After over six months of waiting, the new IndyCar season is finally upon us. The Grand Prix of St. Petersburg kicks things off later today with the likes of Penske, Chip Ganassi Racing and Andretti Autosport all ready to fight for top honours once again.
Ahead of today's race, Andy Young and Luke Smith look at the runners and riders for the season ahead, as well as picking out some things to look forward to in 2016.
TEAMS AND DRIVERS
Team Penske
Undoubtedly one of the most famous names in motorsport, Team Penske enter 2016 as title contenders once again, with a fearsomely competitive quartet of drivers who are all quite capable of winning races.
Last season at least two of their drivers managed to finish within the top five on several occasions, sometimes even three out of four!
Despite ending the 2015 season with 556 points and tied at the top of the championship, Juan Pablo Montoya was forced to settle for second in the championship after only managing to win two races against Scot Dixon’s three.
Therefore Montoya will be looking to bounce back in 2016 and secure the IndyCar crown for himself, with a team around him fully capable of assisting him to the top.
Meanwhile Brazilian teammate Helio Castroneves will have a point to prove of his own, after failing to secure a victory at all last season, making it one of only four seasons where he has been unable to secure victory since his debut in CART in 1998 and only his second winless season as a Team Penske driver.
Another driver with a point to prove is Will Power, after a tough title defence last season. The Australian racer only managed to secure one victory all year, eventually ending third overall in the championship.
For many years Power came so close yet so far to clinching championship success with Team Penske, and therefore will be oh so eager to make sure he does not slip behind his team-mates in the pecking order…or even further for that matter.
Finally Simon Pagenaud has a great chance to make an impact in his second season with Team Penske, despite entering the new season as the least experienced of the four drivers in the team.
Although the Frenchman was unable to visit victory lane last season, he still managed to finish within the top three on two occasions and will be eager to take the fight to not only his team-mates but also the likes of Chip Ganassi and Andretti Autosport.
Chip Ganassi Racing
2015 proved to be a year of growing momentum for Chip Ganassi Racing, led once again by the erstwhile Scott Dixon. Despite failing to match Penske for outright pace for much of the season, the tactical nous of the team shone through on a number of occasions last year, particularly at Texas when Dixon led home Tony Kanaan for a one-two finish.
Dixon’s title victory may have come in the closest of circumstances at Sonoma, yet he showed throughout the season that he is very much in the prime of his career. With four championships now under his belt, few would put a fifth beyond his reach this year.
For Kanaan, there is a need to get back up to the top table in IndyCar after a disappointing campaign. In a year that featured 11 different winners in 16 races, it seem inexplicable that Kanaan wasn’t one of them – yet he failed to turn up when it mattered. He showed at Texas what he can do as Dixon’s rear gunner, and if the New Zealander has designs on a fifth championship this year, he could do with a little help from his teammate.
Charlie Kimball had a solid if unspectacular fifth season with CGR in 2015, with the obvious highlight being his charge to third place at the Indianapolis 500. He’ll be looking to find some kind of consistency in 2016 though and try to add to his tally of just one IndyCar victory (Mid-Ohio 2013).
Adding the stability that CGR is looking for in 2016 is rookie Max Chilton. Two years after last racing in F1 with Marussia, Chilton will make his IndyCar debut in St. Petersburg ahead of a full-season in the #8 car. The Briton had an impressive first year in Indy Lights last season, claiming an emotional victory at Iowa on the weekend of ex-teammate Jules Bianchi’s death, and is expected to be a contender quite early on this year.
Andretti Autosport/Bryan Herta Autosport
The 2016 season looks like an exciting prospect for Andretti Autosport, with a fabulous mixture of experience and youth within the team.
Veterans Marco Andretti and Ryan Hunter-Reay will be joined by Carlos Munoz, in only his third full season in IndyCar, as well as rookie Alexander Rossi who has become the latest driver to switch from Formula 1.
For Andretti in particular, 2016 could well be an important year for the 28-year-old. Despite securing two podium finishes last season, he has only ever secured two victories during his ten-year spell in the series, finishing no higher in the championship than fifth in 2013.
With his namesake unquestionably one of the main reasons he has maintained his seat within the team for so long, there is no denying his place in the team could come under threat should he be unable to pull together a competitive year, especially if the likes of Munoz and Rossi enjoy success.
Meanwhile 2012 champion Hunter-Reay will be looking to start the 2016 season the way he ended 2015, after the 35-year-old won two of the last four races and finished second at the season finale at Sonoma.
Munoz will be looking to start 2016 in competitive fashion as well, as the Colombian ace aims to build upon his maiden victory last season at Detroit.
Whilst Munoz failed to finish higher than fifth after victory in Detroit, there is no denying he has an ominous amount of confidence and pace on both oval and road/street courses, which could prove vital in 2016.
Meanwhile debutant Rossi has a perfect environment to make his debut in IndyCar, with seemingly no end to the wealth of knowledge on offer within the team.
Although victories will most likely be out of reach during his first season, there is no denying the odd podium finish is likely, providing he manages to adapt as well has he says he as once the season gets underway.
A.J. Foyt Enterprises
After a relatively competitive 2015 season, A.J. Foyt Enterprises will undoubtedly be looking to build on their various top ten results and solitary top three finish in 2016.
With Japanese sensation Takuma Sato set to be joined by Jack Hawksworth once again, the outfit has a solid driver pairing with which to lead them through what is expected to be another tough and competitive year of IndyCar racing.
Sato in particular will be looking to maintain his stature within IndyCar’s midfield, after a season of highs and lows in 2015 which featured only five top ten finishes, including second at Detroit.
Despite more top ten finishes last season, Hawksworth could only manage a personal best of seventh on two occasions and after ending the Phoenix pre-season test earlier in the year last in the combined standings, the British racer will unquestionably be eager to prove his worth once the season roars into action.
Realistically A.J. Foyt Enterprises should be a strong midfield runner in 2016, alongside the likes of Dale Coyne Racing, Ed Carpenter Racing and Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing. However, should a topsy-turvy race occur then Sato and Hawksworth will be diligently waiting to score a vital podium or even race victory.
Ed Carpenter Racing
Following the departures of Sarah Fisher and businessman Wink Hartman, CFH Racing once again becomes Ed Carpenter Racing for the 2016 season.
Following his ‘coming of age’ year in 2015 that yielded two race wins and a somewhat unlikely championship challenge, Josef Newgarden will enter 2016 with his tail up and hopeful of adding to his victory tally. The young American caught the eye of many of the bigger teams throughout 2015, and although he remains happy with ECR for the time being, he will unquestionably have one eye on the future.
Ed Carpenter once again returns to his eponymous team for the oval races, while the second car for road and street courses currently remains unfilled. It will be interesting to see how the lack of a teammate for these races affects Newgarden, and whether the team will move to get it filled at some point in the near future.
ECR will most likely continue to be competitive but by no means dominant this year. It’ll be up to Newgarden to lead the team and take it to the next level.
KVSH Racing
In what was widely called the ‘worst kept secret in IndyCar’ over the winter, Sebastien Bourdais returns for a third season with KVSH Racing in 2016 after finding some of his former self last year.
The Frenchman took two wins last year – an opportunistic one in Detroit, and a crushing one at the Milwaukee Mile – to prove that he has plenty of the old fire still burning that saw him dominate American open wheel racing before his ill-fated move into F1.
2016 will be a year for Bourdais to build on the success he enjoyed last time around, but as with all the one-car teams, it is difficult to gauge just how far he can go. Underestimate Seabass at your peril though – in a year of close competition and fine margins, he lapped the field twice at Milwaukee at one point. No easy feat.
Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing
Expectations at Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing will be high for 2016 after Graham Rahal enjoyed his strongest season to date last year, taking the team within touching distance of an underdog’s title success.
Rahal enjoyed a solid start to the year before ending a seven-year win drought at Fontana and then doubling up at Mid-Ohio to make himself a genuine championship contender heading to Sonoma, only to finish 18th at the finale.
It was nevertheless a season to remember, setting the bar high for the new campaign. Rahal will take heart from the supposed improvements made by Honda with both the engine and its aero kit to cut the gap to Chevrolet, and will also have the benefit of a teammate for select rounds this year in the shape of Spencer Pigot.
Pigot won last year’s Indy Lights title after edging out Jack Harvey, securing himself a thee-race deal for the 2016 IndyCar season with RLL. The 22-year-old is firmed up for St. Petersburg and the month of May at Indianapolis, and has settled in well with the team ahead of the first race of the season.
Schmidt Peterson Motorsports
After a turbulent 2015 season that featured five different drivers and some flashes of brilliance, Schmidt Peterson Motorsports will enter the new campaign hoping for a bit of stability.
James Hinchcliffe will make a popular return to the track this year after sustaining life-threatening injuries during practice for the Indy 500 last May after returning to full fitness. The Canadian will be keen to pick up where he left off last year before his injury, having won the washout at NOLA, and is set to take up the mantle of team leader at SPM once again this year.
The departure of James Jakes to the FIA World Endurance Championship has freed up a seat at SPM for the SMP-backed Mikhail Aleshin, who returns to IndyCar after a year away. The Russian driver missed one of the pre-season tests due to a visa issue, but is now firmed up for the full season.
Like the other Honda-powered teams, SPM will be looking to benefit from the supposed engine and aero updates for the new campaign, and will be hoping to get in the mix with the front-runners where possible. After such a tough year in 2015 though, having a clean, uncomplicated season will most probably be the focus this time around.
Dale Coyne Racing
The 2015 season was a slightly confusing affair for Dale Coyne Racing, with no less than eight different drivers competing for the outfit throughout the year.
However, with a confirmed line-up consisting of rookie Conor Daly, Italian star Luca Filippi and British racer Pippa Mann for the Indianapolis 500, competitiveness and more importantly consistency will be the key throughout 2016.
There’s no denying that only three top ten finishes last season was simply not enough for a team which won races in 2014 and 2013, and both Daly, Filippi and Mann will be aware of the importance of bringing the outfit back to the sharp end of the order.
The exciting prospect of rookie Daly should unquestionably offer the team a boost from the word go. Although officially regarded as a rookie, Daly already has six races under his belt, including a sixth place finish at Detroit last season.
If anything should assist Daly and the team as a whole in 2016, then it would definitely be fellow GP2 Series graduate Filippi.
Despite only competing in a handful of races last season, the Italian driver still managed to grab second at Toronto and looks mighty fast. With an extensive knowledge of the GP2 Series, combined with a natural competitiveness, Filippi could well spark a few surprises throughout the new season.
Meanwhile Mann will only compete for the outfit at the Indianapolis 500, which will be her fifth running at the legendary event. Once again the London-born racer will be eager to prove herself around the iconic Brickyard, and with Daly and Filippi alongside her anything could be possible.
FIVE THINGS TO LOOK FORWARD TO IN 2016
1. The return of the Phoenix International Raceway
For those fans that adore oval racing, the return of Phoenix to the IndyCar calendar will be music to their ears.
Over the years oval racing in IndyCar has been greatly diminished. Just think that in 2005 – the last time IndyCar visited Phoenix – only three road/street courses existed on the calendar.
Fast forward 11 years and the stats are the polar opposite. Now only five ovals exist on the calendar, so who wouldn’t be exited for the prospect of the 250-lap race in April?
2. 100th running of the Indianapolis 500
Very few motor sport races can boast the sheer legacy of the Indianapolis 500, a race which has been held at the Brickyard since way back in 1911.
Apart from the war years between 1917 – 1918 and 1942 – 1945, the Indianapolis 500 has been a recurring event ever since, growing in stature at a phenomenal rate.
Today it is regarded as one of, if not the, biggest single day sporting events in existence, and the 2016 event promises to be a day packed with unforgettable racing and celebration.
This year will see 33 drivers once again take the green flag at the start, with Katherine Legge in particular set to gain immediate interest as she competes for Grace Autosport in what is billed to be the first all-female IndyCar team.
3. Roger Penske’s 50th year as a team owner
Almost as synonymous with IndyCar racing as the Indianapolis 500 itself is legendary team owner Roger Penske, who is preparing to compete in his 50th year as a team owner in 2016.
For those of you new to IndyCar, Roger Penske is by far America’s Enzo Ferrari or Sir Frank Williams. The 71-year-old began his career in motorsport as a driver, before retiring in 1965 and creating Penske Racing in 1966 at the 24 Hours of Daytona.
Since then “The Captain” as he is affectionately known throughout the motor sport world has won record number of Indianapolis 500 crowns as a team owner, 16 overall. The first came in 1972 with Mark Donohue at the wheel, with the latest last season with Juan Pablo Montoya.
4. The rise of American talent
With IndyCar becoming more of an international series, new American talent has been hard to come by in recent years as the likes of Dario Franchitti, Scott Dixon and Will Power have rose to the top.
However, that all looks to change in the coming years as a whole host of new American youngsters look set to take the IndyCar scene by storm.
Already Josef Newgarden as cemented himself as a fan favourite, after making his debut in 2012 before finally becoming a race winner last season.
Newgarden will be joined by American talent from the likes of rookies Alexander Rossi, Conor Daly and Spencer Pigot this season, not to mention Sage Karam at the Indianapolis 500.
5. Inaugural Grand Prix of Boston
Apart from oval racing and Roger Penske, IndyCar has also become famous for it’s wide variety of street courses at varying venues across America, Canada and Brazil.
From races around the streets of Sao Paulo, Houston, Edmonton City Centre Airport and Baltimore, the race around the Boston Seaport District promises be yet another chapter in IndyCar’s vibrant street course history.
Scheduled for the Labour Day weekend celebrations, the inaugural race weekend has all of the ingredients to be an absolute corker, with Simon Pagenaud and Ryan Hunter-Reay in particular greatly looking forward to the event.
