Here is the rundown of what got me thinking...
The perfect season is over! Iker Lecuona won the first race of the World Superbike weekend from Donington Park. Don't worry, Nicolò Bulega won the other two races of the weekend. There is no good reason why IMSA and the FIA World Endurance Championship should be racing at the same time on the same size of the world. Sunday night is not a great night for racing, especially when it isn't a holiday weekend. More should be done for the standalone weekends for NASCAR's lower series. MotoGP had its final race before its summer break. Marco Bezzecchi's rotten summer continued with an injury in qualifying ending his weekend in Germany. The news we expected came on Monday. It drew some attention, even if it fooled a few. Let's be careful how we talk about it.
It's Historic, But Let's Not Be Hyperbolic
This might be the last we speak of Scott Dixon's departure from Chip Ganassi Racing to Arrow McLaren for the rest of the season. Last Monday afternoon, McLaren confirmed what everyone was already saying. Dixon, along with Felix Rosenqvist, will join McLaren for the 2027 season with Christian Lundgaard and Nolan Siegel released from the team at this season's end.
We covered some of the surprise last week when it was inevitable and inevitable turned out to be only a few hours away. Now it is official. It is no long speculative even if we knew it was happening. It is still stunning a week later, and it is something we haven't seen before. When has a driver of this magnitude made a switch in IndyCar?
Will Power left Team Penske at the end of last season for Andretti Global. That was a notable change, but Scott Dixon is a level above that. This is a six-time champion, a winner of 59 races. Dixon started his career at PacWest Racing, but he has spent nearly a quarter-century at Chip Ganassi Racing. He dates back to racing with Ganassi in CART! There are no other full-time drivers on the grid who can say they raced in a CART-sanctioned event, and the only part-time driver who can say that is Ryan Hunter-Reay, who coincidentally will be Dixon's teammate next year at Indianapolis.
It is still a change that you cannot wrap your head around. It is historic, but let's not be hyperbolic.
Is it the biggest move in IndyCar since Nigel Mansell left Formula One to join Newman-Haas Racing?
That feels like a bit much. It could be true. Dixon won six championships with Ganassi. Together they became people of consequence in IndyCar history and both lifted each other up the history book, but there is a magnitude that is missing.
Dixon's move matters in IndyCar circles. No one who isn't already watching cares. It isn't changing their lives. It isn't drawing their attention. Dixon changing teams isn't going to make them interested. They already weren't interested. Mansell's move shook the motorsports world in a literal sense. It got people's attention on the other side of the Atlantic. Atlanta, Georgia has no idea who Scott Dixon was driving for to begin with.
The historic nature of the move also cannot be quantified until after it has happened because while the change itself is noteworthy, it doesn't really matter unless it is successful. If Dixon goes to McLaren, doesn't win races, and has his worst seasons of his career, we aren't going to be celebrating this change, nor will we be calling it historic, at least not for the right reasons.
For all the times you can list Tom Brady going to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Lionel Messi going to Inter Miami, the key distinction is they won. Many don't win. Willie Mays made his final out as a New York Met. Johnny Unitas ended playing for the San Diego Chargers. Do I need to mention Michael Jordan playing for the Washington Wizards? Nobody talks about Michael Schumacher's days at Mercedes.
We will not know until probably the end of 2028 or end of 2029 where Dixon falls, but there is a chance we will look back upon this decision and not think of it as something glorious. It could be a stain, greater than a blemish. It wouldn't change much about Dixon's legacy the same way Schumacher's Mercedes years didn't take much away from his success in Formula One. We definitely look at that period differently.
Schumacher spent three seasons at Mercedes, granted it was after a three-year absence from all competition let alone just Formula One. At Mercedes, he had one podium finish after winning 91 times over 15 full seasons for Formula One. His best championship finish was eighth. We were surprised when he returned to competition. No one looks back on those Mercedes days with any fondness. They aren't quite forgotten, but in no way are they celebrated.
Dixon is currently in his worst form in 21 years. His worst form is still ninth in the championship with seven races to run, but he has only one podium finish this season. He has failed to crack the top ten in the last five races. His most recent victory was rather flukey when Álex Palou ran off the track last season at Mid-Ohio with a seemingly insurmountable lead only for that mistake to allow Dixon to skate on through with a handful of laps remaining. Dixon hasn't won a pole position in five years, hasn't won a pole position on a road or street course in nearly ten years, and he hasn't started on a front row in over three years. Nothing suggests this is a driver McLaren should hire to improve its organization.
It is more an attention-seeking power trip. McLaren has bought a name, one that comes with accolades it can associate with, even if none of them belong to the McLaren organization. It is going for the surface level and not considering what success is below that.
Dixon's success cannot be denied, but with how results have come this year and how things have been trending, it is fair to at least question what we could possibly see out of Scott Dixon next season. He is about to turn 46 years old in less than two weeks. Not many drivers have hung around that long. Even fewer have had a morsel of success.
Our view of this team change depends on what comes next. If he wins early, it will look like the right move, especially if he wins a big race, i.e. the Indianapolis 500. If he isn't winning, and if he isn't more competitive, and if that #9 Ganassi entry is finishing ahead of him, then we will all be saying Dixon made a mistake. It will not be listed with Brady or Messi if Dixon is average. We might end up trying to forget it all together, Dixon and McLaren included.
There is time until we get to that point. In the present, we should at least keep proper perspective over Dixon's move. It is historic, that cannot be denied, but to believe it is monumental or earth-shattering is premature at best. It could be something we never believed could happen and see a combination produced incredible results. It could also produce nothing and leave both sides searching for silver-linings when it is all said and done.
It would still be historic, but there is also a section of history where the participants would rather you pass over it than inspect it thoroughly.
Winners From the Weekend
You know about Iker Lecuona and Nicolò Bulega, but did you know...
Marc Márquez won MotoGP's German Grand Prix, his third victory of the season, and Márquez also won the sprint race. Iván Ortolá won in Moto2, his second victory of the season. Brian Uriarte won in Moto3, his second victory of the season.
The #15 BMW M Team WRT BMW of Kevin Magnussen, Raffaele Marciello and Dries Vanthoor won the 6 Hours of São Paulo. The #34 Racing Team Turkey by TF Corvette of Peter Dempsey, Charlie Eastwood and Salih Yoluç won in LMGT3.
Ryan Blaney won the NASCAR Cup race from Atlanta, his second victory of the season. Justin Allgaier won the Grand National Series race, his sixth victory of the season. Grant Enfinger won the Truck race from Lime Rock Park, his first victory since Homestead in October 2024.
The #43 Inter Europol Competition Oreca-Gibson of Jeremy Clark and Tom Dillmann won the IMSA race from Mosport. The #14 VasserSullivan Racing Lexus of Ben Barnicoat and Jack Hawksworth won in GTD Pro. The #57 Winward Racing Mercedes-AMG of Philip Ellis and Russell Ward won in GTD.
Tom Booth-Amos swept the World Supersport races from Donington Park.
Cameron Waters, Matt Payne and Brodie Kostecki split the Supercars races from Townsville.
Coming Up This Weekend
IndyCar follows the World Cup Final with a race in Nashville.
NASCAR will be running around the same time in North Wilkesboro.
Formula One runs before the final with the Belgian Grand Prix.
Super Formula has a doubleheader that will not conflict with any final at Fuji.
GT World Challenge Europe has a Sprint Cup round at Misano.
The World Rally Championship ventures up to Estonia.
