Back in 2016, nobody could've predicted Alexander Rossi's rise. The former Formula 1 tester landed in IndyCar with Andretti-Herta Autosport with Curb Agajanian, and made an impact quickly. Rossi won the 100th running of the Indy 500 in only his sixth IndyCar start. Flash forward three years and Rossi is now an IndyCar star.
While in the hunt for the 2019 championship, Rossi was very unsure as to where he planned to race in 2020. Rumours had popped up hinting of a move to Arrow Schmidt-Peterson Motorsports or even joining a super team over at Team Penske, but in the end Rossi chose to re-up his contract to drive for Andretti Autosport in the No.27 NAPA Auto Parts/AutoNation Honda.
Getting a new contract means a lot for the Californian driver, who knows how much this means to his family and team.
"It means everything." said Rossi "At the end of the day when all this started, Andretti Autosport and Honda, we all have the same intentions, the same outlook. It was just a matter of finding a way to put all the pieces together and make it work for everyone.
"It's been an amazing season to be able to talk about the huge amount of trust in relationships," Rossi added. "That's really what made this decision what it is. This is home for me. This is the team I know. Michael gave me the opportunity in 2016 when I was an unknown to this series and really North American racing."
With that out of the way, it helps Rossi to focus on what he does best: race. With Mid-Ohio in just a few short hours, Rossi's championship hunt continues.
"it's all behind-the-scenes stuff. It's a really good thing for all the 27 boys, for the whole team to know that my confidence and my faith has always been in them.
"I feel like that's a very mutual thing that we have. Trust, relationships, as I said earlier, are a huge part of this sport. Continuity is a really, really important thing that teams can build off of. You see results start to come when this flow of communication is at a level where it needs to be. I think we have that.
"The fact this is all behind us, the fact that we can focus on the day-to-day, executing on the racetrack, is a very positive thing" Said Rossi "I'm very excited. I'm very thankful. I had a lot of really strong support through this whole process from my family, from my father, manager specifically, who kind of kept me focused on being able to do my job on the racetrack throughout this process, could trust that the off-track stuff was going to be handled."
Rossi's signing makes this off season as tough as ever, now that the top prospect it's up to the rookies to make something happeens. At the end of the day, Rossi is confident is his team. Confident in his ability as a driver and pit crew. Rossi is ready for the future.
"We make a great team. Couldn't do without all the people that are in my corner."
Discussion about this post