The second half of the IndyCar Wrap-Ups begin with a team we are used to being one of the last posted, but after the way results fell, Andretti Autosport gets reviewed a little earlier this offseason. Despite adding one of the most exciting drivers from the 2021 season, Andretti Autosport regressed and arguably IndyCar's "Big Three" has shrunk to the "Big Two,” Andretti Autosport excluded.
Alexander Rossi
With his contract on everyone's mind, Rossi was looking for a turnaround in the 2022 season. After two full seasons without a victory, Rossi was looking to reestablish himself as one the top drivers in the series with Andretti Autosport. The spark didn't quite happen and it was another sluggish start. There was a rise in form but the future was already decided. There was a high point, but time had run its course and 2022 would mark the end to this chapter.
What objectively was his best race?
Rossi got his first victory in over three years when he crossed the line first in the July Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course race. Rossi took advantage of teammate Colton Herta retiring from the race due to a gearbox failure after Herta ran over the curbs. Rossi led the final 44 laps and took victory in relative comfort.
What subjectively was his best race?
With his contract on everyone's mind, Rossi was looking for a turnaround in the 2022 season. After two full seasons without a victory, Rossi was looking to reestablish himself as one the top drivers in the series with Andretti Autosport. The spark didn't quite happen and it was another sluggish start. There was a rise in form but the future was already decided. There was a high point, but time had run its course and 2022 would mark the end to this chapter.
What objectively was his best race?
Rossi got his first victory in over three years when he crossed the line first in the July Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course race. Rossi took advantage of teammate Colton Herta retiring from the race due to a gearbox failure after Herta ran over the curbs. Rossi led the final 44 laps and took victory in relative comfort.
What subjectively was his best race?
It was his second place finish in the Belle Isle race. Rossi started 11th but committed to a three-stop strategy early. He was one of the fastest cars on the track, but Will Power had equal pace on a two-stop strategy. Rossi was able to run harder in the final stint of the race and he chased down Power, but Rossi was only able to get within a second of Power at the time of the checkered flag.
What objectively was his worst race?
Rossi had electrical issues 11 laps into the Texas race and we never got to see what he could do in this race. This classified Rossi in 27th.
What subjectively was his worst race?
Every Andretti Autosport driver will have the same answer. It is Mid-Ohio. Rossi and teammate Romain Grosjean got together while running in the top ten. Andretti Autosport was set to have three cars in the top ten in. Then it had none. It was a massive failure for the team.
Toronto deserves a mention because Rossi was competing for a podium finish before running side-by-side with Felix Rosenqvist and Rosenqvist's car step out into Rossi's car, knocking Rossi into the turn four wall. Rossi was also lost for the entire Iowa weekend.
Alexander Rossi's 2022 Statistics
Championship Position: 9th (381 points)
Wins: 1
Podiums: 3
Top Fives: 5
Top Tens: 8
Laps Led: 70
Poles: 1
Fast Sixes: 6
Fast Twelves: 9
Average Start: 10.588
Average Finish: 12.059
Colton Herta
What objectively was his worst race?
Thirtieth in the Indianapolis 500 after Herta had an accident in Carb Day that saw the car somersault between turns one and two. The backup car was not even close to adequate for Indianapolis Motor Speedway and Herta was just treading water the entire race and off the lead lap early. He ended up running 129 laps before retiring due to a throttle issue.
What subjectively was his worst race?
The most-hyped driver in IndyCar had much attention on him entering the 2022 season. With Formula One teams expressing interest and even Andretti Autosport looking to join the Formula One grid, Herta had to get results this year as Super License points were at a premium. The goal was third or better in the championship. The speed was there, but it didn't always translate into results and consistency was difficult to find. Based on the expectations set, this was a disappointing season.
What objectively was his best race?
Herta drove an incredible race in the Grand Prix of Indianapolis, switching to the slick tires the earliest and performing a master-class in car control on a drying track. This included an incredible save in turns eight and nine that led to Herta taking the lead and never really looking back.
What objectively was his best race?
Herta drove an incredible race in the Grand Prix of Indianapolis, switching to the slick tires the earliest and performing a master-class in car control on a drying track. This included an incredible save in turns eight and nine that led to Herta taking the lead and never really looking back.
The only thing that was going to stop Herta on that day was an untimely caution. He avoided all the trouble while nearly everyone else in the field had contact, a spun or an off-track excursion. It was a phenomenal drive from Herta.
What subjectively was his best race?
What subjectively was his best race?
It is hard to go against the Grand Prix of Indianapolis, but the July IMS road course race saw Herta go from ninth to first in eight laps with no crazy weather or strategy. There wasn't a massive accident that took out six cars in front of Herta. He was making passes on each lap in the opening stint and we looked set for another Herta victory.
He led 17 of the first 42 laps before clipping the curbs broke his gearbox and ended his race just prior to the halfway point. It was crushing to see Herta end up in 24th when he likely would have won this race.
Nashville deserves a mention because Herta got into the barrier after contact with Dalton Kellett after starting 23rd, and he recovered mostly as the rest of the field took itself out for a fifth-place finish.
What objectively was his worst race?
Thirtieth in the Indianapolis 500 after Herta had an accident in Carb Day that saw the car somersault between turns one and two. The backup car was not even close to adequate for Indianapolis Motor Speedway and Herta was just treading water the entire race and off the lead lap early. He ended up running 129 laps before retiring due to a throttle issue.
What subjectively was his worst race?
It is Mid-Ohio because Herta was in the running for a podium finish. He could have pushed Scott McLaughlin for the victory, but Herta's team did not call him to the pit lane when Tatiana Calderón stopped on course. The rest of the lead lap cars did. Herta didn't. The team had about ten laps until he had to stop. He didn't come in under caution hoping to open a gap. It was working and then Grosjean and Rossi got together in the keyhole to bring out a caution. Now Herta hd to pit under caution. He lost positions. Grosjean then spun Herta and Herta finished 15th.
Long Beach should be mentioned because Herta lost time through the first pit cycle, dropped to third, and then he overdrove the car and got into the barrier in turn nine on corner exit, killing what would have been at worst a third-place finish.
Colton Herta's 2022 Statistics
Championship Position: 10th (381 points)
Wins: 1
Podiums: 2
Top Fives: 5
Championship Position: 10th (381 points)
Wins: 1
Podiums: 2
Top Fives: 5
Top Tens: 8
Laps Led: 119
Poles: 2
Laps Led: 119
Poles: 2
Fast Sixes: 4
Fast Twelves: 9
Average Start: 10.647
Average Finish: 11.941
Fast Twelves: 9
Average Start: 10.647
Average Finish: 11.941
Romain Grosjean
One of the most thrilling drivers of the 2021 season, Grosjean moved from Dale Coyne Racing to Andretti Autosport as he became a full-time driver in IndyCar. With Grosjean added, Andretti Autosport constructed a promising trio that could contest with any other driver combinations on paper. Unfortunately, the races aren't run on paper. There were good days, but they never matched what we saw the year before from the Frenchman.
What objectively was his best race?
It was the runner-up result at Long Beach where Grosjean was pushing Josef Newgarden until the checkered flag. The late cautions gave Grosjean multiple attempts to make up positions. He did. He gave Newgarden a scare but could only finish second.
What subjectively was his best race?
What objectively was his worst race?
The Indianapolis 500, where he spun after 105 laps in turn two and ended up classified in 31st. Grosjean had been one of Andretti Autosport's best drivers for the entire month of May, but the race pace didn't transfer over from qualifying.
What subjectively was his worst race?
What objectively was his best race?
It was the runner-up result at Long Beach where Grosjean was pushing Josef Newgarden until the checkered flag. The late cautions gave Grosjean multiple attempts to make up positions. He did. He gave Newgarden a scare but could only finish second.
What subjectively was his best race?
It is probably Long Beach, but Grosjean looked really good at Road America after not making it out of the second round of qualifying by a hair. That was the last race this season Grosjean looked capable of winning a race until Laguna Seca, where Grosjean had good speed but ended up falling to seventh.
What objectively was his worst race?
The Indianapolis 500, where he spun after 105 laps in turn two and ended up classified in 31st. Grosjean had been one of Andretti Autosport's best drivers for the entire month of May, but the race pace didn't transfer over from qualifying.
What subjectively was his worst race?
Mid-Ohio because he and Rossi got together and then spun Herta when Herta had a chance to at least recover and make up some positions. The worst part of Grosjean's season is he was stagnant to last year. He led three laps all season. He had one podium finish. There were plenty of bad stretches for Grosjean where you looked up and wondered how he was running 14th. He was further from a victory this year with Andretti Autosport than he was with Dale Coyne Racing last year.
Romain Grosjean's 2022 Statistics
Championship Position: 13th (328 points)
Wins: 0
Podiums: 1
Top Fives: 3
Top Tens: 6
Laps Led: 3
Poles: 0
Fast Sixes: 4
Fast Twelves: 10
Average Start: 10.471
Average Finish: 13.076
Championship Position: 13th (328 points)
Wins: 0
Podiums: 1
Top Fives: 3
Top Tens: 6
Laps Led: 3
Poles: 0
Fast Sixes: 4
Fast Twelves: 10
Average Start: 10.471
Average Finish: 13.076
Devlin DeFrancesco
What objectively was his worst race?
DeFrancesco was 25th at Long Beach after he hit the turn nine barrier after making a pit stop.
What subjectively was his worst race?
A new driver to the IndyCar grid, DeFrancesco moved up from Indy Lights after rather pedestrian results. No victories and only two podium finishes, DeFrancesco did not scream IndyCar talent, but he was on the grid and with one of the best teams. The results were at the level expected, but there was some improvement over the course of the season.
What objectively was his best race?
A 12th-place finish at Gateway.
What subjectively was his best race?
What objectively was his best race?
A 12th-place finish at Gateway.
What subjectively was his best race?
It is Gateway. DeFrancesco was running with the rest of the Andretti drivers for most of this race. He looked better than Alexander Rossi for part of it. Iowa was the same. DeFrancesco was better than Rossi in both races, but only got the better finish in one of them.
What objectively was his worst race?
DeFrancesco was 25th at Long Beach after he hit the turn nine barrier after making a pit stop.
What subjectively was his worst race?
Mid-Ohio is DeFrancesco's subjectively worst race because he and Rossi got together when neither driver should have been that aggressive. DeFrancesco also had his hand in three accident at Texas, ending the race of Takuma Sato and Kyle Kirkwood and he had a boneheaded move take out himself, Graham Rahal and Hélio Castroneves. Texas was worse than Mid-Ohio for DeFrancesco but DeFrancesco could have at least the bright spot for Andretti Autosport at Mid-Ohio and even he stumbled in that race.
Devlin DeFrancesco's 2022 Statistics
Championship Position: 23rd (206 points)
Wins: 0
Podiums: 0
Top Fives: 0
Top Tens: 0
Laps Led: 1
Poles: 0
Fast Sixes: 0
Fast Twelves: 1
Average Start: 19.059
Average Finish: 18.412
Championship Position: 23rd (206 points)
Wins: 0
Podiums: 0
Top Fives: 0
Top Tens: 0
Laps Led: 1
Poles: 0
Fast Sixes: 0
Fast Twelves: 1
Average Start: 19.059
Average Finish: 18.412
An Early Look Ahead
This is a team with an identity crisis.
Its lead driver is a 22-year-old. That should never be the case unless it is a single-car team. Even worse is everyone is trying to kick Herta out of the team and send him to Formula One. Then where is Andretti Autosport going?
It is Herta, who everyone is preparing to leave IndyCar, Grosjean, who had a disappointing season in 2022 and never looked like the strongest Andretti driver at any point this season, Kyle Kirkwood, who is moving over from A.J. Foyt Racing but who might be scarred and for the most of 2022 couldn't keep the car on the track and DeFrancesco, who made improvements but is still fighting to break the top fifteen at best.
Your 2023 Andretti Autosport lineup, ladies and gentlemen.
Did you know Herta was third in the 2020 IndyCar championship standings? Yeah, surprising he was that good two years ago.
After the last few seasons it is hard to imagine Andretti getting its house in order and contending for a championship and this was once one of the "Big Three," one of the three teams you always expect to have at least one championship contender. Herta has the talent but the pieces around him just don't add up to this being a driver anyone should worry about. It hasn't helped that Herta is prone to making mistakes and taking himself out of race. Add poor strategy and he is getting screwed in two fashions.
Andretti Autosport has diminished to a team that can click on one or two days but cannot put together a full season. They are barely any better than Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing and Ed Carpenter Racing at the moment. The biggest issue for the team is it can show the pace in practice and qualifying but then have the race fall apart. Until it overcomes that it will have to settle for one or two victories a year and about eight other results wondering where it went wrong.
The toughest thing projecting this team's future is I don't see the direction it is heading. It once was a team that at least had Tony Kanaan or Ryan Hunter-Reay and it looked to be set for a future with Alexander Rossi and Colton Herta. Now Rossi is gone and with Herta in limbo I am not sure what five years out looks like for this team. If Grosjean doesn't improve I could see the pressure being on him, and he could decide to walk. Kirkwood has to look halfway competent in 2023 to have any hope he could be the future and DeFrancesco isn't the caliber driver to build around.
My fear is Andretti Autosport has become spread too thin with its interest in Formula One combined with the Formula E program and let's not forget the LMP3 program in IMSA with interest of getting involved in LMDh. As Andretti Autosport spreads its tentacles we see the IndyCar program getting worse. How low do the results have to be before team management takes serious notice?
When Grosjean joined the team, everyone agreed it was a step up from Dale Coyne Racing, but after seeing the last two seasons, will other drivers consider such a move as upward? That is a crazy question to be asking as Andretti Autosport has five Indianapolis 500 victories and though it has been over a decade since its most recent championship, it is still one of only three teams to win the championship in the last 20 seasons.
There has to be a significant improve for Andretti Autosport in 2023. This group cannot fall into the vast middle that exists in IndyCar. It was long held as one of the best groups in the series. Next year it must get back on track to rejoin that top tier.
