Michael Cannon has joined PREMA Racing in the newly created position of “head of engineering.” A.J. Foyt Racing’s former technical director left the team in early November and after meeting with prospective NTT IndyCar Series teams, he’s taken a …
Michael Cannon has joined PREMA Racing in the newly created position of “head of engineering.”
A.J. Foyt Racing’s former technical director left the team in early November and after meeting with prospective NTT IndyCar Series teams, he’s taken a full-time role with the Italian squad ahead of its debut IndyCar season.
After helping to turn Foyt’s team into a front-running organization, Cannon’s acquisition is an important one for the Indianapolis-based team owned and run by Rene Rosin and his partner Angelina Ertsou. Cannon will oversee the engineering efforts for drivers Callum Ilott and rookie Robert Shwartzman.
Prior to Foyt, Cannon’s stint at Chip Ganassi Racing as Scott Dixon’s race engineer produced the 2020 championship — Dixon’s sixth — and earned consecutive Indianapolis 500 pole positions with the New Zealander.
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Between stops at larger teams like Ganassi, Andretti Global and the former Player’s Forsythe Racing, Cannon has had a penchant for working with smaller outfits like HVM Racing, Ed Carpenter Racing during its formative days, Dale Coyne Racing and Foyt — all teams that were accustomed to running behind the bigger programs — where his influence would have a greater impact.
The trend continues at PREMA, which starts its IndyCar journey in March. Cannon’s presence should accelerate the team’s competitiveness beyond previous expectations.
PREMA Racing continues to ramp up its efforts that will bring the NTT IndyCar Series’ newest team to the grid in 2025. The Italian squad owned and run by Rene Rosin and his partner Angelina Ertsou is embarking upon its most ambitious racing program …
PREMA Racing continues to ramp up its efforts that will bring the NTT IndyCar Series’ newest team to the grid in 2025.
The Italian squad owned and run by Rene Rosin and his partner Angelina Ertsou is embarking upon its most ambitious racing program after decades of competing at all levels of European open-wheel racing and is actively preparing to turn its first laps in testing.
“The team is progressing,” Ertsou told RACER. “The assembly is going really, really well. We’re very happy about that, so that’s very positive. The shop is being finalized, and we should be moving in very, very soon now, but we have a provisional space that we are using currently and we’ve obviously already started working on assembling cars and everything, because, as you know, It’s not something you do overnight.
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“That’s been great in terms of staff recruitment. Everything is on schedule. We’re pretty much complete. Maybe a couple of positions left to fill. Pretty much done there. It’s around 40 people.
“It will be more going forward. But we just wanted to secure what we think is a good amount of people to have the two cars operating properly. And then as we move forward, maybe we can increase slightly, but I think we’re looking at a total of 50 around the Indy 500.
“We would have obviously liked to be in the in the shop a bit earlier, but you know how it is with construction; you have to be patient. And we’d rather do it properly than just rush in. W want to build it out the way we planned it from the beginning, so that’s going great.”
With its drivers revealed, PREMA has Callum Ilott in position to lead and mentor fellow PREMA product Robert Schwarzman, and a lot of work in motion to get both drivers and their new Chevrolet-powered cars out and in motion. With everything else going on in the background, the shakedown date and place is a moving target that could fall after the new year arrives.
“We don’t have a specific date yet, but it will depend on, obviously, suppliers, engines, and everything, so it’s not something that we decide on our own,” she said
“But I don’t think it’s going to be in the next month. I think it’s going to be a bit later, but let’s see. We’re going to try our best to do it as early as possible. But obviously, we also don’t want to go out just for the sake of going out. We want to go out when it makes sense. As you know, these test days are limited, so we don’t want to use them in an improper way.”
Ertsou credited IndyCar president Jay Frye, who’s been in regular contact with the team to offer insights and support as it navigates its series debut in 2025.
“The series has been extremely helpful, I have to say,” she said. “And it’s a very open discussion. Every time we have any questions or anything there, they’ve honestly been very supportive. We’re really, really happy to start this new adventure. It’s been great so far, and I have no doubt that it’s going to be super next year.”
PREMA Racing has announced Callum Ilott as its first driver for its debut IndyCar season in 2025. The 25-year-old Brit joins the team off the back of 38 IndyCar starts for Juncos Hollinger Racing and Arrow McLaren, where he has scored a pair of …
PREMA Racing has announced Callum Ilott as its first driver for its debut IndyCar season in 2025. The 25-year-old Brit joins the team off the back of 38 IndyCar starts for Juncos Hollinger Racing and Arrow McLaren, where he has scored a pair of top-five finishes and a further two top-10s.
“It’s an incredible opportunity to experience IndyCar with PREMA, their first steps in the series and in the U.S.,” said Ilott. “What an amazing chance.
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“I love the racing, I love these cars and I love the team, so it’s great to be back to what they call the Italian family home. It’s going to be something special to build off, a lot of hard work but I’m excited to join the team and see what we can do together.”
While the 2025 season will be PREMA’s first in IndyCar, its first driver signing is no stranger to the team. Ilott competed in the 2017 European Formula 3 Championship with PREMA, where he took six wins en route to fourth in the championship. He also raced for the team in that year’s Macau Grand Prix, where he won the qualifying race, before finishing 15th in the main event
“We are absolutely delighted to welcome Callum back with us for this new chapter of our history,” said PREMA owner Rene Rosin. “We had a great time working with him in Formula 3, and we always kept an eye on him after that.
Ilott previously raced for PREMA in the 2017 FIA Formula 3 European Championship. James Gasperotti/Motorsport Images
“He proved to be a great fit for us in the past, and I think he will feel like picking up something he had left off. He proved his outstanding speed skills everywhere he competed. In addition, his prior IndyCar experience will be an invaluable asset. Now that the opportunity to get back together has come, we are determined to make the most out of it.”
After a spell in F1, where he was an Academy driver and subsequently test driver for Ferrari, as well as a reserve for its customer teams Haas and Alfa Romeo – with whom he also participated in three free practice sessions in Austria and Portugal across the 2020 and ’21 seasons, Ilott moved over to IndyCar.
He debuted with Juncos in Portland towards the end of the 2021 season, then spent the following two years with the team, before moving to FIA World Endurance Championship campaign with Hertz Team Jota this year.
Ilott was handed an IndyCar lifeline at the start of this year, however, competing in St. Petersburg and the Indianapolis 500 for McLaren in place of the injured David Malukas.
“We are really looking forward to welcoming Callum to our IndyCar team,” said Prema CEO Piers Phillips. “His previous experiences in the series, combined with those with PREMA, will make him a key asset as we try to merge the team’s European heritage with what it will be able to learn in the U.S.
“We know Callum as a very talented driver, but we can also see how his professionalism has matured in the series. The information and feedback he will be able to share will be extremely important, as much as his impressive racing skills.”
For the briefest of moments, IndyCar’s silly season has hit the pause button. Theo Pourchaire was in and then he was out. Nolan Siegel was looking to 2025 to fully launch his career, but now he’s in. Alexander Rossi is in, but he’ll need to find a …
For the briefest of moments, IndyCar’s silly season has hit the pause button.
Theo Pourchaire was in and then he was out. Nolan Siegel was looking to 2025 to fully launch his career, but now he’s in. Alexander Rossi is in, but he’ll need to find a new home because he’s due to be out in September. David Malukas was out, now he’s in, but only temporarily. And Christian Lundgaard remains in, but he’s headed towards a bigger spotlight.
Despite the temporary break in silliness, don’t let down your guard just yet; there’s plenty of action on the horizon. It’s been a few months since our last installment, so let’s look at where things stand heading into the final eight races.
Among the racers who are in the series and widely known to be unsigned for next year, Arrow McLaren’s Rossi leads the group, due to his experience and track record. Malukas is gaining ground, however, after his starring performances for Meyer Shank Racing at Laguna Seca and Mid-Ohio. Ed Carpenter Racing has the other well-known free agent in Rinus VeeKay, who went through the process last year, came close to leaving, but signed a one-year extension.
Prior to the return by Malukas, I had VeeKay right behind Rossi as the top talent left on the market, but from my calls across the paddock this week, Malukas has moved ahead of VeeKay, and in select instances, in front of Rossi.
Of the existing teams with seats in need of drivers in 2025, it’s Dale Coyne Racing with its Nos. 18 and 51 Hondas, Meyer Shank with the No. 66 Honda currently occupied by Malukas, and Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing with the No. 45 that will be vacated by Arrow McLaren-bound Lundgaard.
Another big player in the silly season is PREMA Racing, which has two new entries on the way next year.
There are other teams that could also be open for business, and some have come as a surprise. Most in that category are pursuing racing’s rarest unicorn — fast and well-funded drivers — and we’ll get to those teams after we work through some of the outside drivers looking in.
Top of the list here is Pourchaire, whose brief foray with Arrow McLaren piqued the interest of numerous team owners. If there’s a downside for the Formula 2 champion, it’s how in many cases, the teams who would love to sign him also have budget shortfalls to resolve. As one team owner said, “Pourchaire, plus money, would be the perfect situation.”
Sadly, the Frenchman isn’t a paying driver, so his options are limited to the few teams who are looking to hire. There’s a handful of other names with those who’ve been in the series this year like Callum Ilott, Toby Sowery and Tristan Vautier, who’ve either been working hard to do more or would welcome a call to continue, but Pourchaire has been the first ‘outsider’ mentioned by team owners within this group. We also have Hunter McElrea, who just completed his first test, and could race for Coyne in the coming weeks.
Of the many who I’ve asked, two IndyCar teams (who did not want to be identified) told me they’ve been contacted by and spoken with a representative for Sargeant, and both said the same thing: The Williams driver is interested in IndyCar or sports cars, and wants to be paid to drive.
Coming off a season-best run to 11th last weekend in Silverstone, Sargeant’s been spoken of in a positive manner by multiple owners. But with so few teams who are sitting on a budget to hire a driver, there are some IndyCar veterans who are more likely to get the nod before Sargeant, which could limit his options.
One recent report had Sargeant on the way to PREMA, but when I asked if they’d signed him, or any other driver, Piers Phillips, the team’s IndyCar CEO, offered a succinct answer of, “No.”
F2 drivers, as they’ve done at an increasing rate this decade, have been active in calling IndyCar team owners. F2 race winner Zane Maloney, who sits third in the F2 standings, is one name to watch, and behind him in fourth, fellow winner Gabriel Bortoleto is another prospect whose name I’ve heard in relation to chasing an IndyCar ride. It would be a surprise if they were the only two from F2 who are hunting for IndyCar seats.
On the American open-wheel ladder, there’s no lack of talent in search of an IndyCar home. Indy NXT championship leader Louis Foster and second-place Jacob Abel will be ready to graduate at the end of the season, and among the NXT drivers behind them who are in their second year (or more) in the series, Reece Gold, Jamie Chadwick, James Roe and Josh Pierson are on the clock to try and step up to IndyCar, return and make another run at winning the NXT title, or look to IMSA or another form of racing to continue their careers.
There’s one major item to consider before we run through the remaining teams, and it’s the sheer volume of drivers hoping to land on the grid.
Take the big group from NXT, add them to the F1/F2 drivers that we know of, plus those we don’t, and those already in or around IndyCar, and it’s a numbers game that will leave most on the sidelines when we get to the championship-opener in March. But the pool of options could widen beyond the six vacancies Coyne, Meyer Shank, PREMA and Rahal Letterman Lanigan could have.
A.J. Foyt Racing has been a revelation this year with its No. 14 Chevy driven by Santino Ferrucci. No team has authored a bigger turnaround than Foyt, which entered into a new technical alliance with Team Penske last summer and has Ferrucci holding 13th in the standings — just eight points behind Lundgaard — after nine races, eight of which were road and street courses.
And now, with ovals dominating the rest of the calendar where Ferrucci and Penske cars tend to thrive, there’s a great chance for the No. 14 to creep towards the top 10 before the season finale. His teammate, Sting Ray Robb, is last in the standings — 23rd — among those who’ve contested every race.
According to team president Larry Foyt, the duo aren’t signed beyond 2024, which means change is possible. In light of the team’s newfound pace, it has commanded a lot of interest from other drivers.
“I’m talking to both of my guys,” Foyt told RACER. “I think they both have interest in staying and I’m working on that. But nothing is confirmed yet.”
Ed Carpenter Racing is happy with Christian Rasmussen’s progress but is still mulling options, while Rahal Letterman Lanigan has a preferred option but nothing finalized to fill Christian Lundgaard’s No. 45. Phillip Abbott/Motorsport Images
Ed Carpenter is in the same position with his duo of VeeKay and Christian Rasmussen, who at Mid-Ohio generated the best qualifying performance and race result of his rookie campaign.
“We’re working through all that as we go, and keeping an eye on what’s going on,” said Carpenter, who also confirmed he’ll be returning to the ovals next year. “We definitely like both guys that we have, but we’ve yet to make a final decision or get anything fully done with either of them. We’re going through all the scenarios and making sure we’re where we need to be on the back end of everything before we pull the trigger on exactly what we’re doing. It’s definitely an interesting driver market.”
Juncos Hollinger Racing welcomed Romain Grosjean to the team this season to join sophomore Agustin Canapino. Grosjean made Juncos Hollinger a contender for its first IndyCar podium at Laguna Seca and came close with a team-best of fourth since it debuted in 2017.
Despite its competitive flashes with Grosjean, the team has struggled to find sponsors to support the program. And with Canapino one spot ahead of Robb at the rear of the championship, Juncos Hollinger is another team that isn’t guaranteed to look the same when it returns in 2025.
“We don’t know. We have it all open,” said co-owner Ricardo Juncos, who confirmed they’ll remain at two cars. “The agreements are all options, and all depending on budget. So we’re working really hard to try to identify how much budget we have for next year, and based on that, the choice of the drivers.
“If we can, I can choose the driver I want. If not, sometimes we need some help from the drivers. That’s the way it is. So I don’t know at the moment. It’s little bit too early to see, so I don’t know if we stay the same or not, to be honest.”
Felix Rosenqvist is in the first of a multi-year deal with the team owned by Mike Shank and Jim Meyer, which leaves the increasingly coveted second entry and his future teammate as the key seat to lock down. Keeping Malukas would appear to be the smartest decision, but Meyer Shank is not his only suitor.
Prior to his return, Malukas was a giant question mark due to his wrist injury and also because of the incomplete picture of his capabilities while learning at Coyne. Cue Meyer Shank parking Tom Blomqvist and the oval-heavy schedule to close the season, and Malukas became a perfect no-risk substitute to help get the No. 66 Honda into Leaders Circle contention before searching for a full-time replacement.
And then Malukas made it plain for all to see at Laguna and again at Mid-Ohio that he’s worthy of the paddock’s attention, along with being invited to stay at Meyer Shank for years to come. There’s also no shortage of drivers who would love to take the No. 66 from Malukas, so decisions are looming on both sides.
“We’re way happy with him,” Shank said. “We’ve given ourselves a timetable until after Toronto, so we just want to get next two weeks in the books, and then we’ll see where we’re at.”
Bobby Rahal told us recently that he’s keen on elevating Rahal Letterman Lanigan reserve driver Juri Vips to replace Lundgaard in the No. 45 Honda, but stopped short of saying it was going to happen. And Rahal Letterman Lanigan could have a second opening.
Young IndyCar veteran and Rahal Letterman Lanigan newcomer Pietro Fittipaldi is 20th in the championship with the No. 30 Honda, and from a June interview, Rahal said, “I really can’t tell you exactly what it will look like yet; obviously we like Pietro and we hope he stays. But yes, there’s too many butts, too few seats at this stage.”
Circling back to the main free agents, where might we find Rossi in 2025? Depending on the day, I’ve been told it’s Ganassi — which has been telling free agents it has no openings — or Rahal Letterman Lanigan, or Carpenter, or PREMA. Coyne and Meyer Shank are the only teams I haven’t heard Rossi’s name associated with in a serious manner.
For Malukas, it’s Meyer Shank, Rahal Letterman Lanigan and PREMA, and I’ve heard the same three for VeeKay, as well.
Take the Pourchaires, Fosters, Sargeants, Maloneys, Abels and the rest, run them through the four primary teams in need at Coyne, Meyer Shank, PREMA, and Rahal Letterman Lanigan, then add the possibilities that could emerge at Carpenter, Foyt, and Juncos Hollinger, and there’s a lot of business left to take place before the silly season is over.
PREMA Racing has yet to enter an IndyCar Series race, but that hasn’t stopped the Italian team from trying to secure its future in the American open-wheel series. RACER has learned the Formula 2 and European junior series organization owned by Rene …
PREMA Racing has yet to enter an IndyCar Series race, but that hasn’t stopped the Italian team from trying to secure its future in the American open-wheel series.
RACER has learned the Formula 2 and European junior series organization owned by Rene Roisin and managed by Angelina Ertsou has made outreaches to multiple teams to inquire if they would be willing to sell their future charters to PREMA.
Expected to be launched later this month, IndyCar plans to issue 25 charters to its existing teams that would, among the perks, provide guaranteed starting positions at most races, barring the Indianapolis 500, and grant those 25 entries — the 25 charter cars invited into the club — the exclusive ability to earn a $1 million annual stipend from Penske Entertainment if they place inside the top 22 in the entrants’ championship.
Penske Entertainment also intends to place a 27-car cap on its starting grid at the majority of its races, which would thrust PREMA’s new two-car Chevrolet-powered team into a fight to qualify for and take part in those events. At 27 full-time cars in 2024, and a strong likelihood of that number carrying over into 2025, PREMA would be the 28th and 29th entries, leaving its pair and Chip Ganassi Racing’s two newest entries to vie for the 26th and 27th starting spots on a regular basis.
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Without charters, PREMA will face an uphill battle to out-qualify the reigning, 11-time IndyCar champions at Ganassi, and as such, PREMA IndyCar CEO Piers Phillips has been busy trying to find a seller once charters are issued.
“Well, that’s certainly not untrue,” Phillips told RACER. “As you would imagine, since the announcement, myself and Rene have just been assessing those situations. It would be remiss of us to not turn over every stone and just see what the opportunities are. But those conversations have been short. At the moment, we’re just literally evaluating to see where everybody sits.
“I think there’s a window of change coming over the next few years in a positive way with what Roger [Penske] has done through Penske Entertainment, how they’ve stabilized the championship and how the championship’s grown. I can see a significant change in the level of IndyCar both off track and on track. And it’s my job to make sure that where we’re on the engine leaving the station, not trying to jump on the last carriage once it’s gone.”
PREMA is rumored to have offered $1 million per charter, which would serve as the first known attempt to place a transactional value on the memberships to the club. One team owner who received an inquiry and offer, and asked not to be identified, felt the number needed to be 10 times what was proposed, at a minimum.
Phillips says PREMA’s IndyCar announcement has led to an overwhelming response from those in the industry who want to be part of the program.
“I think in the first 10 days, I had over 5000 messages, whether it was emails, text messages, LinkedIn; it was ridiculous,” he added.
Some IndyCar teams have privately expressed frustration at PREMA’s efforts to recruit within the paddock, but Phillips pushed back at those allegations.
“I can tell you categorically, my moral compass points north and I wouldn’t do that to anybody else,” he said. “We’ve had interest globally, not just from IndyCar, but from F1, F2, from NASCAR, from LMDH, from all sorts of engineering companies. We don’t need to be reaching out to people. As you can imagine a lot of the contacts we’ve received, you swipe left because they’re not going to bring the energy that I want to the organization. But we haven’t reached out to any personnel at any team, I can assure you that, 100 percent.
“And quite honestly, I think if you look at the teams currently, and you look at the insecurity and the panic of organizations, making people sign non-compete [clauses] and giving people bonuses to keep them within the organization, I think that shows a massive insecurity. You should make your team and your culture a place where people want to walk through the door on a Monday morning and go and be part of that organization. That’s how we’re going to do things at PREMA. We’re going to do it differently from what I would consider the norm in IndyCar.”
Phillips closed on drivers, with the newly-available David Malukas joining other high-profile IndyCar free agents like Alexander Rossi from Arrow McLaren — a team Phillips once led — to Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing’s Christian Lundgaard — a driver he brought over from F2 — to Ed Carpenter Racing’s Rinus VeeKay all sitting among the options for PREMA to consider.
“I think maybe half the IndyCar field has reached out to us, whether it’s about next year or future years, which is flattering,” he said. “But since the launch until yesterday, Rene and I hadn’t really discussed anything further regarding drivers. We’re looking at the market to see who’s available. Like with team personnel, is it the right fit or isn’t it?
“You’ve got to look at if you’re bringing in experience, and is it the right experience, because we’ve all seen it before with drivers that come in and don’t necessarily have what’s required in terms of leadership to galvanize the engineering. Every day the list gets longer and longer and longer, and Rene is dealing with that currently, because I’ve got enough on my plate, putting the nuts and bolts of the team together.”
