The RACER Mailbag, April 17

Welcome to the RACER Mailbag. Questions for any of RACER’s writers can be sent to mailbag@racer.com. We can’t guarantee that every letter will be published, but we’ll answer as many as we can. Published questions may be edited for length and clarity. Questions received after 3pm ET each Monday will appear the following week.

Q: When will Arrow McLaren or somebody get hand controls in an IndyCar for Robert Wickens? It was done for Alex Zanardi.

Steve Coe, Vancouver, WA

MARSHALL PRUETT: When someone steps up to fund the project! Also, I’d say getting to the WeatherTech SportsCar Championship is a greater ambition these days for Robbie.

Last time I spoke about it with him, a six-figure investment was needed to create the IndyCar-specific system. I asked if there were any off-the-shelf solutions, or if he could simply adapt the system he’s used to win the IMSA TCR championship in the Bryan Herta Autosport Hyundai, and he said no to both.

An area he mentioned as being vastly different is with the speeds of inputs and reactions. In basic terms, the system in the Hyundai is perfect for touring car/GT machinery, but for a LMP2/GTP/IndyCar, something different and customized that can handle the super-quick signals he’d need to perform at the limit.

Zanardi had folks who were willing to spend the money, with a big auto manufacturer in BMW being the most recent, who put a ton of time and dollar into perfecting the system he used when he last raced at the Rolex 24 At Daytona. Of the many things I want, one of them is for Robbie to get to racer where he belongs in IndyCar.

Q: As more rumors emerge surrounding the IndyCar charter proposal, one thing seems almost taken as gospel now. How did the unmoving magic number of 27 entries as the maximum IndyCar field outside of the Indy 500 come about? Which venues specifically have only 27 pit stalls, and how difficult would it be to rework existing pit lanes or shrink pit stalls to accommodate a slightly larger field? Do you think sharing pit stalls would ever fly in IndyCar? To me, it would be better to shoot for races at larger venues with garage and pit space while welcoming additional entries rather than turning them away to stay put at some of the smaller tracks on the calendar.

Pete, Rochester, NY

MP: The potential cap at 27 entries for everywhere but Indy is based on the number the series knows it can host at every track.

Toronto and Mid-Ohio are the two main tracks IndyCar cites as being unable to hold more than 27 cars on pit lane. Unless we’re talking about tracks IndyCar owns, the rest would need the owners/promoters to spend their own money -- unless Penske offered to pay -- to accommodate IndyCar’s needs.

I’d hope IndyCar would not drop races that have been around since the 1980s that can’t do more than 27 just because there’s a current hike in interest.

Space is tight at Toronto. Jake Galstad/Motorsport Images

Q: On the April 3, 2024 edition of a podcast, Mark Miles clearly states that guaranteed entries will not be a part of the potential franchise system. You continue to suggest that the possibility of guaranteed entries has not been ruled out, and that you think Penske Entertainment is just stupid enough to not make "the right decision." Are you saying that Mark Miles is lying? Is so, on what basis?

Kirby, Indianapolis, IN

MP: What I’m saying is I rely on my own work and what I’m told to my face, not being baited into some bull**** about whether Miles is or isn’t lying to someone else.

Before I interviewed Miles about charters at The Thermal Club on March 23 for our feature that went live on April 3, I made plenty of calls and did a lot of research and verification beforehand about the charter plans, and he confirmed the current plan which is for the 25 to have guaranteed starting spots. Prior to my Miles interview, two other sources confirmed the 25 guarantees; Miles was simply the voice to back it up in print. I also noted in our charter story that the only major question left on this facet was whether the 25 guarantees would apply to the Indy 500, noting my sources said it’s 50-50.

For giggles, I rang one of those sources today to ask if what Miles told me on March 23 might have changed in the days leading into whatever interview you’re relying on, and I was told no. I was told there’s been no change, and the plan for the 25 to be guaranteed everywhere (but possibly the Indy 500) is still the plan.

If that were to change, and the guarantees get taken away, that would be a development that happens between today, April 13, and the finalization of the charter system.

Q: I was surprised that IMSA announced its 2025 schedule so early in the year. I was kind of hoping to see some new venues, or the return of tracks that had been off the schedule like Mid-Ohio or Lime Rock. What are the chances of seeing those tracks come back on the calendar? Also, are there any other tracks IMSA is considering having a race at in the near future?

Brandon Karsten

MP: I haven’t heard of anything truly new coming into play. I suspect Mid-O and LRP are first alternates if any of the existing venues fall through, but the reason IMSA was able to publish its schedule this early is due to the long-term agreements it has with the tracks in its schedule.

Q: I found a promo code for free Friday tickets to the Long Beach Grand Prix and I will be going. However, I don’t want to pay extra for reserved parking. So where’s the best place to get free parking that’s easy to find?

Aeren Maxfield, Westminster, CA

MP: Please pay extra for reserved parking or use one of the parking garages behind Ocean Blvd. The far-off places where you might park come with a strong chance of getting a parking ticket. Back in the day, I tried the free parking routine once… and only once.

Q: Five days after the announcement about Katherine Legge and Gradient’s split, we haven’t heard much more about it. Katherine is a strong racer, a personality and so good for the sport, so the story’s surrounding circumstances like the Indy 500, Elf’s strong support, the wreck at Sebring, being let go right after she’s inducted into the Long Beach Motorsport Walk of Fame, not finishing the last two races, and possible responsibility conflicts between her teams (Gradient and Coyne) are too interesting for me to ignore.

With Elf on board, is it possible that she is getting a full-time IndyCar ride? Is she moving to a more competitive IMSA team after the 500? Is she out of a drive for the rest of the season? I hope you can bring some light to the story.

Cris Band, Knoxville, TN

MP: I’m sure there’s plenty of drama to unearth here for someone who wants to spend the time. Of the things I’ve read, her Indy 500 sponsor was involved in her 2023 program at RLL, so it’s an existing relationship that has led the sponsor to confirm a single event so far at Indy. There was a vacancy in Coyne’s No. 51 Honda this weekend for Long Beach, but Coyne opted to put Jack Harvey in the car, so it suggests Legge’s sponsor isn’t looking to put her in the No. 51 for the rest of the year, unless it’s meant to start later in the season.

The only IMSA teams that come to mind that might have a seat to offer or sell after the first three races have been held would not be considered more competitive than Gradient.

Q: I cannot believe that IndyCar’s marketing group cannot find one sponsor for a race between St. Pete and the LBGP. We have available Watkins Glen, VIR, Sebring (if they test there they can race there), NOLA, Richmond, Kentucky, Texas, COTA, Thermal, Sonoma and Willow Springs. I believe that the marketing group is not that interested in finding a sponsor. Why can't Roger Penske, for the betterment of IndyCar, pony up the cash for just one race? He can figure out how to make it a tax loss.

Second, when you write about hybrid racing and start talking about the "regen" zones, kilojoules required for this and that, capacitors, battery storage and design my eyes just glaze over. I have no interest in this hybridization of IndyCar. Why is it that the "elite" teams get to test it and the "lesser" teams do not? Another bad management decision by IndyCar. Oh, wait, Penske’s team gets the chance to test it. Never mind.

I am happy that Penske was not able to buy an interest in the LBGP. With his bad management decisions regarding how IndyCar is run, there’s no telling what would have happened to this great race if he had purchased a controlling stake. Perhaps sell out to NASCAR?

Finally, why does IndyCar have to have a guy walking around in a Firestone Firehawk costume? Total nonsense. Another gimmick that needs to be put to pasture.

Jerry, Houston

MP: I’m fairly confident it’s Firestone that has someone walking around in a Firehawk costume. I’ll let you be the one to tell the countless number of kids who run to pose with that mascot at every race that it needs to stop.

Not sure the Firestone Firehawk is a bird you want to mess with, Jerry from Houston. Chris Jones/IMS Photo

Q: Did you see the interview where Larson referenced a data system he has in NASCAR that allows him to review laps, and it is not available in  IndyCar? Do you know what he was talking about?

Gray Fowler

MP: I didn’t fully grasp what he was saying, but he’s wrong if he said IndyCar’s in the dark. NASCAR is brand-new to onboard data. IndyCar has had it since the 1980s. IndyCar teams have also had the ability for many years to pull data from the collective feed to the broadcast that they use on the screen and compare their info against their rivals.

Q: It is very rough for Andretti Global after losing its bid to enter Formula 1 and get North American talent into the premier open-wheel series in the world. But it bothered me when Colton Herta returned back in the States to compete in Indy Lights (now NXT). I can forget those events when he competed in the Euro Formula Open which is the weakest series in Europe. I was disappointed that a GP3 team invited Colton to test out a car. By any chance were there any GP3 teams that had interest in testing him? And what was Bryan Herta and Michael Andretti’s take on bringing Colton back onto the U.S. ladder series?

JLS, Chicago, IL

MP: I have no clue on which GP3 teams might have had an interest in Colton nearly a decade ago.

Colton wasn’t an Andretti driver when he was in Europe, so Michael was not involved in where he raced before Indy Lights. The Hertas paid for Colton to race outside the U.S. and spent what they could afford. Funding a full FIA Formula 3 season, which is where they wanted to place him since GP3 was fading, was not something the Hertas could afford, so he was brought home.

It was in that return where the business relationship with the Steinbrenner family, and subsequently with Andretti, where Colton was able to continue. All of this was re-affirmed or further explained in a call today with Bryan.

Q: How is Mike Shank? I heard that he was pulling back a bit from the stand and strategy, and the last couple of times I saw him on TV he looked a bit thinner.

I have a lot a respect for Shank, based on where he came from and what he has accomplished. I hope he is OK.

BTW My opinion (for what it’s worth) is that the greatest need that IndyCar has is promotion. Maybe "Sulli" and Jim Meyer and some of the other professionals/team co-owners could push for that, and pony up some cash or equivalents  -- production of shows, etc.

Bruce

MP: Shank’s his same old self. Yes, as his demands are changing with more time needed to run the team, he’s doing less on the on-track side during the sessions. Jim Meyer is super smart and knows a lot of people who could help. James Sullivan’s been out of IndyCar for many years and is focusing on his championship-winning IMSA program with Lexus.

Q: I'm following up on the questions about the Williams and Alpine chassis situation from last week. This F1 season started off with Saudi Arabia, Australia and Japan in the first four races, which are all tracks that tend to have big crashes. Do teams bring more parts to tracks that they deem to have high chances of crashes, and what would happen if an entire team was unable to compete on a weekend with all the back to backs on the 2025 schedule?

Will From Indy

CHRIS MEDLAND: They certainly try to bring more spares for those sorts of races, yes. Teams will look at the venues likely to have high attrition or incidents and target their manufacturing plans accordingly, but as has been the case recently, that doesn’t mean they always have them available!

There are different ways around it -- you can make parts from different materials than carbon fiber to have them more quickly and cheaply, but if they’re made out of a metal, for example, they’ll be heavier and therefore offer poorer performance. Or you can use parts from the previous car if they are extremely similar and fit, but again, that will come at a loss of performance.

Those are only solutions in desperate situations, and James Vowles told Williams it couldn’t do that this year as he looked to improve the quality of the car and its spares.

You raise a great point about the calendar, though. Bahrain was a safe race as it’s so unlikely you have a chassis written off there -- Romain Grosjean in 2020 is an exception, but proves it can happen -- so that back-to-back with Saudi was less dangerous to negotiate with no spare. But in 2025, Australia ahead of China and Japan ahead of Bahrain and Saudi means no team can afford to be in the same situation as they’d miss the following race, too.

That said, most teams had significantly different cars this year as they approach it as a two-year cycle where they will just upgrade this car until the end of 2025, rather than build a totally new one next year. That’s because of the regulation change in 2026 that will require all of their focus from as early as possible, so the 2025 car should be similar enough to this year’s that the current chassis and spares can serve as back-ups if needed.

Q: After every F1 race, drivers are available for interviews/questions in a designated press area. Every single driver is accompanied by another team member. This person certainly appears to be recording every conversation with a press individual. What is going on here? Who is this unknown person and why the recordings? Sky Sports people go up and down pit row all the time interviewing team members and no one is observing or receiving anything. Just curious, no complaints.

Bob Anderson, Arlington Heights, IL

CM: That’s one of the teams’ press officers, who are making sure the drivers are carrying out their media duties and not just disappearing at the first opportunity. They’re keeping an eye on which outlets have been spoken to already, who has yet to be addressed, and when they might be free. They record it all so they have the original quotes in case they feel their driver is misquoted or says something they shouldn’t, and they also often build the driver’s post-session press release quote from those comments, too.

On the grid or in the pit lane, it’s usually pre-organized to some extent. I do the same for SiriusXM and you check who is willing to talk on the grid ahead of the season, then you catch either their eye or that of their press officer before approaching them, in case they really don’t want to speak.

As it's a live one-on-one discussion and not in the press area, there’s more space so there’s often a press officer nearby, but they’re trusting the discussion and know it goes out live so there’s no point checking/recording the quotes as they happen. On very rare occasions they will ask for a link to the broadcast though if anything controversial comes up and they want to check what was said. It’s team-specific as to how it’s handled -- some will still record everything, others will leave you to it a bit more, knowing you will be fair and that you have a good enough relationship with the person you’re interviewing. But one-on-one interviews from a written media perspective regularly have a press officer sitting in on them in F1, which can be a bit frustrating.

Personally, I wish the drivers/team members were trusted a bit more, but also were a bit more proactive themselves, rather than almost needing babysitting at times to ensure they carry out their media duties.

Aston's "babysitters" making sure Fernando and Lance are in the right place and saying the right things at Suzuka. Zak Mauger/Motorsport Images

Q: Regarding Ferrari and Hamilton, we must remember that others answered the siren call in the middle or later in their careers: Prost, Mansell, Alonso and Vettel. However, I don’t recall similar B.S. directed at them as has been directed at Hamilton. Clearly there is a double standard, but we knew that already. So, the question is, how will this future relationship work?

Don Hopings, Cathedral City, CA

CM: Forgive me if I’ve missed something Don, but I haven’t noticed criticism of Hamilton for this move at all. In fact in the coverage we’ve provided, I talked about how tough the current situation must be for him because he’s still got this year to get through at Mercedes before he can focus one what looks like a great move given where Ferrari’s heading. Feel free to write back in and let me know what in particular you’re referring to, though.

I’ve noticed more commentary around Carlos Sainz and whether Ferrari replaced the wrong driver, which it hasn’t. Charles Leclerc is a great talent too, and younger (although I keep prematurely aging Carlos, who is still only 29), and both are just so closely matched that there’s no decisively right or wrong choice around who to replace there -- you just don’t pass up the chance to sign Hamilton.

Given the relationship between Fred Vasseur and Hamilton -- which dates back to Vasseur running Hamilton in his ART junior teams -- I don’t think there’s going to be an issue at all. Hamilton will be getting a fresh start, and already has huge respect for Vasseur and his management style. Add in the attractions of being part of the Ferrari brand and everything that partnership will be doing away from racing, and I honestly think it’s going to be a far more positive 2025 for Hamilton than if he was still waiting for Mercedes to try and turn things around.

Q: I have noticed that at least for the Australian and Japanese Grands Prix, Sky TV has not been taking as many of their on-air talent to the race but instead have been showing some of them in the UK Studio. Is this a cost-cutting measure, and will it continue all season?

Sean P. Walsh, Arlington, VA

CM: The same will be true in China, but as far as I’m aware that’s the last race that will use the studio as the base. The core presenting team has been in the studio, partly due to the timing of the races (Sky is a British broadcaster so its main audience is watching in the early hours if tuning in live for Australia/Japan/China, and more so just for the racing action at that stage) but it has still had people on the ground, too.

From Miami, the entire team is back on-site and that’s set to be the norm for all of the European rounds and Canada, and I’ve not heard that it will be any different for the flyaways at the end of the season, either (although I guess if feedback is positive it could change).

I’m sure if it saves costs that’s not seen as a negative by Sky, but there are also other factors that stakeholders have to take into account such as carbon footprint -- just look at F1’s recent release about how it’s progressing towards its Net Zero target with changes to its broadcast and a far bigger chunk of remote operations.

Q: Lately I have heard a lot about F1 cars performing differently in the wind tunnel than on the track, and I was wondering if the use of A.I. could close the gap for the teams? Adrian Newey seems to have it figured out; Red Bulls’ cars seem to work as planned through practice, qualifying and the race, but other teams, not so much. I realize that they would run different set ups through practice, etc,, but was wondering if A.I. could help with choosing which setting to use, or even change the setting instead of relying on input from the driver or team. Perhaps they are already using A.I., but I was just curious as to how it could/or is used.

John Furnis

CM: In a sense, simulators are A.I, aren’t they? You’re inputting as much data as possible for the simulator to be able to recreate reality, and tell you what it believes changes will do in the real world. It then learns from each change that is made or each additional bit of data to ideally provide a more accurate outcome.

"Correlation" is always the word used, and it’s because there will always be a difference between what simulations are telling you and the true reality on track because there so many variables, but you want that difference to be predictable and understood. That then gives you more confidence when you make changes or developments, that you know what the outcome is most likely to be (even if it’s not the exact outcome the simulation is showing).

The other point to make is that a car still needs to be drivable by a human. A simulation might give you the best way of setting the car up for the fastest lap time, but if the human behind the wheel can’t extract it then it’s pointless. You’re finding the best result for the driver to get the most possible performance out of the car they can, so they need to be in the loop as a key component.

Q: I was reading that Alpine is considering selling its F1 team. Could this be an opening for Andretti Global to get into F1 by buying Alpine? They had a contract to lease Renault engines for several years until Cadillac was able to build its own. If Andretti could go this route, do you still believe the other teams vote against it?

Frank, Mooresville

CM: I’ve had a strong denial from Alpine when it comes to sales rumors, and Bruno Famin has come out publicly saying as such, too. From the discussions I’ve had with those close to the Andretti project as well, the route of purchasing an existing team is not one it’s exploring.

But no, I absolutely don’t think any teams would vote against a team being bought, because I’m pretty certain they can’t. They don’t have a say in who owns a team, and don’t have a vote on whether a new entrant comes in either, that is all from Formula One Management. But the teams don’t have an issue with Andretti, they have an issue with losing revenue by adding an 11th team and having to split their income 11 ways rather than 10.

Andretti might be able to buy some cool Alpine merch if this Japanese fan's race suit is anything to go by, but the team itself is off-limits. Simon Galloway/Motorsport Images

Q: With Alonso resigning at Aston, I guess it's safe to assume that the whole Honda/GP2 engine brew-ha-ha is now water under the bridge?

Shawn, MD

CM: Yep, absolutely! Fernando himself actually pointed to the Honda performance with Red Bull and future partnership with Aston as a key component to him wanting to extend his stay and be part of it.

Honda itself has said that it was aware of Aston’s interest in extending Alonso’s contract -- and Aston even checked if that would be an issue, given the history -- but the Japanese manufacturer sees it as a very different time and believes the partnership will be stronger for it.

I can’t see it being an issue at all, unless the Honda power unit is really poor in 2026… All of the recent signs are that won’t be the case, but while the history would make it an even better story if Alonso and Honda are successful together, it also might make cracks appear a little more easily.

Q: I find the talk about track limits in some series interesting, but NASCAR at Phoenix makes a complete joke out of it. What do you use as a basis for determining average speeds? I’ve been to Phoenix and cutting across the dogleg back then couldn’t be done because there was no pavement down there. Today it is just a mockery of what a paved racetrack should be. Who thought this was a good idea, and are there any plans to correct this?

Don Hopings, Cathedral City, CA

KELLY CRANDALL: There are no plans to correct anything at Phoenix Raceway, and NASCAR doesn’t see it as an issue for it to get into. It’s driver choice to cut the dogleg, and they do it quite simply because there is room there and if they don’t do it, they know someone else will. There is a belief there is time to gain or a move to be made using up all of the racetrack. It looks a bit ridiculous, for sure, and who knows if there really is that big of a time difference to be made. But the drivers see it as something to use, and they do.

THE FINAL WORD

From Robin Miller's Mailbag, April 17, 2019

Q: Did the majority of the contemporaries of Foyt, Jones, and Gurney also have great respect for Jim Clark? This question comes up due someone commenting on the RACER website recently that “…Clark was surprisingly weak in cars of equal pace," implying, I guess, that Clark was only good when he had a superior car, and that he was not a real “racer.” This sounds absolutely preposterous. Do you agree?

Ron N

ROBIN MILLER: Not sure what that "expert" based his comments on, but all you have to do is look at Riverside in 1967 when JC hopped in Rolla Vollstedt’s car and staged a great duel with Dan Gurney for first place, and he took it before breaking down. Don’t think any of Rolla’s cars had led a lap prior to that. And A.J., Parnelli and Ward had nothing but admiration for the wee Scot.