Ganassi dpi drivers

McLaren boss Zak Brown had a little dig at Alex Palou’s expense as he outlined the team’s reserve driver status for the rest of 2023. McLaren’s reserve driver pool was unclear following IndyCar Champion Alex Palou’s decision to cut and run from the McLaren IndyCar team before turning a wheel for them. Racing for Chip Ganassi Racing in 2023, Palou had been due to join McLaren’s IndyCar squad for next season, but severed ties with McLaren and his own management team – Palou’s decision not to join McLaren has resulted in a legal battle starting between the two sides. Who are McLaren F1’s reserve drivers? With Palou and McLaren at loggerheads heading into the part of the season where the Spaniard was expected to take part in a rookie practice session for the F1 team, McLaren have instead added a new name to their books. Former Haas driver Mick Schumacher, thanks to his Mercedes connection, remains one of the names available for call-up by McLaren, as well as Stoffel Vandoorne. … [Read more...] about Zak Brown lands Alex Palou dig as McLaren add new reserve driver to the fold

Formula 1 may come to regret Alex Palou’s decision to cut ties with McLaren as the sport may never see the driver, dubbed “more complete than Max Verstappen”, line up on the grid. Although Palou was expected to race for McLaren in the IndyCar series next season, dovetailing that with Formula 1 reserve driver commitments, that relationship broke down after the Spaniard opted to stay with Chip Ganassi Racing. Instead of winning races with Palou, and potentially fielding him in Formula 1 in the years to come, McLaren are suing the driver for a reported $20-30 million in damages stemming from him reneging on his deal. Alex Palou v Max Verstappen for the best ‘alien’ award That, McLaren CEO Zak Brown says, is probably it for Palou’s Formula 1 story . “I think in Formula 1, there’s so much you have to do as a driver to be a complete race car driver,” said the American. “He certainly has demonstrated in IndyCar and his time with us that he is a racing driver, but I’m not sure … [Read more...] about The driver dubbed ‘best in the world’ and ‘more complete than Max Verstappen’

World Endurance Championship title holder and Le Mans 24 Hours winner Ryo Hirakawa has joined McLaren’s driver development programme. Advert | Become a Supporter & go ad-free Hirakawa will serve as one of the team’s reserve drivers in Formula 1 this year. His signing comes after IndyCar champion Alex Palou cut his ties with the team and chose to remain with Ganassi in the US series. McLaren confirmed Hirakawa will continue to drive for Toyota in WEC, where he leads the championship he won last year with his team mates Brendon Hartley and Sebastien Buemi. The 29-year-old is also in his sixth season of racing in Japan’s Super Formula series, where he currently races against drivers including AlphaTauri racer Liam Lawson . Hirakawa has won four races in the series and has a best championship position of second. McLaren has not indicated whether it plans to run Hirakawa in practice sessions, though his lack of F1 experience means doing so would count towards … [Read more...] about McLaren signs WEC champion and Le Mans winner Hirakawa as F1 reserve driver

Hirakawa will become part of McLaren's driver development programme, supporting the Woking team in its simulator as well as conducting a testing programme with its 2021 MCL35M car. The 29-year-old will dovetail his F1 testing role with his current drive for Toyota, with which he is currently leading the Hypercar class in the World Endurance Championship. Hirakawa and his team-mates Sebastien Buemi and Brendon Hartley are the reigning champions too, having won both the overall title and the Le Mans 24 Hours in 2022. “I’m happy to have joined the McLaren F1 team as a reserve driver," Hirakawa said on the margins of this weekend's Japanese Grand Prix. "It’s an exciting prospect to work with such a respected team and I’m grateful to Zak [Brown] and Andrea [Stella] for the opportunity. "I’ve already met the team and experienced the simulator at MTC which has allowed me to hit the ground running. I’m now fully prepared and focused for the remainder of 2023. "I am grateful … [Read more...] about McLaren signs Le Mans winner Hirakawa as F1 reserve driver

Four Formula 1 teams have chosen to replace one of their standard drivers with a ‘young driver’ for the first practice session at this weekend’s United States Grand Prix. Advert | Become a Supporter & go ad-free A new-for-2022 regulation requires all teams to give up two practice sessions across the season to drivers with less than three F1 starts to their name. Both cars must be used for this purpose, rather than the same driver being replaced in both sessions. Every team bar Alpine has now run a ‘young driver’ in at least one session. They have a driver lined up who will participate in two of the three remaining events after the US GP. The Circuit of the Americas is an ideal venue to run an unfamiliar driver. It has a lot of run-off, reducing the risk of an inexperienced driver damaging a car. It is also one of the most important venues for F1 due to the scale of the event it holds and the access to the American market for media coverage and sponsorship that … [Read more...] about Who are this weekend’s four F1 newcomers – and could any be on the 2023 grid?

McLaren have announced they will run 2021 NASCAR Cup champion Kyle Larson in next year’s Indianapolis 500 as he attempts a ‘double-header’ by contesting another race on the same day. Advert | Become a Supporter & go ad-free Larson, who races for Hendrick Motorsports in NASCAR’s premier class, will race both the Indianapolis 500 in Indiana and then the NASCAR race 700km away in Charlotte, North Carolina on the same day. He will become the latest in a line of NASCAR drivers attempt to win both races on the same day – known as ‘the double’ – including Kurt Busch, Robby Gordon and Tony Stewart. The 30-year-old said competing in the Indy 500 will fulfil a long-held ambition to race in the fabled event. Larson said he was “super excited” to attempt the double with McLaren. “Competing at the Indianapolis 500 is a dream of mine and something I’ve wanted to do for a very long time – since I was a child before I ever began competing in sprint cars,” said Larson. “To do it … [Read more...] about McLaren to run NASCAR champion Larson in 2024 Indy 500 ‘double’ attempt

Multiple Argentinian Super TC2000 champion Agustin Canapino will join the IndyCar grid this season with Juncos Hollinger Racing, the team have announced. Advert | Become a Supporter & go ad-free The 32-year-old will join the team – jointly owned by Argentinian Ricardo Juncos – for the upcoming IndyCar championship. He will race alongside Callum Ilott in the number 78 car as the team expands to a two-car entry for 2023. He will compete in the full season, including oval races. Canapino is one of South America’s most successful touring car drivers, having been crowned champion of the Argentinian Super TC2000 series twice in 2016 and 2021 as well as multiple titles in lower categories in the nation. Racing in IndyCar is a “great opportunity”, said Canapino. “I’m going in with my mind set on learning and going step-by-step, but I’m also focused on evolving throughout the season. The goal is to finish the races, get to know the car, and the circuits – especially the … [Read more...] about Argentinian touring car champion Canapino gets full-time IndyCar drive

The Barbados-born Caymanian was signed as a development driver with CGR in May 2022, only two races into his Indy NXT career that already featured a fifth-place finish (Barber Motorsports Park). He ended up finishing his rookie campaign ninth in the overall standings despite switching teams – TJ Speed Motorsports to HMD Motorsports – mid-season. There were already some flashes of potential shown the year prior as Simpson rolled to seven wins, 13 podiums and two poles en route to winning the 2021 Formula Regional Americas Championship. Fast forward to the conclusion of the 2023 Indy NXT season, the 18-year-old’s record included a career-best runner-up result (Mid-Ohio), an additional podium and a pole to finish 10th in the championship standings after competing in 13 of 14 events. The lone event missed, the 1.25-mile oval formerly known as Gateway, was a result of a schedule conflict with his full-time commitment to the European Le Mans Series. He currently sits second in the … [Read more...] about Indy NXT grad Simpson’s path to CGR seat aided by sports car experience

Kyle Kirkwood has secured his place on the IndyCar grid for 2024 and beyond after signing a new multi-year contract with Andretti. Advert | Become a Supporter & go ad-free The team fielded four full-time cars this season but have trimmed their entry to three for 2024. Colton Herta and Kirkwood go into their fifth and second seasons with Andretti respectively, while Marcus Ericsson joins from Chip Ganassi Racing. Kirkwood first raced for Andretti in 2021, when he won the Indy Nxt title with the team. That provided him with a scholarship to step up to IndyCar and he made the move with AJ Foyt Racing. Tenth place in Long Beach was the best result of his rookie season, and just six races into his IndyCar career he was announced as joining Andretti for 2023. The team switch worked well for Kirkwood, as he scored almost twice as many points as he had the year before and won from pole in Long Beach just three races into the campaign. Later in the year he picked up … [Read more...] about Rising IndyCar star Kirkwood signs contract extension with Andretti