Although the reasons behind this month’s 33 cars for 33 spots are known, the situation doesn’t sit well with Indianapolis Motor Speedway and IndyCar Series President Doug Boles.

IndyCar has formally advised teams that non-charter entries will be locked out of races other than the Indianapolis 500 from next season onwards.

Multiple sources have told RACER the polesitters for last year’s Indy 500, which fielded two full-time entries for Callum Ilott and Robert Shwartzman, have shifted their efforts to making a return at some point after the month of May.

With Andretti Global’s decision to park its fourth entry, the IndyCar Series continues to sit one car short of filling its minimum number of starting positions. To date, 31 cars have been confirmed.

Since RACER’s most recent Indy 500 entry list update was published, more developments have taken place, starting with Abel Motorsports, which filed an entry this week.

The Indy 500 is likely to have its traditional 33 entries this year, but the final pieces of the puzzle have yet to fall into place.

Gabriele Minì started off the opening weekend of the FIA Formula 2 season in Melbourne on a strong footing ending the practice session at Albert Park quickest of all, while America's Colton Herta had a rough start to his rookie campaign, triggering a red flag with a spin.

Hopes have dimmed for the IndyCar Series to continue its trend of having at least 27 cars to open the season and run at capacity for the entirety of the championship.

10 of last year's 11 full-time IndyCar teams have headed down to Florida to test at Sebring International Raceway.

With a paddock-wide test in place for Monday and Tuesday at Sebring’s short course, an official test on the Phoenix oval the following week, and opening practice for the first race of the season just three weeks away at St. Petersburg, the clock is ticking for PREMA to fill the 26th and 27th grid positions for the IndyCar Series.