling right into a state of irrelevance final season solely helped Palou and Ganassi to run away with the title earlier than we reached the midway level within the season, and that’s not good for the present.
Nonetheless. Malukas might be quick and will win a race or two. No clue what occurred to McLaughlin final season, however based mostly on previous performances, he ought to be capable to return to kind. There’s no approach Newgarden can have three horrible seasons in a row, so I’m assured he’ll be a stronger contender for the championship. However… that’s all based mostly on the Staff Penske we knew by means of 2024.
I don’t know the Staff Penske we noticed in 2025, and with all the continuing modifications contained in the crew since Might, it’s laborious to foretell what’s going to emerge in 2026. Was 2025 an aberration? Aside from Palou’s means to go for 4 titles in a row, I can’t consider any upcoming themes that might be extra fascinating to observe.
Will the actual Staff Penske re-emerge from the shadows in 2026? Joe Skibinski/IMS
Q: “The extra we’re capable of take away our conventionality, the higher we might be in having the ability to preserve the eye of primarily the younger technology of followers who at all times must be drawn to one thing new.” That’s a quote from Stefano Domenicali in a current New York Instances article. If that’s the mindset of the CEO of a motorsport that could be a juggernaut internationally and, more and more, within the U.S., you’d suppose a extra prosaic outfit like IndyCar can be making related observations. Bueller?
Tom Hinshaw, Santa Barbara, CA
MP: Newer individuals like newer issues. Older individuals like older issues. Wild stuff!
Q: As a brand new transplant to the Seattle space, I had an superior time attending the IndyCar race in Portland this 12 months.
However given the small (however passionate!) crowd and past-their-prime amenities, I used to be unsurprised to see that each IndyCar and NASCAR are passing on Portland for 2026.
Barring some substantial funding in PIR, I’m holding out some hope that Circuit of the Northwest materializes as a viable different. They’ve a slick web site with endorsements from Zak Brown and Don Cusick amongst others, however native information right here makes it sound like they’re nonetheless brief on funding.
Have you ever heard something by means of the grapevine about how strong their plans are?
Brad
MP: I met one of many Northwest monitor leaders final 12 months at a serious occasion, but it surely wasn’t an IndyCar race… I’ll examine in and see if something noteworthy emerges. As a crew member, I acquired to race on the Kent highway course a few occasions when it hosted SCCA Professional Racing occasions (Method Atlantic and whatnot again within the day) and it was superior. Superb state, and I’d like to see IndyCar, IMSA, and others have a motive to go racing in Washington.
Q: I grew up cheering for Rick Mears, and even after his retirement from driving I loved seeing his regular, clever presence on Staff Penske on the monitor. ‘‘Tis a terrific disgrace that the emeritus driver position is not en vogue on the crew.
A lifelong, now former Staff Penske fan, when and the place can I order my new No.26 DJ Willy P shirt and hat?
George, Colorado Springs
MP: I’m not a giant fan of Aaron Rogers, however I did love his response final weekend as the brand new quarterback for the Pittsburgh Steelers after beating the New York Jets, his former crew which misplaced religion in his skills. From ESPN:
“There have been in all probability individuals within the group that did not suppose I may play anymore,” Rodgers, 41, stated after the sport. “So, it was good to remind these those that I nonetheless can.”
My first thought after listening to Rogers’ take was of DJ Willy P.
“I used to be completely satisfied to beat everyone related to the Jets,” he added.
Energy’s stepping right into a automobile that went winless final season, so there’s no ensures, but when that No. 26 Honda is succesful, he can certainly beat the individuals who misplaced religion.
Q: The IndyCar season was profitable. TV scores have been good and the longer term is brilliant with FOX having pores and skin within the sport. Any thought when the 2026 race schedule might be introduced? All different main racing sequence have supplied theirs.
Mike Hickman, Beech Grove, IN
MP: Apparent assertion, but when it have been shut, it will be right here, which tells me there’s quite a bit that’s nonetheless happening within the background. If it was only a case of going to all the identical locations, there can be no delay, in order that’s one other inform. Arlington’s introduced. Toronto shifting to Markham is introduced. It have to be one thing else that’s new and in want of serious planning and finalizing that’s holding up the schedule.
I’ve had two individuals within the paddock say they’ve heard Mexico is on life help. Might that be it? What about doing one thing in Washington DC, which is alleged to be an idea from FOX Sports activities? The UFC occasion on the south garden of the White Home has been confirmed for June 2026 – no particular date, but – so may we see an IndyCar race round DC’s streets bundled for a similar weekend? If it occurs, it received’t be the primary time a major racing series has competed on the streets of the capitol.
In fact we wish the schedule ASAP, however I’m much less nervous about its arrival date and extra centered on it being superior. And if that’s what the additional time brings, it may be late yearly.
Q: So with Energy going to Andretti, Herta going to F1/F2, and Malukas more than likely to Penske, what are your predictions for the remainder of the sphere? Will Lundqvist get a drive, and can PREMA stick round?
Dino, New Hanover, PA
MP: Linus is on the brief checklist at Coyne and Juncos Hollinger. He’s one of the best free agent available on the market, and by free agent, I imply a driver who isn’t already dedicated to a crew, like Malukas, regardless of the shortage of public affirmation.
We’re solely every week or so out from the finale, and whereas PREMA isn’t talking, I’ve heard there’s been some – however not a ton – of outreaches from crew members on the lookout for work at others groups. If the ship was sinking quick, I’d count on to listen to of mass calls to seek out new properties.
Q: What was the worst racing sequence of all time? For me, it was the previous NASCAR Sportsman Division that ran on the Charlotte Motor Speedway and Pocono Raceway within the early- to mid-Nineteen Nineties.
It was only a bunch of weekend brief monitor drivers in previous Winston Cup (on the time) tools and in addition recognized for its dangerous wrecks and deadly crashes.
Kurt Perleberg
MP: I can’t consider a single sequence I’ve adopted that was at all times rubbish. Eras, although, for positive. The primary 12 months(s) of the Indy Racing League have been painful to observe, but in addition had some thrills. My go-to, although, have been the early life of Grand-Am’s Daytona Prototype components. The ugliest vehicles possible, sluggish as hell, and no person confirmed as much as watch. However, the low-buck components additionally made it potential for a ton of groups to step into the sequence – Mike Shank being one in all them – and go on to greater issues.
Yikes. Chris McGrath/Getty Photos
Q: Provided that drivers can regulate brake bias, entrance and rear suspension, have P2P and use of hybrid power, is there any specific motive why they don’t seem to be allowed to regulate entrance and rear wing angles from the cockpit?
Phil
MP: I’ll assume you imply IndyCar, and in that case, the reply is straightforward: As a result of the sequence chooses to not enable it. I want there was a deeper reply, but it surely’s the identical motive we don’t have see-through bodywork or engines that run on vodka. These are each potentialities, however no person within the sequence has determined they have to occur, in order that they haven’t.
Q: You do not have a season like Dennis Hauger did and never have a path ahead. So, any information, rumors, ridiculous situations?
John B, Waukesha, WI
MP: Simply what I wrote about within the last silly season update.
Q: My feedback come as an IndyCar-first fan. It’s my favourite type of motorsports. I additionally like Method 1.
Certainly one of my biggest motorsports recollections was strolling across the CART paddock and seeing a bunch of followers and drivers huddled round a TV watching a Method 1 qualifying session. All people burst into celebration when Jaques Villeneuve put his automobile on the pole.
As a Colton Herta fan I would really like nothing greater than see him in F1, and if it takes him taking a step again to F2, so be it. I would like an American to root for in F1, and I would like an American that we watch and know to root for in F1. I would like Colton Herta in F1. If he goes to F2 in 2026, he might be in F1 the next 12 months.
As an American F1 fan I have been ready for this second. Do it, Colton! Do it for me.
Mark, Buffalo, NY
MP: As a self-avowed glass-half-full kind, I’m struggling to seek out the positives. I is perhaps within the minority right here, however I’ve no enthusiasm for this transfer.
Colton leaves IndyCar on a down 12 months when, for the primary time since he arrived within the Harding/Andretti crew, he was demoted to P2 by a teammate, and never by a bit of, however frequently by Kirkwood. He was Andretti’s finest driver final 12 months, however the roles reversed as Kirkwood was the crew’s solely winner in 2025 and took fourth within the standings to Colton’s seventh.
Primarily based strictly on outcomes, if TWG Motorsports wished to ship its finest American to F1, Kirkwood can be packing up his belongings and making ready to maneuver to Europe.
I don’t know if Herta misplaced some motivation in his seventh full season of IndyCar, but when so, it wouldn’t be distinctive or one thing to warrant criticism. Most athletes hit that wall sooner or later – and greater than as soon as for these with actually lengthy careers – so if that’s a think about how the fierce and locked-in Herta of 2024 who positioned second to Palou was barely much less efficient in 2025, a change of surroundings with racing in F2 and F1 take a look at driving could possibly be the remedy.
Nice man. Nice household. Such as you, I’m hoping every thing good involves go for him within the coming years. However for now, I can’t shake the springboard being a comparatively quiet 12 months in IndyCar. I want this was occurring on the finish of 2024 when he was the most well liked driver (not named Palou) within the sequence.
Fingers crossed this transfer brings a return of the scary-fast Herta who torched his rivals at will and who had F1 groups tripping over themselves to supply growth contracts a number of years in the past when he examined for McLaren.
If this grand plan brings that model of Herta again to the world, we’ll all be rejoicing.
Q: Properly that sucks for Roger Penske that Will Energy determined to stop and transfer on to a different crew… Did Will overplay his hand by hiring the big-time agent at first of the season?
Brian, Ohio
MP: Proof optimistic that everyone sees issues in their very own distinctive approach.
Q: What the hell is Penske considering? Undoubtedly an odd 12 months for Penske, and far of that oddness got here from inside the not-so-rule-following space of the crew. I like Lil’ Dave however perhaps he wants yet one more 12 months at Foyt to actually transfer the needle. He was actually beginning to impress towards the top of the season. Yet another season to again it up and perhaps get a podium or a win would’ve been good to see.
Additionally, I do know final 12 months I made a remark concerning Kyffin Simpson and also you stated to present him one other 12 months. I am going to give credit score the place credit score is due, he did impress right here and there however on the finish of the season twenty first (from final 12 months) to seventeenth within the standings, I nonetheless stay unimpressed.
Not that Stefan Johansson
MP: So what if I requested you to present him one other 12 months…
Kidding apart, I hear you, however I additionally have a look at him and see six prime 10 finishes together with a fourth on an oval (Nashville), a 3rd at Toronto, and a fifth at Detroit – two road programs the place a scarcity of expertise tends to be uncovered by hitting partitions or different drivers – the place he did the other of what you would possibly count on from a sophomore. And he didn’t simply preserve the automobile off the partitions; he was quick and sensible.
So, to your better level, sure, P17 isn’t outstanding. However then I look and see he was simply 11 factors behind Santino Ferrucci in a Foyt-Penske entry, and 15 factors behind Alexander Rossi, and I don’t really feel as dangerous about Simpson’s yearlong output.
His third 12 months in IndyCar will reply the larger query of what sort of future he’ll have. When his teammates end first and third within the championship, and their technical associates at Meyer Shank place sixth and eighth, there’s a motive to be underwhelmed by 17th in a automobile that may place inside the highest 10. In order that’s the sizable year-to-year objective. Crack the highest 10 in 2026.
It received’t be simple, however the excuses of youth and inexperience are a lot tougher to make in a driver’s third 12 months whereas piloting a automobile for the crew that’s received 5 out of the final six championships. In 2025, we realized Kyffin has actual expertise, and it was expressed sporadically. That’s the story for many IndyCar drivers.
Out of 17 possibilities, the bulk come near hitting the bullseye two or 3 times, perhaps 4, and that’s about it. That’s what Simpson did. If that turns into six to eight subsequent 12 months, he’s among the many elite and has a prime 10 12 months. If it doesn’t occur, we’ll know he’s destined for a mid-pack profession.
Watch this area. Travis Hinkle/IMS
Q: By the point this will get to you, the entire Colton Herta information could lastly be out of the bag. However my query is, why not simply make him the Cadillac reserve driver subsequent 12 months and provides him the 4 FP1s he must make his Tremendous License? One other racing journalist says that is potential. This may make much more sense than sending him to F2, the place he’s unlikely to win whereas coping with vehicles, tires and tracks he would not know.
I can also’t stand how a lot noise there might be from the F1 superiority toadies who will use that as proof that IndyCar is certainly lesser. Assuming Checo and Valtteri are on multi-year offers, this raises an issue of what occurs to Colton in 2027, however I see that because the case even when he goes to F2 and wins.
Relating to Fox shopping for in, I am excited in regards to the many potentialities and I see the NASCAR crossovers which can be already occurring as extraordinarily helpful for getting extra publicity. What I actually need to see is for them to shed the concern of the NFL and develop the schedule into the autumn. Am I unsuitable in considering there is a chance right here to schedule some races for straight after an NFL sport on Fox to benefit from that lead-in?
Adam, Simi Valley
MP: Per RACER’s Chris Medland, Herta wants six factors, not 4. When you’re going to organize somebody to race in a brand new and totally different sequence, I can’t discover the knowledge in having them skip racing in favor of sporadically driving the automobile a handful of occasions in single follow classes. As a lot as I hate the look of a nine-time IndyCar race winner needing to race in F2, it does tick numerous bins by maintaining Herta in competitors, whereas studying some tracks for the primary time, and getting him attuned to the European approach of motor racing. What he skilled racing in Europe whereas in his teenagers was solely a style of the variations.
There’s no ‘concern’ of the NFL. It’s a truth, a horrible choice that’s been totally confirmed with viewers sizes that talk to how the NFL is the one factor that issues when IndyCar is an choice. And that was when IndyCar wasn’t on FOX. Now it’s on the channel that cares extra in regards to the NFL than any of its rivals.
FOX opens its Sundays with pre-game exhibits, then airs morning and afternoon video games. After which Sunday evening Soccer takes over, aka, one of the considered broadcasts of any sort every week, on NBC. But when there’s a two-hour window for IndyCar races in there that don’t begin at 6am or 11pm, I’m all for it.
Q: How do you learn the press launch from Penske? Did Energy bounce or was he pushed? I can solely see two potentialities. 1) He was pushed, however as you’d count on, it’s being performed with numerous respect and graciousness making it look extra like a choice. Or 2) He really did make the choice to maneuver to Andretti as a result of he has presumably a multi-year deal and I can solely think about, if you happen to take the press launch at face worth, he was provided one remaining 12 months at Penske.
Abraham Zimroth, Staten Island, NY
MP: Right here’s a professional tip: If you wish to learn issues which can be insightful, academic, trustworthy, or entertaining, go forward and ignore the quotes in newsy press releases. They’re largely written by PR reps, and generally have the approval of the individuals the feedback are connected to.
On the media facet, the fabricated quotes or bleached quotes – sanitized to fulfill the specified message or tone – are sometimes all we get till the individual or individuals in query are prepared to talk straight, and on this occasion, that wasn’t provided.
Q: This is a query that I am positive others are in all probability questioning too. With Energy now shifting to Andretti for 2026 and past, do you suppose it is potential they usher in Tim Cindric to pair with Will as soon as once more?
Paul, Lake In The Hills, IL
MP: I’d suppose Cindric might need a say in whether or not this is able to be potential. If it him, it will be an excellent transfer by the crew.
Aside from recruiting Ganassi’s Mike Hull, there’s no person else with a extra spectacular file of IndyCar wins and championships this century than Cindric, and based mostly on Andretti’s file of routinely developing brief to Ganassi, Penske, and now Arrow McLaren, there’s a robust case to be made that one thing greater than a driver change might be required to vie for greater spoils. Sure, it’s driver vs driver, however in actuality, it’s crew vs crew, and that’s the place the main variations are discovered.
Energy is an incredible rent who will make the crew higher, however the crew behind the drivers must make huge strides to catch Arrow McLaren and Ganassi.
Q: My query about Will Energy going to Andretti is; will Energy have any drives with their GTP crew within the enduros? Has he pushed prime degree sports activities vehicles earlier than? And if he does, do you suppose he’ll be an absolute monster in these vehicles?
Kyle, MA
MP: He’s wished to go sports activities automobile racing eternally, however Penske wouldn’t enable it, in response to the various occasions I requested Will. The WTR crew is perhaps owned by TWG, but it surely’s not Andretti’s crew; it’s a full manufacturing unit Cadillac program the place the entire drivers are chosen by WTR, not Andretti, and chosen by Cadillac. To that finish, Energy’s now a Honda driver in IndyCar.
Simply as we haven’t seen any of Andretti’s Honda-powered IndyCar drivers within the WTR Cadillac lineup this 12 months, I wouldn’t count on a now-former GM driver to get requested to drive a GTP automobile he’s by no means raced for a manufacturing unit crew that opposes the model he now represents in IndyCar. However perhaps Acura will prolong an invitation for Energy to check with Meyer Shank Racing.
Palou was meant to be in a manufacturing unit Acura/MSR automobile for Petit Le Mans, however I’m informed he needed to decline with the McLaren lawsuit coming to a head, and Herta was the opposite candidate, however can also be stated to have turned it down with the upcoming rerouting to Europe.
This looks like a very good time to run a shot of Will Energy driving an F1 automobile. James Moy/Getty Photos
Q: I’ve been studying the tough phrases and ideas hurled at Staff Penske for the state of affairs with Will Energy and I wished to offer an opposing viewpoint
First, Will Energy continues to be a superb driver, and I imagine he might be profitable with Andretti World.
What I imagine has occurred is a coming collectively of many issues the place this finally ends up being one of the best choice for all concerned. Sports activities historical past his proven us this earlier than, the place groups’ long-time stars usually are not part of the long-term future and sadly powerful selections should be made. Look to the Cubs, buying and selling stars from the 2016 World Collection crew which netted the present youth which has helped the crew be resurgent.
That is what I imagine we’re seeing at Staff Penske. Staff Penske isn’t saying David Malukas is healthier than Will Energy. They understand that Josef Newgarden and Scott McLaughlin could possibly be there for the subsequent 10-12 years, Will would have been a number of extra years. With a whole administration overhaul and extra coming (based mostly on Diuguid’s quotes), they wish to refresh with a driver who they will see in a seat for a similar size or longer than Josef or Scott. Construct a bunch of drivers along with the brand new crew construction as a unit. Jonathan Diuguid has performed an incredible job increase the IMSA and WEC groups from scratch, couldn’t he do the identical with the IndyCar facet, the place they’ve a terrific historical past and nice crew members?
Once more, whereas Will may have been useful there, perhaps the crew ought to have to seek out their footing with the entire items in place from the beginning. There might be rising pains, however based mostly on historical past I imagine Staff Penske will discover their footing and be again preventing for championships.
Brad, Yorktown, IN
MP: It’s an attention-grabbing take, Brad. Mentioned right here many occasions that Will clearly wasn’t the crew’s future, past doing a number of extra years, or nonetheless lengthy it went. This was clear for all to see.
But when we’re speaking about feeling a have to do a refresh, the dialog needs to be about what wants freshening, not what’s previous. If the previous factor was additionally the stale factor, that’s the merchandise to prune and toss. However Will doesn’t match that standards.
By sheer outcomes, Energy has been Staff Penske’s freshest driver in recent times. He additionally occurs to be the oldest. These two issues can coexist, if allowed. Penske selected towards permitting it.
Scott Dixon, IndyCar’s oldest driver at 45, simply completed third within the standings. He was nowhere near matching Palou, however he nonetheless received a race and proved to be the third-best IndyCar driver of 2025, but solely the second finest on his crew. And Ganassi is in no rush to farewell Dixon.
Hell, utilizing Staff Penske’s math, each driver not named Palou needs to be fired; O’Ward, the closest driver to Palou, ended the 12 months 196 factors all the way down to the championship winner. For the sake of context, the hole between first and second within the standings was greater than Sting Ray Robb earned for your entire season (181).
Preventing to make sense of that is not price our time. It’s performed. Energy’s moved to his new crew. Penske has precisely what it desires. Let’s reconvene in a 12 months and see if the change was a genius transfer or if it backfired.
Q: Properly, as odd as it could be in our present age, Mario Andretti did transfer to F5000 to boost his F1 possibilities. Appeared to work effectively contemplating he grew to become 1978 F1 champ. The state of affairs isn’t an identical, however it’s related. Plus Colton must get the Tremendous License factors. The sport plan nonetheless pursues Michael Andretti’s want of getting a U.S. crew in F1 and Colton as one of many drivers. Good Luck to Colton and Will Energy subsequent 12 months. I nonetheless need to see Colton at Indy on Memorial Day weekend and never standing within the Cadillac storage with earphones on.
Skip R., South Carolina
MP: Mario’s first f1 race was in 1968 with Lotus, the identical 12 months F5000 was launched as an SCCA class, so the timeline doesn’t work. Additionally, Mario by no means ‘moved’ to F5000; it was one in all three to 4 sequence he raced in on the identical time, together with IndyCar, F1, and sports activities vehicles.
Q: I admit that I am an old-fashioned Foyt/Indy fan and despise all issues Penske. Newgarden/Helio play and performed characters for the digicam. Not Energy. I respect expertise and honesty, and hope he dominates that Andretti Galaxy Common Interstellar comedy crew. Recommendation for Malukas: Get able to hate your life
David Monnett
MP: I picked the unsuitable week to cease sniffing glue.
Q: I feel the massive, unanswered query this week is whether or not Will Energy takes Colton’s seat behind the drums for The Zibs.
Ed, Jersey
MP: I’m informed The Zibs are going to play at COTA F1 this 12 months.
Q: I seen with the Pato O’Ward and Callum Hedges crashes that it appeared the entrance suspension entered the bathtub – just like Hinch’s crash. Did I see that appropriately? I believed IndyCar had mounted it. Undecided about NXT.
Here’s a YouTube video of Hedges’ crash.
One other point, I’ve been a Penske fan since the Mark Donohue days. The way Will Power was handled was disappointing. Definitely not Penske Perfect. I’d expect the team to have more class and not leave Will hanging in the breeze while they were making a decision. I understand it’s a business, but this was just a lack of class and respect. Not a good look for Penske especially after all the issues they have had this year.
What say you?
Wally, Eden Prairie, MN
MP: I’m looking for the part where the suspension enters the tub, since there was nothing shown to support that claim. Do you mean the suspension was flattened against the tub?
Q: So, Will goes to Andretti and swaps a Chevy for a Honda and brings all kinds of little tidbits of Penske info with him. I think he’ll be fast right off the trailer and in contention every race. Malukas goes to Penske swapping a Chevy for a Chevy, but I think there will be a Penske curve to learn and he will mess up before settling in. VeeKay goes to Foyt, swapping a Honda for a Chevy, and with the Penske/Foyt collaboration just picks up where he left off. Fast.
Interesting to see who sits in Dale’s two seats.
Your thoughts?
Jeff, Colorado, counting on a Denver race in ’27
MP: Already covered a lot of this in stories last week, so the one new item I’ll add is this: Malukas managed to finish 11th in the championship with a pit crew that wasn’t overly burdened with speed and consistency.
Among the 27 entries, David’s No. 4 Foyt crew ranked 19th in pit stop performance. He’s headed to a No. 12 Penske car that ranked fifth on pit lane.
If he does nothing different in 2026, the upgrade in pit crew/pit stops alone would propel him inside the top 10.
I bet he’s taking a peek at the No.12 pit crew. Joe Skibinski/IMS
Q: With the schedule changes in the coming year, mainly thinking the shift out of Toronto and the focus on street racing and bringing the racing to the fans, my question is should IndyCar consider a street race in or around Marion County?
It is no secret that the biggest pocket of IndyCar fans live within two hours of 465. Of course with the finest racing venue in the world present, maybe it does not make a ton of sense. However, rather than 40k-50k making IMS look like a ghost town before the 500, why not shift to a Labor Day weekend race in one of the suburbs of Indy or just go downtown for a street race?
I am picturing something around one of the new sports/concert venues in Hamilton County. I imagine with the right promotion and maybe a few concerts staged around the weekend you could easily draw 100k+ for the weekend. The Hamilton County Sports Authority seems destined to bring more to the county and there is no shortage of businesses that could get involved and reap the benefits. Perhaps I have already answered my question with the presence of IMS.
Kaleb Hartman
MP: It’s an interesting idea, Kaleb. Not sure IndyCar/IMS want to create a local rival event, but to your point, the Indy GP has never taken off, nor has it felt like more than a schedule filler. If the idea is to make IndyCar look and feel special at all times, I’d be all for experimenting with a local street race if there’s a way to make it a success without risking a reduction in attendance for the 500.
Q: I know Colton Herta is chasing his dream, and I respect that. But isn’t going down to F2 making IndyCar look even worse?
I don’t argue against the Super License. I even agree with it from a business side. F1 wanted to protect its ladder system, and there is nothing wrong with that. I just wish they’d take IndyCar more seriously. But is IndyCar taking itself seriously enough?
You shouldn’t need points to be in F1 if you are good enough in IndyCar. And that should happen because IndyCar is a professional series with a lot of talent in it. But that would require a better car, wouldn’t it? Something that makes sense for a F1 team and for F1 itself given the skills needed to find the speed window at such high pace.
I remember reading some F1 drivers saying that a Testing of Previous Car program with any modern F1 car is better than a season in F2. So why doesn’t IndyCar design a car that is within five seconds of F1 pace? That would be around ’09-’13 F1 rule cycle pace. Being a spec series gives a lot of freedom to choose your pace.
Engine power is already almost there. They also had a KERS system. The weight would need to go down by a lot which means lighter, more fragile parts. But then drivers just need to stop driving like they are in Cup cars. And that would be a plus for F1 to take IndyCar drivers more seriously. Homegrown IndyCar drivers would be more respected, and the weak F1 names would have less chances of finding seats in IndyCar. Both contribute for a more positive view of IndyCar.
I know this brings a problem on the ovals. But can’t they really keep the current stuff for ovals (with a new aero)? When you buy a new car, you also buy the oval parts. If you crash a tub or any other parts in an oval, you need new ones. Wouldn’t keeping it give the same costs in the end (or less if the road course car ends up cheaper)? All teams already own those. And with time, the charters will cut the number of teams trying to join. From a viewership side, it’s clear the Indy 500 isn’t suffering because it has an old car. So, can’t it be done?
Of course, IndyCar could just say “we don’t give a **** about what other people think” and keep doing their own thing. In this case, I wish F1 would turn F2 into something like Moto2. A bigger series, closer in pace to F1, more like its own world championship with professional drivers making a living there, going to F1 when called. If that was the case, Herta going there would make more sense.
William Mazeo
MP: I continue to dream of a day where people accept IndyCar as its own thing, which existed before F1, and doesn’t need to contort itself to be more like F1, or to appeal or earn respect of supposed F1 fans or teams or drivers.
Q: Regarding the question of why Nashville is called a superspeedway. The Nashville fairgrounds is called Nashville Speedway, so they had to call it something else. Typically a superspeedway is two or more miles in length.
Joe Mullins
MP: Yes.
Q: NASCAR used to call anything over a mile a superspeedway. I believe when Dover Downs built the new track they wanted to be sure it wasn’t confused with the Fairgrounds, which was called Nashville Speedway for a time. So hence the name Nashville Superspeedway. Go to the Fairgrounds .596 and then to the 1.33, and it does look huge.
Ricky, Tennessee
MP: Maybe we just need to break free from ‘super’ and go with Awesomespeedway, Excellentspeedway, or Greatspeedway.
Q: In the past few years there’s been a clamoring for ‘simply’ adapting IMSA GTP engines to IndyCar, with the dream of Acura, BMW, Cadillac, Porsche, Lamborghini, et al., bringing brand competition, and Win on Sunday, Sell on Monday marketing dollars to the series.
Unfortunately, size matters. Sports car hybrid power units were too big for the DW12. just as they will be for the next generation Dallara chassis that IndyCar will be using.
So why not four-bangers? Is it a perception problem? A sound issue? The Offy ruled Champ Car racing for decades, getting its first win at the Indy 500 in 1935, and picking up its last at Trenton in 1978. I don’t recall any complaints about the scream it produced, in either normally aspirated, supercharged, or turbocharged form.
In 1983 Nelson Piquet won the F1 championship with a 1500cc BMW M12 four-cylinder engine powering his Brabham. It supposedly pumped out over 1400hp in qualifying, and 1000hp in race trim. This engine was also used by the ATS, Benetton, Arrows, and Ligier teams in the mid-80s.
Brian Hart built the four-cylinder engine that introduced Toleman’s Ayrton Senna to the world (and Alain Prost) in the rain at Monaco. A.J. Foyt set a closed course speed record in 1987, driving what was essentially a March IndyCar chassis with a swoopy, long-tail body powered by a heavily modified four-cylinder Oldsmobile Quad 4.
Zakspeed built a turbo variant of the Ford Cosworth BDA four-cylinder engine for sports car racing in 1982, and Dan Gurney’s AAR Eagle MKIII cars were so dominant in the early ’90s IMSA Camel GT series that Nissan and Jaguar quit racing.
Every major manufacturer makes cars with four-cylinder engines, and they can all build engines that would fit the power/size/reliability bill (even if the dreaded and value-iffy hybrid systems have to be retained). The trick would be coming up with the regs and rule book that would attract participation. Is this a bridge too far for IndyCar?
Bill Tybur, Tempe, AZ
MP: Lots of amazing examples, Bill, with the newest being 32 years old.
Mazda is the only modern manufacturer to select a four-cylinder turbo for its big program with the IMSA DPi campaign that started in 2017, and it took years and untold millions to get the things to keep from exploding. Once reliability was found, the Mazda RT24-Ps became serious contenders for occasional wins, but never eclipsed the twin-turbo V6 Acuras or naturally-aspirated Cadillac V8s.
The answer to your question is manufacturers have lots of input on what does and doesn’t interest them, and with IndyCar’s engine rules, nobody I know of asked for a four-cylinder. If it’s what they wanted, we’d have them in the cars today or being build for the next car. But that isn’t happening, so that’s the message to receive.
Four cylinders, many headaches. Richard Dole/IMSA
Q: The issue I have with the ‘second seat at Red Bull is a bad seat’ theory is that you wouldn’t expect a rookie on any team to be that close in performance to a champion teammate that is fully integrated into the team.
Is there a chance the car is fine, Gasly, Lawson and Albon were too young, Perez grew old in 2024, and Yuki just isn’t a match for Max?
How many drivers on the grid would you expect to be a match vs Verstappen over a full season?
Will, Indy
CHRIS MEDLAND: There’s two aspects to this Will, and dealing with the second question first, I don’t expect any to be a total match for Verstappen over a full season. But I think some of the very best would run him pretty close at many races and beat him a few times.
In terms of the drivers you list, I think when you have to suggest three different reasons for five different – high-quality – drivers not performing, and it’s extremely unlikely. The common denominator is the seat, not the driver. Checo, for example, was only 34 last year, that’s really not old in F1 terms.
I do think all three of Gasly, Lawson and Albon were rushed through too soon, but Albon also hit the ground running fairly well initially, and it was in his second season that he struggled more. It shows that young drivers do have the potential to perform if the car is working to their liking.
And in many ways Yuki was the perfect candidate – plenty of experience at the junior team, still young, and very quick. And his results have been very similar to what we’d been seeing from Checo late last year, and I imagine Liam if he’d stayed in the seat.
Max papers over the cracks because he’s that good, but he would also perform brilliantly in a car that was more compliant to other drivers, too, and that would give Red Bull a better chance in both championships.
Q: I can’t understand why Colton Herta who has been racing IndyCars for years doesn’t qualify for a Super License while Kimi Antonelli earned enough points to qualify when he was only 18?
Help an old man understand.
Terry
CM: The FIA Super License was designed to prevent pay drivers buying a seat without the necessary results to back it up – essentially aiming for a minimum level of performance. It also then allowed the FIA to create a clear pathway to prepare drivers for F1 through F4, Formula Regional (FR), F3 and F2.
With the FIA having full control over the regulations of those single-seater championships, they can make sure they’re best-suited as a ladder towards F1, and therefore have given them more Super License points than other series that they don’t have jurisdiction over (such as IndyCar).
IndyCar is strongly recognized – aside from F2 it is the only category that offers the full 40 Super License points to the champion – but the points reduce from there, whereas if you win some of the single-seater championships under the FIA’s remit – F4, FR, F3 or F2 – you score good points.
Antonelli won the Italian F4, German F4 (both worth 12 points), FR Middle East (18 points) and FR European (25 points) championships across two seasons to earn his Super License, while a top six in F2 was also worth a further 10 points. Consistent results on the ladder meant he reached the total.
Colton has always been close thanks to P2 in the IndyCar standings in 2024 (30 points) but P10 in 2023 (1 point) and P7 this year (4 points) leave him just short. A top four in the standings this year would have earned him enough points, so he wasn’t far away at all.
Q: The lopsidedness of the FIA Super License system was very much in the news this week. What, if anything, is ACCUS doing to remedy this situation and why hasn’t anything seemingly been done in the past? With three F1 races in the U.S., the FIA should be more accommodating.
David, Waxhaw, NC
CM: I’m not sure the number of F1 races in the U.S. should have anything to do with the Super License system, but I do agree that IndyCar should receive more points. I can partly see the argument of only offering a full Super License to the champion, but the speed in which the points drop away from there (30 for P2, 20 for P3, 10 for P4, 8 for P5, 6 for P6, 4 for P7, 3 for P8, 2 for P9 and 1 for P10) is the issue for me.
If you finish top five in back-to-back IndyCar seasons that’s very impressive, and not a one-off result, yet it might only yield 16 points. There’s even a scenario you can do three consecutive years in the top six and not even be halfway to the points total, which is ridiculous.
But ACCUS is always fighting a bit of a losing battle, as IndyCar needs to be true to its roots and deliver the championship it wants. By that I mean the regulations, the racing rules, the tracks used (such as Superspeedways or old-school road courses) that might not necessarily meet FIA criteria for F1.
That’s why the FIA-led championships – F4, Formula Regional, F3 and F2 – receive strong weighting, because many of them are series that are tailored to prepare drivers for F1, and race on the same tracks etc.
IndyCar is not a feeder series for F1, whereas those championships are, and for them to remain that way then they need to have the most points. For example, if you gave IndyCar the same points as F2, then junior drivers would have a choice to make and more might chase an IndyCar seat as a stepping stone, which could reduce the quality in F2 but also arguably devalue IndyCar as not the top-level end point it should be.
When Herta was looked at by Red Bull two years ago, I know the FIA and ACCUS had discussed Super License points fairly recently, and I believe it is constantly under review to make sure the balance is deemed to be correct for both sides of the Atlantic. Herta’s planned move for F2 could bring that back into perspective moving forward.
Herta has brought the issue of Super License points rating back into focus. Joe Skibinski/IMS
Q: I’ve noticed recently that there has been a lot of advertising for the Las Vegas GP around the other F1 tracks. Are they having trouble selling tickets? Is the race in danger after the current contract is up? Inquiring minds want to know!
Andy, Chicagoland USA
CM: Nope, that’s something that has always been the case because the Las Vegas GP is an F1-owned and promoted event, so F1 itself uses the platform of other races to advertise it. For other races, it’s an external promoter paying F1 for the ability to host a race, so F1 has already made its money from those and doesn’t have to do the promotion itself (at least, not to the same extent).
I know that the ticket sales approach was changed a year ago to try and offer more GA tickets over hospitality compared to the first year, and that ensured the attendance drop-off was minimal from year one (315,000) to year two (306,000). If they are to see a dip, then new races traditionally notice it in years two and three, so I wouldn’t be surprised to see a flatline or slight decrease again this year, but have not heard of any major concerns at this point.
As for the current contract, it’s actually the final year of the original deal, but with a 10-year agreement in place with the city to continue. I actually asked a source about that this weekend in Monza, and was told it was unlikely that a full extension would ever be confirmed, but that two-to-three year agreements would be approved with the city and resorts involved, with the potential in future for promotion to be handed over to a local entity if they saw the value.
Q: How likely do you think it is that come contract renewal time, one of the McLaren F1 drivers decides to leave? I am thinking that the next time the contract of one of them is extended, the other will start looking for a seat at another top team and likely find it. What are your thoughts, and do you know when their contracts expire?
Ed Joras
CM: The current deals for Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri run until the end of 2026 and 2027 respectively, but it is understood they have additional clauses that could lead to both running for a year longer than that. Given the recent form, it feels very likely that you’d see both in place as teammates until at least the end of 2027.
That would leave Norris needing a further extension first, and by that point he would have raced for McLaren for nine years, and by the end of this season he will be the driver with the most grand prix starts for the team. So it is conceivable he’d consider a new challenge, but I think that would most likely be driven by the competitiveness of McLaren under the next set of regulations.
Both would have no shortage of suitors, but the culture being created around both drivers and the team is for the long term, with key personnel also on long deals to try and sustain an era of success.
Q: Is Cadillac doing all its own chassis work on the F1 car, or does it consult with Dallara or anyone else like Haas did? And when it becomes an engine builder in 2029, will it be required to supply engines to other teams?
Chris
CM: Cadillac is doing all of its own chassis work, although the manufacture of it at this stage has been handled externally as the team develops. Team principal Graeme Lowdon told me earlier this year that the chassis is designed in-house, all test lay-ups are produced in-house, but final chassis manufacture us outsourced to normal suppliers in the supply chain.
Whenever its first power unit is ready, Cadillac will only be required to potentially supply an engine to another team if a team doesn’t have an agreement in place at a certain deadline. A supply deal is then forced on the manufacturer with the fewest amount of customers, but given the number of suppliers from 2026 onwards – Audi and Honda will also only be providing power units for one team next year – it’s unlikely it would come to that.
Q: Some site reported Mick Schumacher gets preferential treatment from Alpine in his contract. That includes most of the new tires. How common is that in sports cars?
Also, wouldn’t that be bad for the team? I mean, I don’t expect them to be best friends. But three drivers share the car. Doing this type of deal seems like a bad idea from technical and also from working environment point. It’s not like Schumacher did anything in his career to deserve that.
William Mazeo
STEPHEN KILBEY: My understanding is that it’s not common for drivers in sports cars to sign contracts that include such a list of specific requirements, such as new tires for every session, etc. However, we do see elements of this across this area of the sport, particularly in teams where one or more drivers are funding the program.
For instance, a driver in a privateer Hypercar may have it written into his contract that he is the one to do every qualifying session (because this is a tool used to get them spotted by a factory), though this sort of line item may feature for higher-profile factory drivers, too. Bronze-graded drivers in categories like LMGT3 are also likely to be handed all the new tires in practice and most of the track time. However, that is far less likely to be contractual and instead directly a strategic move in formats where the drive time for amateur drivers is so important.
In general, though, I’d say it’s unusual for a driver to be granted such a suite of advantages over teammates in a multi-driver line-up. Now I haven’t seen the contract with my own eyes, but if it is indeed true, then clearly Alpine and Mick Schumacher must have felt that a combination of his talent and marketability warranted such treatment.
Q: I think the Jarno Trulli pics are pure gold. I met him before the USGP in Indianapolis when he drove for Toyota. I spent most of time talking with Cristiano da Matta (actually being the punchline for his jokes about my race cooler) and wish I would have snapped a pic of Jarno. Can you come up with a Jarno pic from his Toyota years?
Steve Cox
MARK GLENDENNING: Sure. And since we’ve had a lot of fun at his expense over the years, let’s change tack and go with one of his highlight moments – giving Toyota its last-ever F1 podium (on home turf, no less) with a second place at the 2009 Japanese GP.
THE FINAL WORD
From Robin Miller’s Mailbag, 12 September 2018
Q: Just curious about the historically fastest cars and how that ‘power’ translated to good racing – in other words, did it make it more fun to watch, and did the drivers like the power?
Trey Kiel, Austin, Texas
ROBIN MILLER: Bobby Unser always asked John “Mandrake” Miller for more power when he drove for Dan Gurney, and the three-time Indy 500 winner says 1,200 HP was the most he ever saw. A of drivers loved all that boost, but there were lots and lots of engine failures and the races weren’t always that good.
