Arrow McLaren Taps Callum Ilott To Cover The Malukas No. 6 Chevy For St. Pete INDYCAR Season Opener

Two and one-half year NTT INDYCAR veteran who could not find the right deal for his services after concluding the 2023 season with Juncos Hollinger Racing, found a seat with Jota Sport hypercar in the WEC in Europe then someone got injured. David Malukas needs to heal from an off season injury so Arrow McLaren found the next best temporary shoe. Welcome back UK driver Callum Ilott. Image Credit: ZOOM Call Screengrab Edmund Jenks (2024)

Arrow McLaren Taps Callum Ilott To Cover The Malukas No. 6 Chevy For St. Pete INDYCAR Season Opener

Arrow McLaren announced Tuesday, March 5th, 2024 that Callum Ilott will be taking the wheel for the upcoming Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg, stepping in for the injured David Malukas in the No. 6 Dallara-Chevrolet. Malukas, who underwent surgery on his left wrist following a mountain biking accident, is expected to be out of action for approximately six weeks.

In their official statement, Arrow McLaren noted that they are still assessing their options for future tests and races as Malukas recuperates. The team anticipates David's return to coincide with early April, prior to the Grand Prix of Long Beach but following the $1 Million Challenge exhibition race on March 24 at The Thermal Club.

 

NTT INDYCAR SERIES News Conference

Tuesday, March 5, 2024

Callum Ilott - Press Conference

THE MODERATOR: The 2024 NTT INDYCAR Series season begins this weekend in the Streets of St. Petersburg for the annual Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg presented by RP Funding.

Arrow McLaren just moments ago announcing their driver for the No. 6 NTT Data Chevrolet this weekend as Callum Ilott makes his return to the series. This Sunday will mark Callum's 37th career NTT INDYCAR Series start and a return to the Streets of St. Pete where he finished fifth last year after starting 22nd.

Callum, thanks for hopping on with us quickly after the announcement here today. Your thoughts about returning to St. Pete, now driver of the No. 6 Chevrolet for Arrow McLaren?

CALLUM ILOTT: Thank you for having me. It's great to be back. It's great to the back in the NTT Series and getting on with it with the No. 6 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet. Really excited. It's a great race to come in for.

First off, I feel really bad for David. I hope he gets a speedy recovery and gets back in the car soon. I think he's coming to the race. We'll get to work together and get him up to speed with the team as quick as possible, and also for me, as well, I need to get up to speed.

But yeah, really grateful for the opportunity, so thanks to Zak, Gavin, Tony, the whole team and NTT Data for letting me in the car. It's going to be exciting.

Also got to give a thanks to Hertz Team Jota for allowing me to do this race. I'm very pumped to get going and give this orange car a go, or papaya.

Q. Just returning from the World Endurance Championship, finished second, so quick flight, quick turnaround, different machinery. Is your head spinning right now or do you think you'll settle in once you get to St. Pete?

CALLUM ILOTT: I don't know what continent I'm on, what time zone, but I'm ready to go, as always. But yeah, we had a great race, finished second. Yeah, solid weekend in the World Endurance Championship, so that was a great start to the year. Really enjoyed it.

Got on a plane, stopped off in the UK, collected some stuff, and flew straight on to Indy where I am now. I'm in the shop getting some last-minute prep, took some photos for you guys this morning, and off we go.

Q. Just curious, we all know that with INDYCAR, it's roughly somewhat of a spec series for the most part, but there is a difference in team size and personnel, et cetera. With that, that experience at Juncos, coming into this opportunity, where is the head space in relation to that? Where do you look at how big of an opportunity this is compared to what you had the past two years, the equipment difference, et cetera?

CALLUM ILOTT: To be honest, it's a bit of a discovery process because obviously I did the hybrid test, but I've only been in the shop for one or two days now.

The size of the team obviously is larger and more years of experience within the series, but I can't really comment on that until during the race weekend and experiencing it on that side of a full scale. Obviously it's great. The preparation is good even though I've kind of had to be in Qatar and full focus on that. But now it's obviously full focus on St. Pete.

That's increasing and ramping up, and I'm excited to see what the full scale of the operation is.

Q. When you're still kind of in, as you say, a discovery process of kind of learning some of those integral parts of the team, do you have personal expectations this weekend that might be different than what you might have had in years past, because as we know, a top 5 in a Juncos car is going to be a mega run. What are you looking at with the scope of this opportunity?

CALLUM ILOTT: It's a brand new year for everyone, so of course you don't know exactly where to start off. But in the history of Arrow McLaren, they've always been very, very strong, and St. Pete last year was also very strong.

Yeah, think there's all the opportunity to do a good job, but my focus at the end of the day is filling in and doing a solid job and leaving the weekend with no complaints. If I can be fast and up there, great. If I can finish the race and get some good points for them, that's also the goal.

Let's see where it goes into FP1, qualifying, and then the race.

Q. First of all, how important is it to you as an opportunity to really prove yourself that you can fit in at a top team with this opportunity? How important is it to just validate the work that you've done at Juncos and prove that it was a really high level that you were showing there?

CALLUM ILOTT: Yeah, I mean, I think it kind of goes without saying that every racing driver wants to prove what they can do, and this is a perfect opportunity to do it. The test at Homestead went really well. So far gearing up to this weekend, it's all going very smoothly.

I fit in quite well in a last-minute situation. Again, I wish David all the best and he gets to be in the car as soon as possible, but I'll try and do the best job that I can within that time.

It's obviously an interesting place to be and an interesting place to see what I can do, but again, I can't really comment until I get on there, but that's the goal, right, to do as well as possible.

Q. You told us that you were going to try and be around the paddock a bit. Have you got any more info as to whether there will be other opportunities later in the year beyond this chance here to deputize at McLaren, or is it still a case of seeing what comes up?

CALLUM ILOTT: Well, I think the plan of being around and maybe jumping in a car came sooner than expected, so obviously that kind of -- I don't want to say wish, but idea has come early.

Yeah, I'll see what happens. I'm obviously quite busy with the World Endurance Championship throughout the year, but if I can make some races, we'll see what happens. But I'm around, and I'll be looking about for sure.

Q. Just a couple questions for you. Obviously in the NTT INDYCAR Series everybody gets to this level fast. They're talented race car drivers. I'm curious from a race car driver's perspective, what are some intangibles that a driver can show the team that maybe isn't reflected on a speed chart or race results, something maybe you can do behind the scenes that maybe the outside world aren't aware of?

CALLUM ILOTT: Yeah, I mean, results are obviously a very global, quick look at what amount of effort goes into the world of sports and motorsports, and that's the thing that at the end of the day everyone wants to see.

I mean, if I look in hindsight -- if I look back at my career in INDYCAR, it was spent in a single-car team which moved to a dual-car team, and we got some amazing results in that environment and built something up from the ground. Sometimes that gets overlooked because at the end of the day results is the most important thing.

But I think that kind of work, you know how much effort you put into get that environment to the place that it is.

But overall, yeah, everyone is working super hard in every environment that they're in. I can't say that what I do or did personally is any more or any less than anyone else, but I know the efforts that I've put in in different places, and I think this is one of those little -- well, quite big rewards to get to fill in for.

Q. What is kind of the mindset or confidence level going into a ride -- obviously this isn't a full-time seat for you. You can't not be aggressive in a series as high as the INDYCAR Series, but I'm sure you don't want to make any enemies because this could be an audition for the entire paddock. How do you balance that behind the wheel this coming weekend?

CALLUM ILOTT: I think in terms of the friends, enemies type of thing, I've done two and a half years almost in this series, and people know what I am. I think in terms of one race, I'm not going to create any problems on that side.

Looking at it, yeah, my full-term commitment this year is in WEC, and that's where my full mind is, and I'm enjoying that a lot so far. We had a great start to the year.

In my books, I've already checked off a podium on that side, and I'm just looking forward to keeping the momentum and the speed with these guys here at Arrow McLaren.

Q. It's kind of a discovery process this weekend, but race rhythm is a thing, and you just raced last weekend. As you mentioned, you got a podium. You finished fifth there last year. McLaren has got good street course cars. What is the immediate goal? Do you feel a podium or top 5 is something that's achievable this weekend? Do you feel like you can use last weekend -- granted, it's a sports car, not an INDYCAR, but you've already been in race rhythm. Is that something you can use to your advantage this weekend?

CALLUM ILOTT: Yeah, honestly, I'm in a very good space this year. I've had a great off-season, and actually kind of -- even though it's been a bit crazy the last couple weeks, a great buildup to my weekend in Qatar.

I think in looking at it, the test at Homestead helped me a lot to get the ball rolling actually in Qatar, and I think vice versa. Coming from there, I had six out of seven days on track -- maybe five out of six days on track coming here to St. Pete.

I think I'll be ready to go in terms of results. It's very difficult to say. Yes, I was competitive there last year in the race, and you'd hope that that would continue, and that's the goal. In terms of the extent of that, I don't know. We've got to see.

Really, again, like I said on the discovery side, there's a lot to learn and know, and I think a few questions will be answered by the end of the weekend.

Q. The release from the team says it's only specific to St. Pete. Have you been told or have you had any discussions about this going beyond St. Pete if David remains out for say Thermal?

CALLUM ILOTT: I think it all depends on David. Obviously he's got to -- well, you can't really work to get better, but you've got to be in the position to get better, so I hope he recovers as quickly as possible.

I am available for Thermal, but again, that's a later point whether we'll know if that's the case or not. We'll see what happens with David and the team and for the future.

Q. The initial release when Malukas was hurt indicated he could be back right before Long Beach, but I notice the WEC schedule has quite a gap past that. I know this is speculative, but if this goes well this weekend, are you thinking as long as David is out, you could be Arrow McLaren's guy in this car?

CALLUM ILOTT: I don't want to say it at all like that. I think WEC is the priority for me, and it will be for the near future.

Of course if I'm available and what's needed is me, for example, then of course I'm open to doing it.

We'll have to see what happens on that side. But I pray for David that that's not the case because you want to be in the car and you want to work with your team. I hope that he is in the car very soon because it's very tough -- I can understand -- even for me, the one race I did out of the car after the 500 in 2022, it's tough to sit and watch. I don't really wish that on anyone, especially with a new team. It's very tough.

I do feel for David, and again, want him to be in the car as soon as possible.

Q. Presuming he is back for Long Beach but this goes really well this weekend and maybe you turn some heads, I know you said you're committed to WEC this year, but beyond that if there are gaps in the schedule and you get approached by INDYCAR teams, are you treating it as you're kind of available for hire as needed?

CALLUM ILOTT: Yeah, of course it's all up for discussion. There's a limit to what you can do in terms of travel. Of course everything has fit in quite well. I had to miss a Sebring test for the WEC stuff, but in the end the WEC race was quite good. I made the right decision on that side to -- oh, and we had the prologue moved, as well, so it wouldn't have happened anyway.

But of course if there is availability and communication goes that way, there's no reason to say no.

Q. You just mentioned it, the WEC opener obviously went outstanding for you and your team, and I think you were fastest in one of the prologue sessions, as well. I know it's a different discipline, but how much confidence did that give you to be back on the podium, to be fastest in a practice session, coming back here to INDYCAR? We all know you've shown you can contend in INDYCAR, but coming off of that great WEC showing, does that give you more confidence coming into St. Pete?

CALLUM ILOTT: Yeah, I think so. It's been a few years, I said on an Instagram post, that I haven't been on the podium, and I know that that was always possible. I think the prologue, we came out of that P2. Qualifying in Hyper pole P3 and P3, and then the race P2, splitting the Penskes. It was a very impressive first race. The team did an amazing job and was very competitive.

I think we wish we could have got a little more out of there because P1 is always something that you want to get, but I think it was the first Hypercar podium that we had achieved as a team, and yeah, I'm really looking forward to carrying the momentum.

It's been refreshing. It's nice to go into an environment and hit the ground running, and it's also an environment that I kind of grew up in a little bit, a little bit more, so I'm hoping to bring the momentum here and see what I can do.

Q. Was curious to know how this came about. Did Zak reach out to you or was it Gavin?

CALLUM ILOTT: I think it was a bit more mutual in that sense. Obviously I saw the news -- I was actually coming out to Indy anyway for some more admin apartment stuff, and then I was going to drop away quickly, or sooner than I expected. Then I think a day or two later, the seat fit was happening, and then I think we were kind of like moving step by step on that side.

There were some things and logistics that needed to be sorted out, obviously, as it's not an easy one to deal with last minute, especially as I'm now no longer in the U.S. full time, and to be honest, I think it was with Tony that the first contact was made.

But yeah, I reached out, and it was kind of like, let's see what we can do and how we can make this work.

Q. I'm pretty sure you got to do the test. How did you feel after that?

CALLUM ILOTT: Yeah, it was good. It was great to be back in a car. Been two or three months since I --

Q. Just physically how did it feel?

CALLUM ILOTT: Yeah, it was good. Honestly, I did I think like 139 laps, then got straight on a plane to the UK, stopped off, got my helmet for the WEC stuff and flew to Qatar. Pretty busy, but I felt good, straight on the pace. It was like I had kind of never jumped out.

I've been driving constantly since, so I should be ready for St. Pete, no issues.

Q. Do you still have your apartment in Indianapolis?

CALLUM ILOTT: I do. I kind of extended it two weeks before I kind of knew my fate at the end of last year, so it cost me a bit more to get rid of it early, so it was actually quite convenient because I get to use it now.

Q. Having worked with the team, albeit very briefly, how beneficial is that to you going to St. Pete knowing that it's not completely brand new for you this weekend?

CALLUM ILOTT: Yeah, it was really important to do the test, even though, yeah, I felt like I kind of hit the ground running. There's always stuff that you need to learn and how the environment works together. At the end of the day, it's such a competitive series, so any little edge you can get is good.

Yeah, it really worked out well in the timing. Of course I would have loved to do Sebring, as well, to get some more info, especially in the non-hybrid car. But yeah, it worked out super well. I'm excited to get going, and obviously they have a great history within INDYCAR, so it can only be easier with that, I would say.

Q. Have you had an opportunity to talk with Ryan-Hunter about this opportunity, and if you have, what kind of advice did he give you?

CALLUM ILOTT: No, I haven't. No, I haven't been able to speak to him.

Motorsports Journal Edmund Jenks

Q. It strikes me you were the experienced person on the previous team you were at, and now you're going to be joining a paddock that's chock full of experience. How do you feel that that's going to be come St. Pete, working with the people in the paddock, the other drivers that are easily equal? What do you expect?

CALLUM ILOTT: Yeah, I think coming into the environment at Arrow McLaren is going to be interesting for me. It's a lot to learn. It's a bigger environment to what I was used to previously. Also to be next to Alex and to Pato is going to be cool to compare. I have a lot of respect for both of them. They're both very fast.

It's going to be good. There's going to be lots to learn. Hopefully my progress through the weekend should improve, and hopefully I can join them for a good result and good points.

Q. You've raced against these guys before, a good solid season plus. What do you think you'll be marching into in terms of learning more from them?

CALLUM ILOTT: Well, Pato is known for his speed, so that's always something that you're going to be chasing and trying to find. Alex has a lot of experience within the series. His race craft and race pace is always very strong.

I hope to learn on the racing side before we come to the race, see what little things I can find. But even afterwards, it's probably good to compare and see where you gain, where you lose, and even if it's before the weekend or after the weekend, there's a lot as a driver that you can bring with you for the future.

Q. Do you think you might get softer elbows out on the track?

CALLUM ILOTT: Well, we'll see. To be fair, I love the INDYCAR racing. It's hard but fair. St. Pete is always one that is where people get their elbows out. But at the end of the day, I proved last year that sometimes being a bit more careful in situations brings you a better finish?

So we'll have to see. It depends on the situation.

ENDS

Q. Obviously being a reserve driver you're in a situation where it's essentially an audition for other part-time rides. Do you see yourself being able to secure any other part-time gigs throughout the season, whether it's in the Indy 500 or anything else that may arise in 2024, or is this solely for 2023 at this point in terms of looking for other deals?

CALLUM ILOTT: To be honest, I'm not really thinking about it. Like I said, it kind of came a bit earlier than I expected. I did think about turning up to St. Pete and then the 500 and a couple of other little ones and see what happens. But of course I'm jumping in a car in the first race of the season, and a very competitive car as it is. Yeah, I would say after this, I don't know. I might take a little break as I've got some WEC stuff coming up, and then we gear up for Le Mans. I think I can make the 500, as well.

We'll have to see. I think in terms of a -- not full-time, but a for-sure ride for the 500, it's going to be tough. I think those filled up quite quickly.

No, I'm just focusing on WEC, and if I'm available for anything else that seems convenient or I might try some other different cars and range my experience within the world of motorsports.

Q. Obviously you said earlier you're enjoying your time in the World Endurance Championship. In INDYCAR, if no opportunities arise, is your goal to stay in the INDYCAR Series or would you be content with other endeavors, just hypothetically?

CALLUM ILOTT: I mean, I've already kind of -- how would I say? I took a step away from INDYCAR to go and do the World Endurance Championship, and again, it's a professional series ride. To be honest, I just want to do what I enjoy. I enjoy it a lot. I enjoy INDYCAR a lot. Just have to see where that takes me.

But I'm not forcing anything because it just doesn't feel right. I'm kind of going with the flow.

Again, the fact that I can make all of this happen and I think so far start the year in a very nice way after the end of last year, it's great, so I'm just going to continue that momentum and keep enjoying it and keep getting results in everything I can do.

Q. Obviously you're missed because we keep bugging you about future opportunities and next year and everything like that. Clearly we want you around the paddock. I guess to touch on something that was asked earlier, I don't want to put the wagon before the horse, so to speak, but if you were to ballpark it, because you obviously made it clear that WEC is the priority, that's the program that you're putting the most emphasis on this year, and rightfully so, but if you could ballpark it, what do you think is maybe a comfortable number of races that you'd be willing to do on the INDYCAR side this year without sacrificing or feeling like you're sacrificing that program?

CALLUM ILOTT: You know, I don't want to get in the way of anything. There's a lot of preparation up until Le Mans, and I think we have some other tests maybe before COTA later on in the year.

Of course, it's convenient that the series only has seven or eight races, so it's not too strenuous on that side. It's just a lot of travel. I think the calculation I did at the beginning of the year was the possibility to make 11 or 12 INDYCAR races if I had to. Of course that's a lot of traveling for me to do.

I'm just going to see what's convenient on that side. If I have to do 11, 12, that's what I'll have to do. If I can manage with three, four, five, that's what I'll do, as well. I'm just playing it by ear. I don't think I expected to go to St. Pete about a month ago, so now that's happening, and I can't complain.

Q. Obviously Arrow McLaren announced there was going to be this strategic alliance with Juncos. Were you already in discussions with McLaren back then?

CALLUM ILOTT: Yeah, so when there is, shall we say, some shifts in the market, obviously I had some contact with Zak to see what was going on. There was the understood kind of development of a partnership between Juncos, and at that point it seemed quite sensible to keep things as it was. So I had that communication established, which is why I think it was quite easy to get the ball rolling to do St. Pete a couple of weeks ago.

Q. Clearly INDYCAR feels like home to you, I can tell. Smile, expressions. I remember a couple of years ago in the media center I remember you talking about how it felt right to you to stay with Juncos. Why do you keep wanting to go back to INDYCAR? What about this series do you like that even with WEC and full-time abilities over there, you still want to come back? What about the INDYCAR Series feels like home for you and makes you want to keep coming back for more?

CALLUM ILOTT: You're putting a lot of plurals on there. This isn't like I had to come back.

No, to put it simply, I felt that maybe it was slightly premature, what happened end of last year. It's life, and you have to find the best situation for yourself and work with that, and to be fair, I'm very fortunate to be in a super competitive seat with Hertz Team Jota and hit the ground running on that, and we're second in the championship, World Endurance Championship, straight away, which is great, and then to get the ball rolling in the first weekend of INDYCAR with Arrow McLaren, I can't complain.

It's pretty exciting on that side.

This opportunity just felt right, I think, for me, and for the team, it was very convenient to kind of get it working. I think we're in for a good exciting weekend in St. Pete.

From my side, yeah, again, maybe it was premature. I obviously did try and stay in the NTT INDYCAR Series for this year, and I was kind of unsuccessful at making that happen. I very quickly found another seat which just felt right in the World Endurance Championship.

I think in some ways, it's a shame that I didn't quite make a full-time ride work. If things would have happened maybe a bit earlier, I wouldn't have had a problem. But again, I made something work, so I can't complain about it at all, and I'm super happy to do.

It's a good place, and again, I can't have wished for more at the moment. I'm getting to do some exciting things this year.

Q. More so on competition, is there just something about the competition levels of the NTT INDYCAR Series that just brings the best out of you, brings the most out of a race car driver that it's hard to find and replicate that in other areas of the world? Competition-wise, is it just something that suits you that you just want more of, per se?

CALLUM ILOTT: I mean, yes, it suits me. If I'm going to summarize it, I think it's been a tough two and a half years to really show what I want to show. I've showed potential in a lot of areas, but it hasn't quite paid off in the way that I wanted it to.

I think there's something about that that keeps making me want to come in and just go like, this is what I've been talking about, and hopefully that can happen sooner rather than later.

Yes, of course the championship is super competitive, and there's a lot of variability, and the range of tracks that we go to as a series is tough to stay on top of. But yeah, I think as soon as I move away, I seem to get the ball rolling again and get some results, and I come back here and I want to keep proving what I can show in my history of racing.

THE MODERATOR: We'll go ahead and leave it there for now. Callum, thank you so much for your time here today.

[ht: FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports]

... notes from The EDJE

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Alexander Rossi As Two-Time Winner Previews The 2023 Acura Grand Prix Of Long Beach

During Content Days where the NTT INDYCAR SERIES sets up to capture photo and video content for the series to use throughout the year, on the web and broadcast production, Alexander Rossi spends about 20 minutes with the gathered Press in attendance at the Palm Springs Convention Center where he was introduced for the first time in an Arrow McLaren colors fire suit. Image Credit: Edmund Jenks

Alexander Rossi As Two-Time Winner Previews The 2023 Acura Grand Prix Of Long Beach

Alexander Rossi, the first year driver of the No. 7 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet, is one of two California natives (the other is former teammate Andretti Autosport's Colton Herta) who are expected to compete in the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach on April 16. 

Rossi is a two-time winner (and a two-time NTT P1 Pole Award winner) on the streets of Long Beach, achieving both marks in 2018 and 2019. 

We are pleased to spend some time with former Formula 1 aspirant and 2016 INDY 500 winner, his first win in an INDYCAR ... Alexander Rossi.

NTT INDYCAR SERIES News Conference - Alexander Rossi
Preview On Acura Grand Prix Of Long Beach

THE MODERATOR: Welcome, everybody. Glad you're here. Another race week here in 2023. 2023 resumes this Sunday on the beautiful streets of Long Beach for another edition of the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach, one of the longest running races on the schedule outside of, of course, the Indy 500.

Few have had the type of success that Alexander Rossi has had on the streets of Long Beach. Back-to-back wins, back-to-back poles, 2018 and 2019. Driver of the No. 7 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet joins us today after a visit to the White House and the annual Easter egg hunt yesterday.

I got to ask you about the Easter egg hunt. How cool was that?

ALEXANDER ROSSI: It was awesome, man. I didn't really know what I was getting myself into. When the opportunity presented itself to go to the White House, like why wouldn't you? I had also never been to D.C. before, so I got kind of spoiled on my first trip there.

No, just an amazing event for not only INDYCAR to be there but for all of some 30,000 kids that got the opportunity to kind of learn about their favorite sports and kind of the physical and mental aspect that it takes to get into that sport.

We were sandwiched between the NFL and the MLB, so pretty great company for INDYCAR to be around. I think it was a pretty amazing activation that we had in terms of having the show car there, Jim Leo from PitFit Training there, a little bit of a glimpse into what it's like. I think we definitely created some new race fans. It was really exciting to be a part of.

THE MODERATOR: You're from California, won a couple times at Long Beach. How much are you looking forward to leading Arrow McLaren there this coming weekend?

ALEXANDER ROSSI: Yeah, man. I say it all the time, outside the Indy 500 I think this is one of our flagship races if not the flagship race. It's always such an amazing event from not only an entertainment on-and-off-the-track standpoint but a turnout standpoint. The fans there are passionate, they're incredibly knowledgeable about the sport, there's obviously a huge amount of history that exists with that city and that track.

Jim Michaelian and his whole group do an amazing job for us every year. Real excited to get back there. As you mentioned, we've had some success there in the past. With the new team and the momentum that the Arrow McLaren group has at the moment, we're very much looking forward to the weekend.

THE MODERATOR: We'll open it up for questions.

Q. Could you give us an idea of how different you feel the setups are between St. Pete and Long Beach, how much confidence you take from the pace you had in St. Pete, whether you think that's going to apply to Long Beach.

ALEXANDER ROSSI: They are different. I think St. Pete's borderline getting to the point where it's almost a road course, it's so smooth and the grip level is what it is. I think you definitely take a little bit of a different approach there than you do other street courses.

Yeah, there are obviously some similarities. I think as a whole, obviously I didn't drive the car last year, but I think the team has taken a step forward in terms of the street course program. I think Chevrolet has made monumental steps, especially coming from 2021, their evolution of '22, then again a step this year.

I think it's going to be the normal competitive obviously qualifying and race. I think your normal participants are going to be fighting for pole. It's going to take perfect execution from everyone and exciting to see how it shakes out.

Q. What is your level of excitement being inside the team? You've had two races under your belt, where is your mind at? How do you feel with this team settling in now?

ALEXANDER ROSSI: Yeah, I mean, for sure we're two races, but also only two races, right? It's still early days.

I think the entire atmosphere and the positivity within the team is obvious from the outside. I think the cohesiveness that they were able to keep and also the continuity of adding a third car, the people we've talked about many times, it's a testament to everyone there from the top all the way to the bottom.

It's a real privilege and joy to be part of that team every single week. I think we're only going to get stronger as time goes on.

Q. You mentioned Chevy feel good on a street course. Is it a different feel inside the car, torque? What is different coming from a Honda to Chevrolet now?

ALEXANDER ROSSI: I mean, again, I can't speak for what it was like. I think they had a huge focus on the bottom-end drivability side of things. Even when it was a challenge, they were still obviously very successful. Even when it was difficult in '21, they were still winning races.

Again, it's very hard to have that big of a difference when the engine architecture is similar or the same, and the rules have been around for so long, everyone kind of follows to the same point.

But, yes, there are still subtle differences. It's kind of about maximizing the strengths and weaknesses of each engine, right? Honda might go about that a different way than Chevy does. For us as drivers, me making the transition from one to the other, you've got to understand the areas that the Chevy is working in a better range, and you got to focus on those areas to make sure you maximize the performance available.

Q. What about street course races makes you jump to another level? Do you treat these races differently?

ALEXANDER ROSSI: I won Pocono, and that's not a really big race (laughter). Pretty random actually.

It's obviously cool to be able to have success in those types of races. But, no, it's all the same. If you're fortunate enough to get it right on that day, it's cool.

Alexander Rossi rides around Thermal during the Open Winter Test in his new colors ride provided by Arrow McLaren with Chevrolet power. Image Credit: Edmund Jenks (2023)

Q. How crucial in INDYCAR, seems like milliseconds separate a gap from first to 10th, is pit selection? This week you're pitting third. Do you have any input? Is there a study behind that?

ALEXANDER ROSSI: Yeah, I mean, it really depends on the track. For example, Long Beach, you want to be towards the front. I assume everyone knows, but if you don't know, it goes in order of qualifying. For example, Felix got to pick first at Long Beach based on Texas, then down the qualifying order.

For Long Beach it's important to be in the front in terms of pit selection just so that when you're leaving to go to practice, qualifying sims, whatever, you have as much clear track in front of you as possible.

For the ovals it's a pretty big advantage to have an open in just because of the way the cross weight is set up, you can carry more speed into the pit box. On a track where we have a lot of cars and a small pit lane, at Mid-Ohio or Toronto, an open in or open out is kind of the preferred choice. You'll see guys, even if they qualify third, they'll choose the 15th box because it's an open in or open out.

Indy is a little bit similar, but there's the added superstition that goes into that. There's metrics that are run on these pit boxes historically have been the most successful. There's really no rhyme or reason to it other than odds. That's kind of what goes into it.

It's a little bit of everything.

Q. You have teammates around you, is there a reason you guys chose between Dixie and Josef?

ALEXANDER ROSSI: No, I mean, I think that was the order of qualifying. It went Felix, Scott, me, Josef, which just shows how important track position is.

Again, track position is that important that we all wanted to be up front. It's the order of qualifying.

Q. What do you put down to your success in Long Beach? Do you think the track suits your driving style or just a track you enjoy?

ALEXANDER ROSSI: I don't know. I don't have an answer for you. I think for me it's always an exciting event there in Laguna. It's a home race in the sense that I'm from California. I always have a lot of friends and family turn out that come. I think everyone kind of gets a little bit of a subconscious boost and a little bit extra motivation. We hear Josef talk all the time about how much he'd love to win Nashville, his home race. That sort of exists.

Beyond that, I've been fortunate to have good cars there and it's a track that suits my driving style. It's pretty medium- to high-speed corners. There's only one and the fountain that are slow-speed corners, so you can make time up from that standpoint.

Yeah, I mean, it's a little bit of everything. If I had an answer for you, I'd probably win every race. I don't think it comes down to just one thing. It's a combination of things that work out ending up to be in your favor.

Q. Do you think traffic is going to be a big issue?

ALEXANDER ROSSI: At this point with the grid size we have, it's an issue every weekend, aside from really Road America or Road America (laughter). That's just the nature of it. It's the same for everyone. You manage it as best you can.

For sure at some point throughout the weekend you're going to get caught up in it. Everyone is. You just hope it's not on a super critical part of the session.

Q. Qualifying is important at almost every race, but it seems like the leader is really favored at Long Beach. Does that make Saturday's qualifications one of the more important ones of the season?

ALEXANDER ROSSI: Yeah, I mean, for sure. I think you're right: every qualifying is very critical, but especially Long Beach because the way it works out, it's a two-stop race, pretty straightforward two-stop race.

There's not many yellows. It's a pretty clean race, historically speaking. The leader doesn't really get hung out by a close pit situation type of thing.

Yeah, I mean, it's very important to start in the top two or three I think if you're going to want to try to win that race.

Q. A couple of the wins you had there, once you were out front, it was smooth sailing. Before you caught the end of the field, did it feel like you were on a qualifying run?

ALEXANDER ROSSI: Yeah, it's an easy two-stop race. Everyone is kind of flat out from the drop of the green. The tire life is usually pretty good there. There's not a whole lot of strategy or saving, like, different fuel. Everyone does the same thing, so you can push pretty hard from the green.

Q. As far as the vibe, it's one of a kind, southern California, fans turn out for it. Celebrities, glitz, glamour. Is it always one of those where you're not only excited about racing but just excited to be there?

ALEXANDER ROSSI: Yeah, 100% right. It's an awesome event. It's one of those ones where you feel kind of like a Super Hero when you get to go do driver introductions. It's annoying sometimes how busy pit lane is, but that's just a testament to the excitement and energy that exists at that track.

It's certainly one that we try and model as many of our street courses after it. I think St. Pete comes close. Nashville comes close. I think Detroit this year is going to be phenomenal.

Yes, the pedigree it has in terms of its history, just the location, all of the extracurricular activities that you can find throughout the weekend just makes it pretty unique.

Q. Next week you switch gears and it's the two-day open test for the Indy 500. How important is it to have everything sorted before you hit the track in May?

ALEXANDER ROSSI: Yeah, it's hugely important. That's a really good time to really understand. Everyone has been working on their speedway cars probably since June 1st of last year. It's such small details that add up to make a really big difference at Indy.

April is a good opportunity for you to get an understanding of what your car is lacking, and also the areas where it's strong. Then you have a couple weeks. It's not much time. You have a couple weeks to really dive into why maybe there's a deficit to a teammate or to another car, whatever, and resolve that.

It's a great test for us as drivers. Great test for the team. Then obviously it's great to get fans out there and start to see cars on track at the greatest track in the world.

Q. You've talked about Long Beach being an easy two-stopper. For you as a driver, it must be better than the fuel-saving races.

ALEXANDER ROSSI: I kind of am of the opinion that we could make Long Beach a little bit longer so you have the two options. Some of our best races are when you have guys on a fuel save two-stop, other guys on a flat-out three-stop race trying to make up that pit lane difference.

It's been this length for a long time. It's put on some great shows. Colton, I think it was '21 or '20, where he started 14th and ended up winning, no yellows to help him.

If you have a strong car, like always in INDYCAR, you can usually have a pretty good result. But yes, in the perfect world we'd probably extend it a little bit, but that's for people that are paid more than me, so we'll leave it to them.

Q. You are in your eighth season of INDYCAR. Is it something you could imagine when you came back from Europe into INDYCAR? Maybe something that surpasses your wildest dreams?

ALEXANDER ROSSI: Yeah, I mean, I certainly didn't realize that I would have the longevity that I've had so far. Obviously very thankful for that. It doesn't feel like eight years, but there you go.

Yeah, I mean, obviously I think it surprised everyone. I talked about it at length. Surprised everyone, including myself, the fact that we were able to do what we did in 2016 at the 500. Yeah, I've been very fortunate to have the amount of time in the series that I have had.

There's still a lot of things left that I'd like to accomplish. That's really all we're focusing on right now.

Q. With the variety of cars that run at Long Beach, how does it impact on how the track rubbers in for the INDYCAR guys?

ALEXANDER ROSSI: Yeah, that's a good question.

Last year was a weird one. They put a sealant down, the city did. The track grip was, like, insane from lap one of practice one. The other running of the other cars didn't really change anything because the grip level started incredibly high anyways. Pole was a new record, crazy fast all weekend.

Usually it's a really beneficial thing because it starts out as a very low grip, green surface, because it hasn't been use as a racetrack in a year. Having all the different stuff, especially IMSA on track, really speeds up the evolution of the track.

I don't know what it's going to be like this year, if that sealant will still have that effect or if it's worn off after California got pummeled with rain for seemingly five months. I don't know. We'll have to see. Usually it's a good thing in terms of getting the cars up to speed.

Q. Looking more towards the month of May, you've come from a team that's run four or five cars at the 500, you mentioned McLaren have geared up to take on your car. Going into Indy with four cars, do you feel the team is in a good position to be able to cope with the number of cars they're now running?

ALEXANDER ROSSI: Yeah, 100%. We have a lot of people, like, a significant amount of people. I don't think that's any concern of anyone.

Obviously numbers aren't everything. You got to make sure that they're the right people in the right positions. I think the team has done a very good job. We have access to a lot of people from the McLaren F1 side of things in terms of testing, so they're very skilled mechanics. I think Tony is in great hands.

Yeah, I don't foresee it being any issue whatsoever.

Q. Since McLaren joined INDYCAR in 2020, I think this is the best car we seen they give to you. How important it is for the sport of the season have this Long Beach race which you actually won twice, how important is it to have the Long Beach Grand Prix as opportunity to get into the championship mix?

ALEXANDER ROSSI: Yeah, I mean, every race is important. But, yes, obviously you highlight the tracks that you've been historically good at, either for yourself or team perspective. It was a missed opportunity for two of the cars in Texas with very fast race cars not ending up getting a result.

I think you're correct in saying that the program that the team has this year and the performance of the cars has been really strong through the first two races. There's no reason to not think that that won't continue.

Yeah, we're excited about Long Beach. We feel very confident in what we have, what we can do there. It's just about hoping a couple things go your way and you can come out of there with a strong result.

Q. How are things with Kyle after the Texas incident?

ALEXANDER ROSSI: I mean, that's a long time ago now. So it's all behind us.

Q. This is the first full season you've been competing against Pato. Now you're in the same team. How impressed are you by his ability and speed? Do you think he's right now the toughest driver to beat in INDYCAR?

ALEXANDER ROSSI: Yeah, I mean, I think everyone's been impressed with Pato since day one that he came into the series. I think his speed was obvious. Obviously he's very exciting to watch from his in-car videos. I think his nickname is the Ninja or whatever.

He's very good. I didn't have to be on his team to realize that. I think the three of us are pushing each other very hard. It's important that we have three cars kind of at the front every single weekend. That's the goal of the team. That's what McLaren as a brand expects and demands from us.

Quite honestly, Pato, you could argue, he maybe should have two wins to start the year. He's done a very, very good job. It's going to be a fun remaining 15 races with him and everyone else.

Everyone at this level is pretty good. I think you can pick 10 guys that are hard to beat every single weekend.

THE MODERATOR: Are you worried about Kanaan and Pato together during the month of May? They're pretty similar, aren't they?

ALEXANDER ROSSI: I don't think anyone's really the same as Pato. He's very unique (smiling).

Yeah, I mean, they're both South American, highly energized and excited about seemingly everything (smiling).

Q. You've driven for the greatest names in all of motorsports. You're considered one of the best race car drivers on the planet. Can you put into words what it means to race for Arrow McLaren?

ALEXANDER ROSSI: First of all, thank you (smiling).

It's amazing. This year is the 60th anniversary of McLaren being founded as a race team. To be able to kind of be a part of that and be in history at one point a part of all of the great drivers that have gotten the opportunity to drive for this brand, it's something very, very special. It's something that I don't take lightly. I take a lot of pride in. It certainly forces all of us that kind of wear (indiscernible) to elevate ourselves on and off the track.

It's an honor, but obviously there's responsibility that comes along with it.

Q. As a race car driver, how do you feel ending a race under caution?

ALEXANDER ROSSI: It's a tough one. I think INDYCAR does races on distance. I think that is an important thing to remember, especially when you're comparing it to other championships. You can't necessarily, because of the circumstance, just change the distance of a race because you want to see a certain finish.

I think INDYCAR in the past has done a really good job at red flagging races when there is enough laps, once the cleanup is over, to kind of go through the restart process, whatever the correct terminology for that is.

For example, at Texas, it was one lap. Even if they red flagged it, there wasn't enough laps left to get the field around and do a restart. That was a tough situation. I think obviously everyone would have liked to see it go green to the finish. Pato would obviously have liked that as well. It wasn't meant to be. That's just racing sometimes.

Q. How are you feeling from the mileage you've done on the new tires? Does the info you get from the tires get shared within the team or do you provide some feedback to the manufacturer, as well?

ALEXANDER ROSSI: So all of the above. At the end of every weekend we kind of have a debrief, every driver and team I believe has a debrief with Firestone, kind of going through the pros and cons of the primary and the alternate, what needs to be adjusted for the future. I think they take that into account, not for 2023, but certainly for 2024.

Yeah, I mean, using the tires in practice, there's usually a pretty big grip increase that comes on the alternate that you got to make an adjustment to the balance of the car so you can't just go out with the same race car, put softer tires on, expect to maximize it. You've got to change something. Usually you're trying to figure out how big the offset needs to be.

I think Firestone has done an amazing job in the sense that we have a sustainable tire that really produces the same level of performance as a non-sustainable tire. I think that was proved in Nashville last year, and that's why we're using them on all the street courses this year. I think it's a huge step for INDYCAR, huge step for Firestone, something we should all be very proud to be a part of.

Q. You have been successful at Long Beach with Andretti. With McLaren, how do you feel with a new team for this weekend?

ALEXANDER ROSSI: We're still learning as we go at this point. Yeah, I mean, I think based on St. Pete, I think based on the fact that I think Felix was in the top six in qualifying last year, their cars are good.

Certainly there is a step we need to make to be as strong as Andretti or Penske I think on the street courses in general. But I think we're close. I think we have just as good of a shot as anyone this weekend.

Q. You've been with Formula 1 before. You know what it's like to travel internationally with a team. How do you feel about INDYCAR going to Argentina and how will it benefit INDYCAR as a whole to go international?

ALEXANDER ROSSI: Yeah, I mean, I think as drivers we all would love to see not only international races but still an expanded calendar, right? I think certainly the interest that exists from Argentina, as you mentioned, obviously from Mexico, makes a very strong case to have races in a place like that.

But there's a lot of factors other than just wanting to do it, right? I actually was talking about this with someone earlier today, talking about adding a race that we used to go to in the States. It's like you can talk and dream and think it's going to be this great idea, but you got to actually go out there and buy tickets, show up. You can't just say it's a great idea.

I think there is momentum building. I think there is an interest that exists that we certainly are looking to exploit, but there's a lot of different factors that go into it.

I look forward to seeing how it goes. But certainly Argentina and Mexico with the interest we've seen there in the past 12 months, it's certainly on the top of the list.

Q. Have you had any sort of change of opinion in terms of pit lane incident in Texas, how that played out? You made it clear you thought it was Kyle's fault.

ALEXANDER ROSSI: No change of opinion. I think hopefully we can, as a series, learn about communication and continuity, just take lessons from it. It's a shame to have situations exist and not really learn anything from it.

It's something that we all talked about at length. At the end of the day it's history now. We just got to make sure going forward everyone is on the same page.

Q. Looking back at St. Pete, there was a couple of incidents where cars were airborne. Going into another street course, do you think the street courses could be widened or changed in any way to avoid situations where cars have nowhere to go but up?

ALEXANDER ROSSI: That's a good question, good observation. Obviously there's airborne cars in Texas, too.

But, yeah, I think racing is dangerous. I think INDYCAR has done a really good job at putting driver safety, team safety at the forefront of what they do.

I think we've all seen the images of - who was the red car - Benjamin, we've seen the images of his car, kind of all the impact marks that went up the aeroscreen.

Everyone, despite the magnitude of that incident, walked away totally fine. I think that just goes to show that these cars are safe and the advancements that we've made have not been for nothing.

But, yeah, racing is always going to have risk to it. That's just a part of life. Everything you do has risk. I think you're always looking at ways to make it safer, but I certainly don't think there's any issues with street courses, and I don't expect that to be a normal thing going forward.

THE MODERATOR: Alex, safe travels.

ALEXANDER ROSSI: Thank you, guys. Appreciate it. We'll see you out there.
[ht: FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports]

Also, in the same years he posted P1 Poles and race wins at Long Beach, 2018 and 2019, Alexander Rossi finished second and third in the championship. 

He won eight races from 2016 but has not won a race since the GALLAGHER GRAND PRIX on Saturday, July 30, 2022. Rossi, with the support from Chevrolet and a new team that has heritage from Formula 1, has the base and place to start anew - all are hoping that a third time at winning Long Beach will be his new Championship lucky charm.

... notes from The EDJE






TAGS: NTT INDYCAR SERIES, Alexander Rossi, Acura Grand Prix Of Long Beach, Arrow McLaren, Chevrolet, The EDJE