Here is a rundown of what got me thinking...
There will be no driver changes in Formula One from the final round of 2023 to the first round of 2024. Four of the last five Formula Two championships will not be in Formula One. Two will be competing in the Hypercar class in the FIA World Endurance Championship. The other two are doing nothing. Some awards were handed out in Nashville. MotoGP did some testing. Álex Palou picked the wrong time to admit the truth. IndyCar is already teasing 2025 events, which has me thinking...
International Dependency
We haven't even gotten to 2024 and Penske Entertainment CEO Mark Miles is already looking for a new, major event in 2025 for IndyCar. What exactly that major event will be is a mystery. We are a long way from any 2025 events being announced. Miles and IndyCar have plenty of time to construct something, but forgive us for our pessimism.
But hey, 2025 will be a new day, and we might not even need to wait until 2025. Argentina is still on the table as a possible postseason exhibition race in late 2024. Miles admitted it is quite feasible for IndyCar to make the trip to South America. If it comes off then great, but there is a shortcoming to Argentine expansion.
This interest has come thanks to Agustín Canapino, a multi-time champion in domestic Argentine competition who moved to IndyCar for the 2023 season to drive for fellow Argentine Ricardo Juncos at Juncos Hollinger Racing. With Canapino in IndyCar, it brought a new audience to the table, and now a race is possible.
But what if Canapino never came to IndyCar? What if he said no thanks to Juncos' offer or what if Juncos decided to remain a one-car team for 2023 and onward? Would we be thinking Argentina is a possibility even as an exhibition race?
While we are hopeful for big events joining the IndyCar schedule and are interested in international races, there is a limitation if races are only possible because of one driver in the series. Canapino might be beloved at home, but based on year one, the results must improve for him to have a long-term presence on the grid. If Canapino is gone after two or three or four years, will Argentina still be interested in a race?
If IndyCar wants international races, it cannot base the success of those event on whether or not it has a representative from that country in the series. It is bound to catch IndyCar out. If IndyCar wants a race in Argentina, it should probably make an offer to José María López to have him join the series as well and be openly recruiting Franco Colapinto and every other up-and-comer from Argentina, a rather risky strategy and a questionable one at that. Canapino cannot carry all the weight. That is the only way to ensure longevity for such a race.
But that shouldn't be the case for a truly successful race. If IndyCar is going anywhere, it should be going because there is general interest in IndyCar, and that is what the series should be trying to grow.
For close to five years now we have been talking about the potential of Patricio O'Ward and a return to Mexico but it has produced no true south of the border. But it should not require O'Ward for IndyCar to race in Mexico. The belief has always been that the only way a race in Mexico would work is with a Mexican driver, but have you seen the success of the Mexican Grand Prix? Sergio Pérez helps, but we are approaching a time when Pérez will not be on the Formula One grid. Do we believe for a second the moment Pérez is gone the Mexican Grand Prix will fall off the schedule or attendance will shrink to nothing? No. Mexico could probably go a decade without a driver and the Mexican Grand Prix will be fine.
The Formula E race from Mexico City has grown every year it has taken place and there have been only two Mexican driver to ever compete in the series, and the most recent to compete was Esteban Gutiérrez in 2017.
There is obviously a playbook to success that IndyCar does not have its hands on.
IndyCar has been billed as an international series for years, and it is hard to argue against that. There are at least a dozen countries represented on the grid in every race. Winners are coming from all over the globe. It is producing winners from more different continents than Formula One. These are drivers coming from many different disciplines as well. Yet, IndyCar does not have a connection with many places outside of the United States and Canada.
Some of that has to do with perception. During the high times of Dario Franchitti and Dan Wheldon, the United Kingdom didn't know those guys existed. Some of that has to do with the number of British drivers in Formula One. The Formula One drivers are always going to get the attention. There is no reason to rate the British drivers competing in the United States. The belief in Great Britain is if a driver was any good, he would be competing in Formula One.
There are a few places that are open to IndyCar. Sweden has embraced it, partially because of Marcus Ericsson and Felix Rosenqvist competing. It has had a good following from Australia and New Zealand after decades of success from Will Power and Scott Dixon with Scott McLaughlin and possibly Marcus Armstrong carrying that interest forward. The question is can IndyCar turn the attention due to locals into sustained interested in the series even after those drivers are gone? That is the real challenge.
It is not unheard of for an American sports league to have an international following, especially with many top players coming from outside the United States. The NBA has done wonders, and some of the most recognizable players in the league come from foreign countries. Major League Baseball has a following in the Caribbean and Japan. The NHL has in-roads in Scandinavia and parts of Europe. Even the NFL is growing and hosting games abroad.
There is enough potential that IndyCar could have a few international hotbeds. If it gets hot enough, it could draw a race, but those places must remain interested long after the locals are gone. Formula One caught on in the United States despite the lack of an American driver and, no offense to Logan Sargeant, any increasing interest isn't because of the American driver currently competing.
If people are interested in good racing, IndyCar could be right up their alley, but IndyCar must make itself known and connect with these viewers, otherwise it will be a series with flashes of interest from all over the globe but nothing that turns into a burning fire. If IndyCar is looking to race beyond the borders of the United States, it will need prolonged passion from international pockets.
Winners From the Weekend
The #99 99 Racing Oreca-Gibson of Louis Delétraz, Nikita Mazepin and Ahmad Al Harthy won the first 4 Hours of Sepang. The #17 COOL Racing Ligier-Nissan of James Winslow, Danial Frost and Alexander Bukhantsov won the LMP3 class. The #42 Saintéloc Racing Audi of Christopher Haase, Gilles Magnus and Alban Varutti won the GT class.
The #4 CrowdStrike Racing by APR Oreca-Gibson of Colin Braun, George Kurtz and Malthe Jakobsen won the second 4 Hours of Sepang. The #2 CD Sport Ligier-Nissan of Michael Jensen, Nick Adcock and Fabien Lavergne won the LMP3 class. The #91 Pure Rxing Porsche of Klaus Bachler, Joel Turn and Alex Malykhin won the GT class.
Coming Up This Weekend
The Gulf 12 Hour from Abu Dhabi closes out the Intercontinental GT Challenge season.
