Although we know that fortunately, some
Roundy-Round Star won’t be in consideration this year…
Not sure if it’s a condemnation upon the
current IndyCar season and it’s typical Oh, so S-L-O-W Drip-Drip-Drip season’s
start after a Gory half year’s absence! Before mashing the loud pedal and going
Gangbusters thru thoust “Month of May”, even if it’s really only a svelte nine
days? At least that’s what I came up with from my initial ryth-muh-tickin’.
U2’s bono’ croons in a long ago song title God,
Part 2: “You glorify the past, when the future dries up”. Which in hindsight is
possibly why I went down another Wabbit’ Hole recently, eh?
As I’ve just spent the past three months off ‘n
on updating my Formula 1 seasons Entry lists, specifically in search of each
year’s rookies class participants, Aye Karumba!
Although first I had to create the 1974 F1
season in order to start at year 1975 some four days after this year’s Rolex 24,
Remember that Y’all? Finishing just fived days prior to this year’s Miami Grand
Prix. When IndyCar was butting heads with F1. And those G-Damn’ Taxicab Bombers!
Indy Cars Grand Prix of Alabama began at
10:30AM Pacific on FOX. With my Zap-2-It’ TV guide initially claiming that
Formula One’s Miami Grand Prix started at 12 noon on ABC. Although the race
coverage actually began at 1:00PM Pacific, and NASCAR’s race coverage was listed
as 12:30PM Pacific on FS1.
As may be this is why it felt like just plain
‘Ol PR Spin over the IndyCar ratings “rebounding” to an average of 940k viewers
for Barber Motorsports Park’s FOX broadcast, with a nearly 20% increase over
last year’s NBC viewing.
As I still say Penske Entertainment and IndyCar
are Fooling themselves if they think the easy solution is simply switching TV
Broadcast partners, but I digress…
And while I’ve gleaned that Formula One’s
largest rookie class was a staggering 20 in 1976! Keep in mind that a total of 55
drivers participated, with 48 actually racing! Which is a far cry from today’s
Formula 1, even with this year’s stellar class of four F1 Wookies’.
As I learned that I’ve been incorrect the past
several decades, and that F1 rookie status is any driver with only two total
Grands Prix starts to His, or Her career. Since there’s been only a handful of
Femme Fatales attempting to race in Formula 1 the past half decade.
As I suppose I was Cornfuzed’ since IndyCar
allows rookie status of up to four races in a season. Since that was the
chatter about Nolan Siegel initially trying to preserve His rookie status last
year with Dale Coyne Racing before going fulltime with Arrow McLaren…
Yet strangely, Formula 1, or more correctly,
the Federation Internationale de l’Automobile, nee FIA doesn’t have a Rookie Of
the Year (ROY) award a la IndyCar strictly for F1.
Instead, the FIA has only given out a Rookie Of
the Year award since 2014 which is open to single seaters and rally racing. Handed
out at the yearly FIA prize gala, with last year’s award winner being Formula 2
Champion Gabriel Bortoleto.
As soon, if not already? We’ll be talking about
this year’s crop of four Indianapolis 500 rookies, provided they All make the
show! Even if once again we’ll be discussing Kyle Larson ad nauseum, Groan!
By my unofficial reckoning, Nolan Siegal, Louis
Foster, Jacob Abel and Robert Shwartzman are this year’s four Indianapolis 500
rookies.
Of this quartet you’d have to say on “paper”
that Shwartzman is the most likely to not qualify. Since His very first Oval
experience came during the Open test Rookie Orientation Program (ROP) at Mother
Speedway during April 23-24.
At least that’s what I initially thought. Having
since learned that Shwartzman and Louis Foster both participated in a rookie
oval test at Gateway on April 15th. When I was trying to no avail to find any
articles upon the four drivers passing ROP, which I also Arse-sume they did, El
Correctomundo?
Shwartzman has the added pressure of racing for
the brand new Prema Racing IndyCar team, but apparently is one “Cool” customer
who didn’t get too rattled by the fire He experienced at the Thermal club!
Interestingly, Shwartzman, Foster and Jacob
Abel all hadn’t driven an single seater with the Aeroscreen until this March.
Along with the addition of the still relatively new Hybrid, Err Energy Recovery
System. (ERS)
On the opposite end of the spectrum is Nolan
Siegel, who impressed with His failed rookie attempt to qualify for last year’s
Indianapolis 500 for the plucky Dale Coyne Racing (DCR) outfit. And surely will
qualify this year driving for Arrow Mclaren, Righto?
Know that Mike Hull of Chip Ganassi Racing
(CGR) was Uber impressed with Shwartzman
the day they tested Him, Wayback’ in January, 2023. Whilst CGR was also very
impressed with Abel, who tested for them at Texas Motor Speedway before joining
DCR.
Whilst both Shwartzman and Siegel have race in
the 24 Heurs du Mans, with Shwartzman driving for AF Corse in the top tier
Ferrari 499P Hypercar with Robert Kubica and Yifei Ye.
Meanwhile, Foster is the reigning Indy NXT
Champion, having won 10 of 28 races during His two seasons driving for Andretti
Global.
Foster who now drives for Rahal Letterman
Lanigan Racing also could face an uphill battle, due to RLLR”s last two year’s
struggles at IMS. Not to mention Takuma Sato needing a new Dallara DW12 chassis
built-up for Him following this year’s open test.
But Foster should be able to lean upon not only
a two time winner in Sato, but Graham Rahal should be a steadying influence Me
thinks…
As IndyCar.com’s Eric Smith notes in His Louis
Foster making progress article, beginning with Barber’s. IndyCar will be in the
“Meat” of it’s schedule, racing over 14 of the next 16 weekends, Youza!
So I’d say the two drivers scrapping for the
proverbial “P33” are Shwartzman and Foster. But we’ve already seen five drivers
experiencing trouble during the open test.
As we know about Sato’s heavy wall tag, with
Golden boy Kyle Larson also hitting the wall in Turn-1, both during Thursday
morning’s simulated “High-boost” Qualie’ settings.
Yet Santino Ferrucci needed to replace His Chevrolet engine. Jack Harvey suffered an ERS failure, and Graham Rahal lightly brushed the wall; All of which could happen during the oh, so important qualifying sessions…
