Oliver Askew does not have anything in place for 2022, despite landing a deal with Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing to close out this season in the team’s third car.
The 2019 Indy Lights champion made his IndyCar debut with the newly rebranded Arrow McLaren SP team in 2020, just in time for the pandemic to sweep the world and disrupt normal procedure.
Askew had some good results, but suffered a hard crash in the Indy 500 and struggled to put in good performances while he recovered from concussion-like symptoms.
He was dropped from the team for this season, but has filled in for Felix Rosenqvist and Rinus VeeKay when they had to miss races due to injury.
The 24-year-old then landed a deal with RLL to close out the season, and was thought to be in the running for seat next season. Such a deal is not close, however, and Askew is unsure if anything will materialize in the near future.
“Right now, not close at all,” said Askew when asked if he had any deals for next season. “That could change from day to day. We’re keeping our options open.
“I’ve made it clear that I want to be somewhere full time. I can’t keep jumping around because I’m not getting the most out of myself.
“I need somewhere I can continue to build and grow with the team. That’s the highest priority right now.
“Whether that’s in IndyCar, whether that’s overseas, maybe in Formula E or somewhere in IMSA. We’ll see.”
Askew rose through the ranks in the Road to Indy series, but also has been able to compete in the WeatherTech SportsCar Championship this season driving in the new LMP3 class.
He even took a victory in class at the 24 Hours of Daytona in January, driving for Riley Motorsports alongside Scott Andrews, Spencer Pigot, and Gar Robinson.
Before any races with future deals are run, Askew will finish out this year’s IndyCar season at Laguna Seca and Long Beach during the next two weekends.