Currently leading the championship, there’s no reasonable argument to be made that Ericsson isn’t worthy of being hired. But it’s also hard to find an example where a funded driver like Ericsson became a winning driver, had their team re-imagine them as someone to sign like any other top driver, and placed them into a seat that’s fully subsidized.
That’s why Ericsson’s situation is so complex in comparison to any other free agent. I’m also left to wonder if Ericsson’s odds of being hired in 2024 are better at a team that has never viewed him as a source of income. For an Andretti, MSR, RLL, or whomever, he’s just a proven winner and contender to pursue like any other elite talent.
So, will another team sign Ericsson away? Will Ganassi find sponsors to keep him in the No. 8 car? Or could they redirect him to the No. 10 car and avoid the sponsor hunt? If he keeps performing at this level, he could easily leapfrog Ilott at the top of the list, so stay tuned.
FELIX ROSENQVIST
Next on the list is Arrow McLaren’s Rosenqvist, and like his countryman Ericsson, there’s another interesting twist to consider with the rapid Swede.
Associated with the notion of Arrow McLaren growing from three to four full-time entries next year, Rosenqvist has been mentioned as a candidate if he can get back into the win column and land on the podium on a regular basis.
Ganassi’s Alex Palou is joining Arrow McLaren next year as teammate to O’Ward and Rossi, and we’ve expected Palou’s place in the team to come at the expense of Rosenqvist, but it sounds like the door might not be fully closed if he can deliver big results.
And as much as I love that narrative, I’m not completely sold on Rosenqvist being the key to whether Arrow McLaren would push out to four full-time entries.
Knowing how successful McLaren has been in filling its three entries with sponsors, growing to four cars — with or without Rosenqvist — could be in the best business interest of the team as having a fourth entry would present new commercial opportunities for the team to forge. If he can score some wins and inspire the team to add another car, it would be awesome. But I don’t see him as the deciding factor here. If an Ilott can be acquired, or someone like Mick Schumacher, who’s said to have an eye on IndyCar, opts to reroute himself to America, I think the decision on doing four cars becomes a simpler one to make.
If this turns out to be Rosenqvist’s last season with Arrow McLaren, I don’t think he’ll be on the market for long as he’s held in high regard by many teams. If Juncos Hollinger loses Ilott, Rosenqvist’s a perfect choice. He’d be a strong addition if MSR has availability, and if Andretti misses out on its initial targets, he’s certainly worth a look.
DAVID MALUKAS
After Rosenqvist, Dale Coyne Racing with HMD Motorsports’ Malukas was cited by a few in the group as a talent worth considering, and he’s facing a few options as the second IndyCar contract of his young career is looming on the horizon.
Staying with DCR is certainly an option, and his father Henry Malukas — the HM in HMD and owner of the successful Henry Malukas Drivers trucking and transportation business — has expressed serious interest in starting his own IndyCar team. HMD recently bought a former supermarket and is retrofitting it to house its nine-car Indy NXT team in Brownsburg, Ind., and it would be more than capable of housing an IndyCar effort.
For Malukas, it’s three directions to choose from: Stick with DCR, change to an existing team, or lead a new HMD team, if it materializes. He’ll be ready to graduate DCR by the end of the year, so I have a feeling Malukas will be in a place where he’s ready for a step up to a bigger challenge in 2024. But what might that look like? He’d be a good fit for Ganassi’s culture and need for funding. It was only once or twice, but he was also listed as someone Andretti and RLL might want to evaluate.
His name might not be first on the list, but Malukas is guaranteed to be a factor in the free agent market.
GRAHAM RAHAL
Possibly the sneakiest entry here is the 17-year veteran whose contract with RLL is up for renewal. Rahal, who received one mention, will always have a home at the family-owned team and there’s no doubt he can stay there for the rest of his life. But as he heads into the twilight of his career, there’s been talk of whether he should close the driving chapter at RLL or with a more competitive team.
With his series-leading ability to attract sponsors and record of placing fourth and fifth in the championship when RLL was at its competitive peak, the 34-year-old would be a fascinating player at Ganassi, where he drove from 2011-12 and placed ninth and 10th in the standings. If it’s an upgrade to his current station, any team with a seat to spare would be wise to ring
The best situation for Rahal would be for RLL to find its missing consistency in the speed department across all of its entries. In a perfect world, there would be no reason for Rahal to look elsewhere, but with a finite number of years left to drive, he’ll need to weigh the pros and cons of moving on or remaining patient through the team’s ongoing rebuilding efforts.
LINUS LUNDQVIST
The 2022 Indy Lights champion has piqued some interest, according to those I spoke with, and while Lundqvist isn’t as high on the list as I would hope, he’s been associated with a few midfield teams like MSR and RLL as a contender among the higher profile candidates.
OLIVER ASKEW
The 2019 Indy Lights title winner and former McLaren, ECR, and RLL racer spent 2022 as an Andretti Autosport Formula E driver and has had his name spoken by two teams as being on their radar for next season. It’s never easy to find your way back into a series like IndyCar with a full-time drive, so the odds aren’t necessarily in Askew’s favor, but some believe he’s a more polished gem as a result of going through the adversity he faced a few years ago.
The names towards the top of the paddock’s list are being pursued by many of the same teams. Everybody can’t win the same sweepstakes, which could move someone like Askew into the frame for an evaluation test, at minimum, and possibly more.
PARTING SHOT
Stretching out to 28 or 29 entries for 2024 seems optimistic at this stage of the season, but not completely impossible. Between HMD, Ganassi and McLaren, and the potential of new Indy 500 entrant Abel Motorsports, not to mention the ongoing desire for Cusick Motorsports to expand beyond Indy and Paretta Autosport’s goal of becoming a more regular presence on the grid, the team side is sufficiently healthy for the series in the coming years.
Factor in the roster of drivers chosen by my panel as the primary free agents, plus those who weren’t selected, and there’s a ton of business to be done over the next seven or eight months. Grosjean is merely the first domino to fall…