Sebastien Bourdais will leave the Dale Coyne Racing IndyCar squad following the recent collapse of a proposed sponsorship deal for the 2020 season. Four-time Champ Car champion Bourdais has raced for Coyne for the past three seasons, and recently tested IndyCar’s new aeroscreen protection device with the team. The split is expected to be formally
IndyCar
2019 Indy Lights runner-up Rinus VeeKay has been announced as the driver of Ed Carpenter Racing’s #21 entry for the 2020 IndyCar season. The 19-year-old Dutchman racked up six wins and seven pole positions for Juncos Racing in Indy Lights this year, and impressed Carpenter in his initial IndyCar tests at Portland and Mid-Ohio. He
Renault F1 driver Nico Hulkenberg will not be joining Ed Carpenter Racing next year, despite speculation continuing to mount as recently as last weekend’s Brazilian Grand Prix. With Indy Lights graduate Rinus VeeKay expected to be confirmed this week as the full-time in the #21 ECR-Chevrolet to replace the departing Spencer Pigot, there had been
Spencer Pigot has been released by IndyCar squad Ed Carpenter Racing after three and a half seasons, amid speculation Nico Hulkenberg could race for the team in 2020. Team owner Carpenter said in August he was keen to retain Pigot for 2020 and the two shook hands on a deal after the Laguna Seca season
Meyer Shank Racing will contest a full IndyCar season in 2020, signing Andretti Autosport as a technical partner as its previous deal came to an end and McLaren replaced it. The team – with Jack Harvey confirmed as the team’s driver – had gradually increased its participation from three races in 2017 to six in
Meyer Shank Racing will contest a full IndyCar season in 2020, signing Andretti Autosport as a technical partner as its previous deal came to an end and McLaren replaced it. The team – with Jack Harvey confirmed as the team’s driver – had gradually increased its participation from three races in 2017 to six in
IndyCar series officials have held “exploratory” discussions about staging a race in Sydney, according to series president Jay Frye. The US series has made no secret of its ongoing desire to return to Australia, talks of a revived Gold Coast Indy event stretching back several years. But while the Queensland government has shown genuine interest
Sebastien Bourdais believes IndyCar lap times will be three quarters of a second per lap slower in 2020 due to the addition of the aeroscreen cockpit protection system. Bourdais experienced the aeroscreen for the first time in a simulated street course test at Sebring on Tuesday in preparation for the system’s introduction next year. Red
McLaren will continue to pay James Hinchcliffe’s salary during the 2020 season after its controversial decision to oust him from its new IndyCar team. Hinchcliffe had an existing contract with the Arrow Schmidt Peterson Motorsports team that McLaren has partnered with to create Arrow McLaren SP for its full-time IndyCar return. After an initial suggestion
Roger Penske hops his “credibility” will prevent accusations of a conflict of interest following his corporation’s purchase of IndyCar and Indianapolis Motor Speedway owner Hulman and Company. Penske, who has worked with Will Power for the past two seasons with the exception of the Indianapolis road course race and Indianapolis 500, announced on Monday he
A subsidiary of the Penske Corporation has purchased the IndyCar Series and the Indianapolis Motor Speedway among other assets from the previous owner, Hulman and Company. The blockbuster purchase has been made by a Penske division named Penske Entertainment Corp, which means Penske’s three-car IndyCar team will compete in a championship that is owned by
Penske Entertainment will assess options for bringing a more adventurous roster of events at Indianapolis Motor Speedway – including a possible IndyCar/NASCAR double-header, endurance racing and the return of Formula 1. It was announced on Monday that the Penske Corporation’s new entity, Penske Entertainment, has purchased IMS, as well as the IndyCar championship and IMS
Mark Miles, the president of Hulman and Company, believes that Penske’s purchase of Indianapolis Motor Speedway and IndyCar will make US open-wheel racing more attractive to manufacturers and sponsors. Following the announcement that Roger Penske’s new entity, Penske Entertainment, has bought the Speedway, IndyCar and IMS Productions from Hulman and Company on Monday, a media
Arrow McLaren SP’s Sam Schmidt says dropping James Hinchcliffe from the team’s IndyCar line-up in favour of Oliver Askew and Patricio O’Ward for 2020 was a “gut-wrenching” decision. Schmidt Peterson Motorsport has been renamed Arrow McLaren SP ahead of next season, with the addition of the famous Formula 1 team’s backing and a switch from
A “shocked” James Hinchcliffe says he’s still hoping to land a full-time IndyCar seat in 2020, after losing his drive with the Arrow McLaren SP team. Hinchcliffe scored the last three wins for what was previously named the Arrow Schmidt Peterson Motorsports team, and took pole for the 2016 Indianapolis 500. Despite the team switching
McLaren’s IndyCar team has signed Indy Lights champion Oliver Askew and Pato O’Ward to its team in 2020, meaning there is no place for James Hinchcliffe. It means Arrow McLaren SP has opted for a new line-up for 2020 after Marcus Ericsson opted to sign for Chip Ganassi Racing during a period of uncertainty at
McLaren’s IndyCar team will send personnel to the Mexican Grand Prix with its Formula 1 squad, but denied that means it will imminently announce Patricio O’Ward as its second driver. Arrow McLaren SP, created through McLaren’s new partnership with Schmidt Peterson Motorsports, already has existing SPM driver James Hinchcliffe in its line-up and 20-year-old Mexican
Chip Ganassi Racing has expanded to a three-car IndyCar line-up after signing Alfa Romeo Formula 1 third driver Marcus Ericsson to partner Scott Dixon and Felix Rosenqvist. Ericsson switched to IndyCar after five years in F1 and raced for Schmidt Peterson Motorsports in 2019, partnering James Hinchcliffe, and scored a best result of second in
The aeroscreen IndyCar will adopt in 2020 is stronger than the halo device used in Formula 1 and other single-seater categories, according to developer Red Bull Advanced Technologies. The device – which also features a halo-like structure – was tested on-track for the first time on Wednesday at Indianapolis, after which IndyCar drivers Will Power
Champions Scott Dixon and Will Power say the Red Bull-designed aeroscreen IndyCar will implement in 2020 would be ready to race this weekend, following the device’s first on-track test. Chip Ganassi Racing driver Dixon and Penske’s Power each tested their regular cars, fitted with the new device, at Indianapolis on Wednesday. While both drivers have
Double champion Josef Newgarden will demo his Penske IndyCar at Charlotte this weekend, and the track and championship have held “high-level” talks about an IndyCar Roval round in the future. This weekend NASCAR will hold its second successive event at the Roval after the road-course style lay-out was used for the first time in 2018.
Felix Rosenqvist admits he channelled his “anger” over his treatment at the hands of the IndyCar Series’ stewards into a strong finish in last weekend’s Laguna Seca season finale. The Chip Ganassi Racing driver capped off his rookie campaign by finishing fifth from 14th on the grid on Sunday, after having his two fastest laps
Alexander Rossi believes he “minimised” his mistakes in the IndyCar title fight in 2019 but “probably the right guy won” in Penske’s Josef Newgarden. Andretti Autosports Rossi trailed points’ leader Newgarden by 41-points entering last weekend’s Laguna Seca double-points finale. But Rossi could only finish sixth in Sunday’s race – two spots ahead of Newgarden
Freshly-crowned double IndyCar champion Josef Newgarden says he was “dreading” the “chaotic” double points finale at Laguna Seca, which the Penske driver “hated”. Newgarden finished eighth with his closest title rival Alexander Rossi in sixth place, and it was enough to give the former a second title following his 2017 success. The Penske driver added
Alexander Rossi says qualifying for this weekend’s IndyCar double-points season finale will be “critical” as overtaking at the series’ return to Laguna Seca is expected to be tough. Laguna Seca returns for the first time since 2004, and while the current generation of Indycar allows for closer racing than its predecessor, overtaking is expected to
Colton Herta fended off Will Power to win the IndyCar season finale at Laguna Seca as Josef Newgarden secured his second series title. Newgarden went into the first top-line US single-seater race at the California circuit since 2004 with a comfortable 41-point advantage in the championship table, and his eighth place finish was enough to
Andretti Autosport will join forces with Harding Steinbrenner Racing via a partnership that means the former will field a fifth entry in the 2020 IndyCar season for Colton Herta. Herta became the youngest ever IndyCar winner with victory at Austin back in March, and he also scored poles at Road America and Portland. The #88
Felix Rosenqvist has slammed IndyCar race officials as “maybe having something against me” after his two fastest qualifying times were deleted at the Laguna Seca finale. Rosenqvist ran wide and spun on the exit of Turn 6, the left-hander leading onto the climb towards the Corkscrew, early in the second part of Laguna qualifying on
Colton Herta claimed the third pole of his rookie IndyCar campaign by beating championship contenders Scott Dixon and Alexander Rossi in qualifying at the 2019 season finale at Laguna Seca. Herta, the son of two-time Laguna Seca winner Bryan Herta, who won two Champ Car races at the track in 1998 and ’99, set a
Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing has announced it will retain 2017 Indianapolis 500 winner and former Formula 1 driver Takuma Sato for the ’20 IndyCar season. Sato rejoined RLLR at the start of 2018 after five seasons racing for the A J Foyt and Andretti squads, and has since has taken three victories. He is currently