Photo Credit: IndyCar
On October 3, it was announced 2016 IndyCar Series Rookie of the Year Alexander Rossi will be returning to pilot the Andretti-Herta Autosport No.98 entry.
“Alexander showed tremendous growth this year and we are excited to welcome him back to the team,” team owner Michael Andretti quoted. “In his first IndyCar season, Alexander was able to form trusting relationships with the team’s engineers, mechanics and his teammates and that itself is a great foundation to begin 2017. We also know he is competitive and can win races. Continuity plays a big role in the success of our programs and being able to confirm that Alexander is remaining with the team is incredible. His extension, along with Ryan [Hunter-Reay] and Marco’s [Andretti] continuance is a promising factor for not only the team, but the series as well.”
In February 2016 just a few weeks before the season opener in St. Petersburg, Florida, Andretti-Herta Autosport came about when Andretti Autosport and Bryan Herta Autosport merged together. They signed the eventual 100th Running of the Indianapolis 500 champion for the whole season and Herta expressed happiness in seeing Rossi return for 2017.
“Knowing that Alexander will be returning to the No. 98 Andretti-Herta Autosport car provides us with the stability and continuity we need to strive for even higher results,” Bryan Herta co-owner of the No. 98 entry added. “Last season showed great progress, and I could not be more excited about our prospects moving forward. Last season we were late in the game putting our deal together. This winter we are focused on the season ahead, the continuation of our successful partnership with Andretti Autosport, and seeing Alexander become a consistent winner in the Verizon IndyCar series.”
The American driver came to IndyCar from Formula 1 and said it is nice to know what will happen in the next year and is happy to be able to stay with the same team for 2017.
“You’re absolutely right, I mean, it’s been very challenging the past kind of seven years not knowing what’s going to happen, and everything seems to come very late towards the February month,” Rossi stated. “So going into winter and going into an off-season having a direction and a focus is a huge plus for me and something I’m very appreciative for. I think that the team as well, based on how late the merger came together, the fact that we can have an actual off-season to prepare and focus on 2017 is going to be a huge positive for everyone all around.”
Rossi had an amazing first year in the series as not only did he win the 100th Running of the Indy 500, but he also won 2016 Rookie of the Year honors as well.
“It’s been challenging. It’s no secret that I haven’t been very happy with it for quite a few reasons, but obviously the flagship event and the highlight race is the 100th running of the Indianapolis 500 gave us an incredible year from the standpoint of my future in America and the future of my career in IndyCar,” Rossi added. “And I think that definitely shifted the direction of a lot of things. Having said that, I think there are a lot of areas that we need to improve on this winter in preparation for next year, and we have a huge task ahead of us this winter to make sure that we’re in the front come St. Petersburg.”
Rossi says at the end of 2016, he will not have any part of Formula 1 and mainly be focused on IndyCar and preparing for the season opener on March 12 in St. Pete.
“Well, obviously, I’m contracted to F1 through the end of 2016, so, yes, in terms of I am going to Austin and Mexico, those are the next races I’m going to, and Abu Dhabi as well, actually,” Rossi continued. “So those are the three races that I have for the end of this year, and then beyond that my focus is on IndyCar, and I won’t be continuing 2017 as any type of reserve driver.”
He said his decision to not continue in Formula 1 was pretty much made after he raced his first IndyCar race in St. Pete and was definitely made after winning the 500.
“I really started to enjoy the championship and appreciate what the Verizon IndyCar Series has to offer and I gained a lot of respect for the championship throughout this year,” Rossi said. “And I was actually offered when Rio Haryanto was leaving Manor as a race driver in August, I was offered to take his place for the rest of the year and I turned it down because I didn’t feel that that was an appropriate thing to do based on my relationship with Andretti Autosport and Honda and the Verizon IndyCar Series. “So it’s a decision I made back then. It’s October now, so it’s not anything — I’ve already come to terms with it and focused on my career in IndyCar.”
Rossi said winning the 500 changed his racing life in a huge way as it provided him the chance to stay in IndyCar and set stepping stones for his future in the sport; however in his actual day to day life nothing has changed.
“There’s still, you look at the Indianapolis 500 as an iconic race and one that you want to win, but you’re also looking at the rest of the races as a whole as well,” Rossi stated. “And you have to put the same amount of attention and focus on those, so just because you win that one, it doesn’t mean that you can kind of step off the gas, if you will, for the rest of your day-to-day routine.”
The Nevada City, California native says he realized IndyCar was where he wanted to be when he saw how competitive the sport was and that he wasn’t able to get the results he wanted right away. He says when he didn’t win as many races as he wanted, it lit a desire in him to keep coming back until he accomplishes more wins.
“Obviously, I started the year with a completely unknown — I had no understanding of what the Verizon IndyCar Series was or what it stood for,” Rossi continued. “The first thing that struck me was competitiveness, which I hugely enjoy, and the second thing was how diverse you have to be in order to win this championship, and the fact that they’re so different. The fact that there are so many different tracks and you have to be good at so many different things, I think is a very unique thing and something that I’ve really enjoyed being a part of this year. “
