IndyCar: The rising star who could become McLaren’s worst nightmare

IndyCar: The rising star who could become McLaren's worst nightmare

As someone who has followed motorsport for decades, I must say that the potential addition of Oscar Piastri to Team Penske is indeed intriguing. It seems that Roger Penske and his team have a knack for spotting talent and giving it a platform to shine.

Last month, A.J. Foyt Enterprises shared an unexpected piece of news – they’ve secured the services of David Malukas for the 2025 IndyCar season and future seasons beyond that.

In the years 2022 and 2023, Malukas raced for Dale Coyne Racing, with backing from his father’s HMD Motorsports, but for the 2024 season, he moved to Arrow McLaren. Unfortunately, a mountain biking accident in the off-season left him with a wrist injury that caused him to miss four races at the start of the season. Consequently, he was let go by the team.

In June, Meyer Shank Racing asked him to step in for Tom Blomqvist who was underperforming, and he’s been excelling in that role ever since.

In nine races so far, he’s only failed to rank higher than 14th once. His typical starting position averages at 9.1, and he just achieved his best result this season, placing 6th, on the city streets of Toronto.

Starting from the pole position, he took the lead in several laps and was on track for a top-three finish at World Wide Technology Raceway at Gateway, but unfortunately, a crash ended his run. Moreover, he secured another front-row start at the Milwaukee Mile.

He has singlehandedly elevated the No. 66 team back into the top 22 in the entrant standings, meaning it is now in position to make the Leaders’ Circle and earn a $1 million payout from IndyCar after it looked like an early favorite to miss out.

There had been whispers that Malukas might rejoin Meyer Shank Racing, but they’ve since announced a technical partnership with Chip Ganassi Racing for 2025, or there’s speculation that he could sign with Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing to fill the spot vacated by Christian Lundgaard who is moving to Arrow McLaren next year.

Instead, he made the unlikely move and signed with A.J. Foyt Enterprises.

It’s yet to be determined if he will drive the No. 14 Chevrolet instead of Santino Ferrucci, or if Sting Ray Robb will take control of the No. 41 Chevrolet.

Based on A.J. Foyt Enterprises’ current technical partnership with Team Penske and Malukas’ mention of this alliance in his announcement, it has been speculated that Malukas could potentially transition to Team Penske after Will Power retires.

Although Power is under contract until at least 2025 and hasn’t shown any signs of retiring then, it’s challenging to dispute that Malukas now seems primed to take over at some future point, considering the impressive accomplishments he has made in his IndyCar career so far.

In his debut season with Dale Coyne Racing during 2022, he achieved a podium finish, two additional top-10 finishes, an average placement of 14th overall, and ended the championship ranked 16th. Interestingly, Alex Palou, now a double series champion (and current points leader) with Chip Ganassi Racing, mirrored these exact statistics during his rookie year with Dale Coyne Racing in 2020.

In the year 2023, Malukas notched another podium victory alongside five additional top-10 finishes. Although his 2024 season start was delayed, he’s managed to continue from where he left off with a fresh team. Despite repeated warnings that his driving ability would be altered following his wrist injury, he has proven the skeptics wrong and maintained his performance level.

However, it’s worth noting that Malukas’ achievements stand out, particularly in road and street course races. For instance, his third place qualifying attempt at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course could have resulted in a top five position had there not been an issue during pit stops.

In his initial two years in IndyCar, Malukas earned the title of an oval specialist because of his frequent podium finishes at Gateway and his fourth-place finish on the high banks of Texas Motor Speedway. Last year, when we spoke with him, he acknowledged this label through Beyond the Flag.

Malukas stated that he comprehends the ‘oval specialist’ label. He’s been performing well in oval racing recently, feeling very at ease, and it seems like he has a strong bond with these tracks. This connection stems from driving a reliable vehicle, being confident when making maneuvers, and simply enjoying himself.

I find that the combined efforts are what ultimately lead us to those outcomes. I’m certainly thrilled, it’s fantastic, and honestly, it seems like I’m beginning to specialize in a particular area, somewhat like an oval-shaped expert tag. However, our aim should be to secure this expertise across all types of courses. That’s the objective we should strive for.

As a gamer, I’m excited to announce that Malukas has proven himself as a versatile racer on the track. He’s about to join forces with a team that’s been making waves, poised to challenge the top-tier teams like Chip Ganassi Racing and Team Penske, and the tier two powerhouses Andretti Global and Arrow McLaren. This is their best season in over two decades, and I can’t wait to see what they accomplish together!

Two weekends past, at Portland International Raceway, the best season in years hit a new peak as Ferrucci secured the team’s first pole position since 2014.

It’s evident that Malukas is back on track physically following his injury. His determination to return to racing and the extra push from being released by McLaren without a fair chance to race for them, makes him a potential thorn in McLaren’s side if he joins Team Penske in the future. At just 22 years old, this Chicago-born racer could become a significant challenge for McLaren.

If current plans hold steady until 2025, Team Penske would’ve added only four permanent drivers to their IndyCar team during the past 15 years.

McLaren have made five in the last 12 months.

Among them, Malukas and Palou didn’t end up racing for the team. Lundgaard has not raced for the team yet. Theo Pourchaire, another one, was dismissed just two races into his tenure as the full-time driver of the No. 6 Chevrolet, replacing Malukas, in the 2024 season. (Paraphrased)

Meanwhile, Nolan Siegel finds himself in a difficult position, having been assigned the seat previously earmarked for Pourchaire. Given McLaren’s past record (a point Zak Brown has contested but is hard to pin on Palou), it wouldn’t be unexpected if they were to abandon him too in the future.

The list does not feature Callum Ilott, as he wasn’t officially appointed as a full-time substitute for Malukas; instead, he made occasional appearances.

It is well-known among motorsport enthusiasts that Brown frequently finds himself preoccupied with two highly accomplished racers, Palou and Max Verstappen, to the point where they seem to reside rent-free within his thoughts.

Now Malukas is potentially set up to give him a similar headache.

Team Penske tends to avoid impulsive moves in driver switches, steering clear of signing unproven newcomers. Instead, they prefer experienced drivers like Juan Pablo Montoya, who was a champion in CART, winner of the Indy 500, and a legend in motorsports. They brought him on board in 2014, a decision that proved fruitful as it led to an Indy 500 win and almost a championship the following year.

2015 saw Simon Pagenaud join their team, having consistently placed in the top five for Sam Schmidt’s squad during his initial three full seasons in the series, capping off three consecutive championship finishes. This move proved successful the following year with a title win, and three years later, led to a triumph at the Indy 500.

In 2017, Josef Newgarden, long seen as a promising prospect, was brought onto Team Penske. Having been in the racing scene for five years by then, Newgarden had already earned a reputation as the potential next superstar. After signing with Roger Penske’s team, he clinched the championship just as quickly.

Over the past seven-plus years, I’ve become the most successful driver in the series, with eight straight seasons yielding multiple wins. After my initial triumph, I went on to claim a second title and back-to-back Indy 500 victories, all while proudly representing this team.

2016 saw Newgarden triumphantly return to racing just weeks after a severe accident at Texas left him with a broken clavicle and fractured wrist. Remarkably, this victory at Iowa Speedway significantly contributed to securing his contract with Team Penske for the following year, 2017.

Back in 2009, Even Power suffered a severe crash at Sonoma Raceway which left him with a broken back. Despite this setback, he became a full-time driver for Team Penske from that year onwards. His first two races with the team kicked off the 2010 season and were successful wins for him. Over time, he has managed to secure two championship titles and won the Indy 500 as well.

In contrast to other leading teams, perhaps Team Penske would not consider Malukas’ previous injuries as a drawback, considering his resilience in recovering well.

More recently, in the year 2021, Scott McLaughlin, a driver without prior IndyCar experience, was signed by Team Penske. Notably, he had previously raced with Penske in the Australian Supercars and amassed several titles.

Despite sounding somewhat amusing, he indeed acquired significant open-wheel expertise when he clinched the COVID-19 IndyCar iRacing Challenge championship in 2020. He has already demonstrated remarkable performance, reaching as high as third place overall and claiming seven race victories. Notably, he has proven himself to be a strong contender for victory at almost every track the series visits, with his oval championship being a notable highlight among his achievements.

If Malukas performs consistently well for A.J. Foyt Enterprises over a period of one or more years, he would embody the profile that Team Penske typically seeks when making infrequent changes to their driver roster: a combination of experience, raw talent, proven winning ability, and an indomitable spirit to conquer obstacles.

Keep in mind, even Newgarden recorded no top 10 finishes in his rookie season. Malukas is already trending well above that pace.

If Malukas were to join Team Penske in a few years, that situation could end up being much more complex than McLaren may have anticipated when they chose to release him due to the flexibility of his contract, following his absence from a fourth race – only to find themselves replacing his replacement a few weeks later regardless.

2024-09-09 17:33

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