RLLR hoping to retain Sato for 2021

The reigning Indy 500 winners at Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing have one clear priority ahead of the 2021 NTT IndyCar Series season.

“Takuma’s contract is where we’re focused, and we want to have him back, and hopefully he wants to be back with us,” RLLR co-owner Bobby Rahal told RACER. “I think if you look at what Takuma Sato has achieved since he came back to us (in 2018), you have to be impressed with the wins and the success we’ve made together. So getting Takuma’s deal done is what I’d call our priority, because we want to keep going with him and Graham as a unit.”

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With Sato holding fourth in the championship and Graham Rahal seventh with five rounds left on the calendar, RLLR is enjoying a competitive upturn with its Honda-powered squad. A strong performance by Spencer Pigot in a third RLLR car at the Indy 500, as part of a co-entry with Citrone/Buhl Autosport, has also served to bolster Rahal’s optimism for the team’s future.

“Graham’s done and good on his side, and he’s been working really hard on making multi-year programs for the sponsors on his car, so I would expect and hope Takuma will come back, and hope to get that done soon. And as always, we’re interested in a third car if it contributes to the overall good," he said.

"If the worst thing is we’re still two cars next year, that’s nothing to complain about. And if we can get that third car going, with our own sponsorship so we can hire a driver, that would be pretty close to perfect in my book.”