Rumor: Rossi to drive for Arrow McLaren IndyCar team

This rumor is upgraded to ‘fact’ earlier than we expected.

Arrow McLaren SP has signed American driver Alexander Rossi to a multiyear deal for him to drive for the team, starting in 2023. The arrival of Rossi underpins Arrow McLaren SP’s long-term strategy to become a consistent race winner and championship contender.

Rossi, from Nevada City, California, has secured seven wins, six poles and 25 podium finishes since arriving in IndyCar in 2016. His most notable win came as a rookie when he won the historic 100th Running of the Indianapolis 500 in dramatic fashion, coasting across the finish line on fumes.

The American is a versatile driver who has also made five starts in Formula 1, raced the famed Bathurst 1000 in Australia in 2019, won the Baja 1000 in 2021, and took an overall win at the 24 Hours of Daytona in 2021.

Rossi will join the team following the completion of the 2022 NTT INDYCAR SERIES season.

Arrow McLaren SP will hold a press conference tomorrow (Friday, June 3) at 10:30 a.m. ET with Alexander Rossi and Taylor Kiel, President of Arrow McLaren SP, at the Detroit Grand Prix Media Center.

Alexander Rossi, said:
“First, I want to thank everyone at Andretti Autosport for an incredible seven years. It has been a great ride with an awesome team, and it has been an honor to race for the Andretti name and for Michael for so long. The time has come for a new challenge, with a team that is growing in the sport. I look forward to contributing to the development of Arrow McLaren SP and helping them reach the top. I see the commitment this team has to each other and to me, and I’m looking forward to getting started. It’s time for me to race for another one of motorsport’s biggest names: McLaren.”

Taylor Kiel, President, Arrow McLaren SP, said:
“As we look forward to 2023, we are looking for a driver that will be a great fit and bring experience to the team. Alex is a driver who knows what it takes to succeed in this sport and will strengthen our talented driver line-up. He shares the same winning mindset that I see every day across Arrow McLaren SP and I think we will find a lot of success together in the years to come.”

Zak Brown, CEO, McLaren Racing, said:
“Alex is a proven race winner and an Indianapolis 500 champion, who shares our desire to win. It is essential that we put the right talent in place, both inside and outside the car, so we can consistently compete for championships and race wins as a team. He is someone we have had our eye on for some time and we’re excited to see what he’ll do as a part of Arrow McLaren SP.”

June 2, 2022

Rumor has it that departing Andretti Autosport driver Alexander Rossi will be announced as the third Arrow McLaren SP IndyCar driver starting in 2023 at 10:30am Friday morning at the Detroit GP.

We hear he will drive the team’s #5 Dallara Chevy.

The key question is whether Rossi’s new deal includes any chance for him to move up to McLaren’s F1 team, first as a Reserve Driver, then maybe more, given Rossi has unfinished business in F1.

We suspect the deal will be strictly for IndyCar.