After an unusual rookie class boasting a NASCAR legend, Australian supercars champion and former Formula 1 driver, IndyCar is returning to a more traditional young driver group next season – and it’s an exciting one.
“Rookie of the year” has always been a strong tradition in US sport in general, and IndyCar is no different. So we’ve outlined the riders who will fight for the prize and decided who is most likely to take the crown.
The drivers listed below will be ordered first at IndyCar starts, then on the championship finish at Indy Lights last year.
Callum Ilott
Age 23
team Juncos Hollinger Racing
Career highlight F2 runner-up in 2020
As a Ferrari Formula 1 junior, Alfa Romeo F1 test and development ace and runner-up in the 2020 Formula 2 championship, the Briton doesn’t need an introduction to most motorsport fans.
He contested the last three IndyCar races of the year in 2021 with the new Juncos Hollinger team, which he will drive next year. He’s still a rookie as IndyCar rules dictate that anyone who has not driven more than four races is eligible to compete.
His talent is beyond question and is evident to everyone. His work developing F1 cars for the past 18 months has also really allowed him to refine his feedback style and that has really impressed his new team. He knows what he wants from the car and how he can deliver.
The only question mark here is that the team only had one full-time employee a month ago, so this is a build-up exercise that could hurt performance for at least the first half of the year.
Christian Lundgaard
Age 20th
team Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing
Career highlight 2nd place in the Formula Renault Eurocup 2018
The Indianapolis street circuit has proven to be a well-suited route for European-trained drivers. In 2021, it was no different, as Lundgaard shocked many by qualifying in fourth place on his first appearance with no sim time and just one test at Barber.
The Alpine Junior found itself on a path that appeared to be headed towards F1 before a disappointing 2020 F2 season in the reigning ART team caused its momentum to stall.
He’s turned that strong debut on his team he appeared for earlier this year, Rahal Letterman Lanigan, into an all-out 2022 IndyCar seat.
Like Ilott, however, he has to face ovals for the first time.
Kyle Kirkwood
Age 23
team AJ Foyt Enterprises
Career highlight Won all three Road to Indy titles
His résumé will make your mouth water. Certainly one of the best single-seater junior careers of all time – certainly in the USA.
It takes every Road to Indy title on the first try and has a total of five championships and 76 race wins, it is a winning machine.
But now he’s joining the ailing AJ Foyt team that couldn’t make a successful contender under Sebastien Bourdais and engineer Justin Taylor last year. It has two podiums in eight years and last won a race another year earlier in 2013.
Sure, Kirkwood can help inspire this team with youthful exuberance, but I’m pessimistic about how much can be accomplished here in a year. There is no doubt that this is a stepping stone for Kirkwood, but I hope it doesn’t stop his progress.
Taylor and Bourdais will certainly have laid some strong foundations, but it will be Kirkwood to facilitate the next step.
David Malukas
Age 20th
team Dale Coyne Racing
Career highlight 2nd place at Indy Lights 2021
Malukas was one of the surprises of the 2021 season for many, which made Kirkwood’s life in Lights extremely difficult that year – which made Malukas’ stock soar.
Unlike Kirkwood’s Foyt deal, Malukas is joining a Coyne team that has plenty of momentum and the addition of Takuma Sato as his teammate will prove to be a fantastic advisor to the young rookie.
There will always be people pointing out that Malukas has the resources and built an Indy Lights team around him, but he split off a strong teammate with Linus Lundqvist last year and seems like a real prospect.
There is so much left to learn about how good it really is, but all the ingredients are there. There’s nowhere to hide in IndyCar, but it has the potential.
Devlin DeFrancesco
Age 21
team Andretti Autosport
Career highlight 2nd place in Indy Pro 2000, 2020
There will always be people pointing out that Kirkwood missed the Andretti seat as unfair since DeFrancesco – sixth in the Indy Lights championship – landed there.
However, this was part of a longer term deal and he is a more seasoned rookie than most in Europe and when it comes to sports cars too. He impressed the team with his test performances and, according to team boss Michael Andretti, even outshone Kirkwood in one of these two tests.
Not all drivers have a career as junior ace, and that doesn’t mean they won’t make it to the big stage.
One thing is certain, however – DeFrancesco cannot hide as a team-mate of Colton Herta, Romain Grosjean and Alexander Rossi.
The race’s Rookie of the Year prediction
1 Lundgaard
2 malukas
3 DeFrancesco
4 Ilott
5 Kirkwald
While you might think that DeFrancesco has the best spot, Rahal had a better average result per car than Andretti last year. That’s not to say Andretti isn’t going to improve, but given Lundgaard’s stellar Indianapolis debut this season, it’s hard to imagine that he won’t be at least on the edge of the top 10 for most weeks.
He’ll learn the ovals quickly and help improve this team, which will expand to three cars next year, and basically he’s there with Ilott and Kirkwood as one of the best drivers on the list.
I went with Malukas next, although choosing numbers 2-5 was a lot harder than number 1.
Although Grosjean was much more experienced and took his engineer with him to Andretti, Coyne is a team known for developing young talent in both the driver’s seat and the design department.
It is used to high turnover and Sato will be a good shoulder for Malukas to rely on. Good progress was made with the 18-series car in the second half of the season and if Malukas can deliver, there is a chance of a top 15 season here.
DeFrancesco is not having a strong season because he plays for Andretti – ask James Hinchcliffe and Ryan Hunter-Reay. This is a program with a longer term goal and with a lot of focus on the Herta / Grosjean / Rossi relationship, DeFrancesco is likely to be developed at its own pace.
Ilott takes fourth place. While the three races in late 2021 don’t suggest he can beat a Foyt car over a season and there is still so much uncertainty about the staff at Juncos, I think this project is headed for something.
It may be that Ilott’s talent can’t overcome the crew’s inexperience, but I’m betting on the positive outlook.
Kirkwood got the short straw here. I rate him so highly but just can’t reconcile the fact that a rider like Bourdais – known for his ability to get on backmarker teams and get them big results – struggled so hard at Foyt .
With all of Bourdais’ experience, he may have laid the foundations, but Kirkwood’s engineer has yet to be determined and there are some question marks here, too.
For Kirkwood and Foyt, I hope I’m wrong.
