The 2022 NTT IndyCar Series driver merry-go-round appears to be settling down, with most of the teams having settled their driver line up’s for the upcoming season which is just 117 days away. James Hinchcliffe who returned to Andretti Autosport full-time with Genesys sponsorship looks set to miss out on a seat for next season with the Canadian reportedly set to move to the IMSA WeatherTech Sportscar Championship while also making his return to the broadcast booth with NBC Sports alongside Leigh Diffey, Paul Tracey and Townsend Bell.
It is unclear whether the Mayor of HinchTown will compete in the Indianapolis 500 in May or not. Hinch is one of the most popular drivers in the IndyCar paddock and if he is once again left on the sidelines it will be a huge loss to the NTT IndyCar Series. Hinch would be a great addition to any team in the series and is very good a giving technical feedback and although in motorsport you are only as good as your last race, the Mayor of HinchTown showed some good speed over the course of the 2021 season but was just struck by dire bad luck during the year with the highlight of his season coming in Nashville where he finished on the podium.
Sebastien Bourdais is also looking at the possibility of a partial programme in the NTT IndyCar Series with AJ Foyt Racing as the Frenchman has made the move to Chip Ganassi Racing in the IMSA WeatherTech Sportscar Championship. Paddock Eye understands that Bourdais could share the No.14 ROKiT Chevrolet with Tatiana Calderon for the 2022 season with AJ Foyt Racing keen to see how the Colombian gets on in race conditions having shown great speed during her test with the team earlier this year.
Sebastien Bourdais is a four-time champion and like Hinch is very popular and like the Canadian is a very talented driver and great at giving technical feedback. It is great to see young drivers coming into the series and getting their opportunity but the sport also needs to ensure that drivers like Hinch and Bourdais, fan favourite’s aren’t forced out of the sport.
It will be interesting to see what happens when the merry-go-round stops and who is where. What is really good to see too is the health of the sport with several teams announcing expansions to their programme’s in particular Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing and Meyer Shank Racing.