INDYCAR: Rossi on Phoenix lessons, team dynamic

Given a few days to process the wicked speeds and cornering capabilities of Indy cars on the Phoenix mile, Alexander Rossi has a healthy appreciation for what's ahead during his rookie season.

Andretti-Herta Autosport's new driver is fresh from spending two days in Arizona as an observer where he witnessed his three teammates hurl their Dallara DW12-Hondas around the bullring oval at average speeds of 190 mph. The Californian, who closed 2015 with five starts for the Manor Formula 1 team, and sealed second-place in the GP2 championship, is expected to impress on road and street courses.

Related Stories

It's on the ovals where Rossi has everything to learn, and after getting a taste of how the Andretti-Herta team, and IndyCar powerhouses like Chip Ganassi Racing and Team Penske go about their business, the 24-year-old has a new appreciation for the caliber of competition he'll face.

"It's very clear that IndyCar is the top level of motorsport in the U.S.," Rossi told RACER while driving to his first test in Sebring with AHA. "The level of professionalism and the way people work and go through all the processes is similar to that of Formula 1. You can see that they are the pinnacle of their field of racing. That part was very interesting and very positive for me to see. It's clear as well that Andretti, their organization is very good at what they do. And the transition that Herta is making to become a part of the team, I think that has gone very, very well. I haven't noticed any kind of issues at all. So that is very positive."

Rossi (LEFT, with Herta) also observed a few variances from how American open-wheel teams operate compared to the European open-wheel teams he's driven for since 2009.

"The main thing that stood out to me was how each car is very much run as its own team," he said. "Obviously, there's a sharing of information and a brain trust, but it is something that while the car is on track, it is very much about that individual car, not the entire team as a whole. I'm not used to the timing stands being apart from each other. That was interesting."

The warmth of IndyCar's paddock was also a change for Rossi.

"And then the openness and the friendliness of everyone in the paddock was also a little bit different," he continued. "You can really tell everybody's really enjoying themselves and really happy to be there. It's a great environment to be a part of."

Michael Andretti's team is also unique within IndyCar for its group downloads and debriefs on pit lane. Every other team waits for its drivers and engineers to make their way back to the paddock before discussing the session that just took place, but as the Andretti team is fond of doing, its core group gathers at a central timing stand and holds court out in the open. Rossi believes it speaks to the close-knit environment within the combined Andretti-Herta program.

"Michael [Andretti] comes from a very rich racing background, and being a driver himself, he understands the advantage of group debriefs from a driver to driver standpoint," Rossi said. "You are open with each other, and that is something he encourages quite a lot. From the brief experiences I've had, the three other drivers are really on board with that. It's a working environment that I think I will fit into very well."

Rossi will get his first chance to sample the No. 98 Andretti-Herta Autosport with Curb Agajanian Hondathis week with teammates Ryan Hunter-Reay, Marco Andretti, and Carlos Munoz, and can't wait to join in the conversation.

"My teammates are very experienced and they have a good look at the big picture," he added. "They understand if another car is making gains that there is no issue and I think they're all very smart. You can have three or four cars that are going down different directions. There's positive information coming back for everyone, and they all contribute very much to the overall program. I think it's a very positive thing, and I'm ready to get going."