Here is a rundown of what got me thinking...
Sami Pajari won his home rally, Rally Finland, his second career victory after winning his first career rally two weeks ago. Sébastien Ogier had a massive accident while in the lead, and it appears Ogier's title defense has come to a halt. Road America held an endurance race with a few notable accidents and inconsistent officiating. Honda had a good weekend in Toyota's backyard. Scott Dixon, Tony Kanaan and Dario Franchitti each own a part of Legacy Motor Club. Maverick Viñales could be on the outs at KTM. Alexander Rossi and Álex Palou had to work this weekend, testing the new Dallara chassis. Talk about a rotten deal, testing on a weekend. That could be done on Monday and Tuesday, or been done Thursday and Friday? However, we start August looking back on news from the start of July.
Uniform Free Agency
A little over a month remains in the IndyCar season, but 2027 occupied much of the discussion in July. The biggest story of the month was not what happened on the racetrack, nor was it the rain-delay at Nashville and the missed opportunity of a race following the FIFA World Cup Final. The biggest story was driver movement.
We have extensively covered Scott Dixon announcing his departure from Chip Ganassi Racing for Arrow McLaren, and the dominoes that followed. Felix Rosenqvist will join Dixon at McLaren. Christian Lundgaard is without a ride for the moment, as is Nolan Siegel.
It is not uncommon for driver momvent to generate some attention during the season. Last year, Will Power's future was a weekly discussion, and it wasn't until the very end of the season did we learn Power would not return to Team Penske for 2027, choosing to exit the team he had been a member of since 2009. Simon Pagenaud, Josef Newgarden, Alexander Rossi, Tony Kanaan, they have all generated attention during a season more for where their futures were going than what they were doing on the racetrack.
Motorsports is in a unique position where a driver can decide his future at anytime. A contract could be signed after a season has been completed. A driver can sign a contract a full year before he or she will be free. Fernando Alonso signed to join McLaren in 2007 before the 2006 Formula One season even began. Even if the announcement has not been made, it doesn't mean the deal is not done.
However, free agency is not the same for all.
Scott Dixon was free to negotiate and look for a new home in the middle of the season. Christian Lundgaard, initially, wasn't.
Contracts vary among organizations in every series, IndyCar included. While Dixon was allowed to negotiate midseason, and he could even sign with a team, this was not the same luxury for Lundgaard. Even though his seat was taken, Lundgaard was originally not allowed to start looking for rides for 2027. McLaren removed that restriction to Lundgaard shortly after Dixon and Rosenqvist were officially announced.
Even the top drivers can face restrictions. Will Power had announced he would be leaving Team Penske and signed with Andretti Global not long after the 2025 season ended, but Power was not free to start working with Andretti until the calendar year was over. Power's replacement, however, David Malukas, not only signed with Team Penske but was testing for the team before 2025 was over. Contracts may have stipulations that a driver's services are retained through the calendar year, but teams are willing to release a driver early, most of the time.
This is the way it has always been, but it is imperfect system for the drivers.
It is great for the teams. Some drivers lose out more than others. While Scott Dixon could negotiate in June and July, some drivers cannot start talking until after the last race. That takes a driver out of consideration for certain seats. It is also a disadvantage to a driver who is trying to negotiate staying with a team only for it to not come together early in the offseason. That driver has been focused on staying where he is at only to find out that seat is gone and perhaps a handful of others as well.
There are a number of reasons why this free agency system in IndyCar is difficult to change, but it is worth considering if it is time for uniformity.
The drivers should want it, but drivers in any form of motorsports are not great on unionizing and working for the greater good of the group. There is no incentive for IndyCar to step in, but it has never been better positioned to enforce some control. The charter system can be used for behavioral guidance. If a team has a charter, it could be forced to recognize certain standards for contracts and allowances for driver movement.
For starters, there should be a uniform end date for all contracts, and all drivers should have the same length negotiating period. Some drivers should not get a two- or three-month head start. What we should see is a dedicated free agency period where drivers can negotiate but no one can sign a contract.
Once a season ends, there should be a testing freeze that way no team nor contracted drivers can get an advantage while others are looking for seats. Two weeks after the season concludes, drivers should be allowed to start negotiating with other teams. A driver can negotiate with his incumbent team at all times, but a fortnight after the final race, teams are open to negotiate with anybody. There should be at least a two-week, if not a month negotiating period, where teams and drivers can talk but no one can be on track to test. This is entirely for negotiating contracts. Once that month is up, drivers are allowed to start testing.
Using 2026 as an example, the season finale is September 6 at Laguna Seca. Free agent negotiating would not begin until September 21. If it is a two-week period, teams could hit the track October 5. If it is four-week, it would be October 19.
A benefit to this is not only would drivers get greater opportunities to at least interview with teams, but it would allow us to focus on the season as it is happening. There would always be some discussions about a driver's future midseason, but a driver signing would be less likely to overshadow a race weekend. It would also create some stories during the first portion of IndyCar's offseason. How many times do we get to the end of a season and we already know about 80% of the grid for next season before the final race has been run or we know the driver moves within the week following the finale?
It is beneficial to spread free agency into the offseason. Every other sport does it. It wouldn't solve all of IndyCar's problems. The offseason is six months long. A month or six weeks of free agency will fill some of the void. The subsequent testing where drivers get their first runs with their new teams would be the next wave of attention during the offseason, but this new free agency structure would not fill the entire void of the offseason.
While it would clearly benefit the drivers, it could also help the teams. They have control, but not all organizations are the same, and having a few weeks or a month of negotiating could help teams when it comes to sponsors. If a team knows it can land a certain driver or if a team at least wants to chase a certain driver, it can incorporate a sponsor or two in those negotiations and help get a deal over the line. It could allow some of IndyCar's bottom rung teams a better chance to compete for drivers.
There is a flaw in motorsports is not a ubiquitous entity. Just because IndyCar does one thing doesn't mean all other forms of motorsports will follow. None will. What do you do about drivers not in IndyCar? What about a Formula Two driver or a sports car driver or even a NASCAR driver? When can a team speak with them?
It will come down to control and teams being barred from negotiating and signing anyone, regardless of where they are racing, until the negotiating period is complete. I am sure some drivers could be turned off, but I doubt having to wait until October 21st to test versus testing September 21st when the first race of the next season isn't until March 7 isn't that much a deal breaker. It would be different for some to have to work within these parameters, but it would likely not change much for a driver entering the series. It would be different once a driver is in a series.
How do you manage drivers looking to race elsewhere? That might be the one out for the drivers. A driver cannot negotiate with an IndyCar team during the season, but if he is ready to go sports car racing next season, he can sign a deal with the Ford Hypercar program or take on a AF Corse GT3 ride in June or July. If a driver wants to go to NASCAR, he can sign with Trackhouse on May 25th for the following season.
Does that hurt the teams? Only if they believe they could keep a driver in the series. This isn't a regular occurrence in IndyCar. I don't think it is actually a problem that could hurt the series and see talent leave. IndyCar attracts drivers. It wasn't that long ago it brought in a Supercars champion and a NASCAR Cup champion in the same season. The champion from Argentina's best series came to IndyCar! There is always going to be someone interested. Mick Schumacher joined the series when no one thought he would be an option.
This change would be unlike anything we see in any other form of motorsports, and it would be a significant departure from how business has been done. It would help current IndyCar drivers and level the playing field when it came to contract restrictions. All drivers would have the same negotiation periods and nobody would have a head start while others would be at a significant disadvantage. Free agency would become a clear offseason subject, and it would allow for more news to be made when IndyCar is not competing. It would require a willingness to change and embrace a new way of handling driver movement, a difficult concession from the teams, and the drivers are not going to push for it.
It could be for the better, but that doesn't mean it is going to happen. Everyone should at least have the discussion.
Winners From the Weekend
You know about Sami Pajari, but did you know...
The #10 Wayne Taylor Racing Cadillac of Filipe Albuquerque and Ricky Taylor won the IMSA race from Road America. The #43 Inter Europol Competition Oreca-Gibson of Jeremy Clarke, Tom Dillmann and Bijoy Garg won in LMP2. The #9 Pfaff Motorsports Lamborghini of Andrea Caldarelli and Sandy Mitchell won in GTD Pro. The #57 Winward Racing Mercedes-AMG of Indy Dontje, Philip Ellis and Russell Ward won in GTD.
The #100 Team Kunimitsu Honda of Naoki Yamamoto and Tadasuke Makino won the Super GT race from Fuji. The #52 Saitama Green Brave Toyota of Hiroki Yoshida and Seita Nonaka won in GT300.
Matt Payne (race one and three) and Broc Feeney (race two) split the Supercars races from Wanneroo Raceway.
The #3 Mercedes-AMG Team Verstappen Racing Mercedes-AMG of Jules Gounon and Daniel Juncadella and the #80 Lionspeed GP Porsche of Bastian Buus and Ricardo Feller split the GT World Challenge Europe Sprint Cup races from Magny-Cours.
Coming Up This Weekend
IndyCar is off to Portland.
NASCAR begins its 14-week run-in in Iowa.
MotoGP is back from break with the British Grand Prix.
