Some 2021 NTT IndyCar Series drivers may not necessarily be looking for a race win, but they will try to reach that point. This preview introduces the drivers, especially those who drive the vast majority of the races.
James Hinchcliffe has six IndyCar race wins behind him and has signed a full season campaign with Andretti Autosport. However, the Canadian was out of the car for eight of the 14 laps of the 2020 IndyCar Championship. While Andretti Autosport Hinchcliffe provides a familiar environment for an entire season, it may take some time for the Indianapolis 500 2016 polesitter to find their way around Indianapolis.
Nevertheless, Hinchcliffe can dominate a race on his day just as much as any other driver. When that day will come has to be determined.
Jimmie Johnson joins the IndyCar world after earning a spot on the 21st century NASCAR version of Mount Rushmore. The seven-time NASCAR champion rides the No. 48 Honda on and on the road for Chip Ganassi Racing. While Jimmie has said ovals were a little too dangerous for him to try in an Indy car, his feelings are something thawed and we could see the Californian race in the Indianapolis 500 of 2022.
This will be a very different playground for Johnson, however. The two-time Daytona 500 winner, who has spent over 20 years with a roof over his head and a side seating position, has spent several days driving a FR Americas (Formula 3 car built for racing in America) to test to “unlearn” to drive a stock car and learn how to navigate an open-wheel car on a route.
Romain Grosjean talks about drivers who are completing road and road courses in their rookie IndyCar season and is moving to IndyCar after his dismissal from the Haas Formula 1 team. The Frenchman has said superspeedways are too dangerous but added that the World Wide Technology Raceway at Gateway might be on the radar for a race in 2021.
Grosjean is looking to restart his career in North America. After the GP2 champion had achieved 10 podium places in F1 from 2012 to 2015, he gradually slipped in the drivers’ standings with Haas F1 and finally culminated in a violent exit from the 2020 Bahrain Grand Prix on the first lap. For the first time in over a decade, Grosjean will have the opportunity to compete on an equal footing with the entire grid, allowing its strengths to come into play behind the wheel.
Conor Daly will drive again for Ed Carpenter Racing in 2021 and is still trying to break the glass ceiling of victory in IndyCar competition. After scoring a podium for Dale Coyne Racing in his first full season of IndyCar competition in 2016, Daly spent most of the past four seasons as a nomad, driving full-time for AJ Foyt Enterprises in 2017 and part-time 2020 split between Carlin and Ed in 2018 and 2019 Carpenter Racing.
Daly finished no more than 12th for Ed Carpenter Racing but had four top 10 finishes for Carlin when he drove for Trevor Carlin’s team in all of the 500 oval races outside of Indianapolis. After scoring a pole position for Carlin in Iowa, Daly was sure to secure Carlin the top five spots on an oval and the second since joining IndyCar in 2018.
Marcus Ericsson hopes to further build his momentum for the 2020 season by staying with Chip Ganassi Racing in 2021. The Swede joined Chip Ganassi Racing ahead of the 2020 IndyCar season to work with Scott Dixon and finished 12th in the points. With three top 5 finishes in 2020, Ericsson wouldn’t be a bad look at a couple of podiums in 2021 to add to his only Detroit podium in 2019.
Alex Palou belongs to Ericsson and Dixon at Chip Ganassi Racing. The Spaniard drove very well at Dale Coyne Racing in 2020 and finished on the podium at Road America. Moving to Chip Ganassi Racing means there is more pressure on the Super Formula.
However, Palou has done well on various series around the world. Third place in the Japanese Formula 3 Championship in 2017 led Palou to the FIA Formula 3 European Championship in 2018, where he finished seventh in points. In 2019, however, it was back in Japan, where the Super Formula finished third in points with one win and three Poles before going to IndyCar in 2020. Expect Palou to get a couple of podiums in 2021 if the 2020 season was just one building block.
After Ed Jones narrowly missed out on being named Rookie of the Year for the 2017 Indianapolis 500, he’s back in the IndyCar series for old team owner Dale Coyne. The Dubai-born Brit spent 2018 with Chip Ganassi Racing and 2019 with Ed Carpenter Racing in a partnership with Scuderia Corsa.
Jones was supposed to be racing in the DTM in 2020 but COVID-19 travel restrictions left Jones stuck in Dubai making 2020 a gap year for the 2016 Indy Lights champion. As the new lead driver at Dale Coyne Racing, it will be interesting to see Jones get back into the momentum of an Indy car, especially if he can add to the podiums he took in 2017 and 2018.
Max Chilton’s tenure at Carlin had limited results for the British racing driver. Chilton’s previous tenures with Carlin in GP2 and Indy Lights have resulted in victories, but in the IndyCar series, Chilton has yet to score a top 10 for his current team. His best was 11th place three times.
Chilton’s last top 10 IndyCar result was an eighth at Watkins Glen for Chip Ganassi Racing in 2017. Carlin may not have the resources of the top teams in the IndyCar competition, but when things come together, the results will come.
Dalton Kellett’s time en route to Indy was determined by his performance on ovals. During his tenure in the INDYCAR-approved ladder system, the Canadian stood on the podium eight times, six of them on ovals. Despite eight podium finishes, Kellett was unable to achieve a win in over 100 starts.
Kellett will return to racing for AJ Foyt’s team in 2021 after finishing top 20th in both Road America races in a 2020 sub-campaign. Kellett will have Sebastien Bourdais as a teammate throughout the season to reinforce the teams’ efforts.
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