Rossi undergoes hand, ankle procedures following Indy 500 practice crash

Alexander Rossi underwent outpatient surgery to a finger on his left hand and to his right ankle after a heavy crash on Monday afternoon while practicing for the Indianapolis 500.

His ECR team says “Rossi’s recovery will be under the care of IndyCar Medical Director Dr. Julia Vaizer and the IndyCar medical team.”

The goal is for the 2016 Indianapolis 500 winner to drive a backup car during Friday’s two-hour Carb Day practice session, the final on-track item on the schedule prior to Sunday’s race, and make use of his front-row starting position in the No. 20 Chevy.

If he’s unable to do so, the series would make a special session available to put a replacement driver through a mandatory refresher program. Of the most likely candidates to have on standby, Callum Ilott, who completed the full 2025 season for PREMA Racing, and 2024 IndyCar rookie of the year Linus Lundqvist have been present at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway all week.

Rossi spun in Turn 2 during the practice session and impacted the wall; he was subsequently hit by Pato O’Ward and was seen limping from his car after the incident. O’Ward and Romain Grosjean, the third driver involved in the crash, were seen and released by IndyCar Medical.