Chip Ganassi is interested in signing Valtteri Bottas if a recent tweet by the legendary team owner is any guide.
The Finn is unlikely to be going anywhere anytime soon, given he has not yet completed the first Formula 1 season of a multi-year deal with Alfa Romeo Sauber.
However, he left open the prospect of a future in IndyCar in comments made in an interview on the Slow News Day podcast ahead of the just-completed United States Grand Prix, furthermore describing the category as “quite interesting”.
Those comments were shared on Twitter by the account of IndyCar’s domestic television rights holder, NBC, which Ganassi has now responded to with a simple message.
“Give him my cell number!” he replied in a tweet of his own.
Chip Ganassi Racing is reportedly looking to once again field four full-time entries and a fifth for the Indianapolis 500, as it did this year, although the make-up of the team will look somewhat different.
This year’s Indy 500 winner, Marcus Ericsson, will continue in Car #8; six-time champion and 2022 series runner-up Scott Dixon remains in Car #9; and 2021 champion Alex Palou will indeed stay on in Car #10.
How and if Jimmie Johnson fits in as he moves into semi-retirement remains to be seen, while Tony Kanaan has been linked to the potential fourth McLaren SP car after finishing third in the extra Ganassi entry at the Brickyard this year.
Looking forward to 2024, one would have to question whether Palou remains, considering the bizarre legal dispute over his services when he sought to leave for McLaren Racing and a Formula 1 testing opportunity.
It is therefore not unlikely that Ganassi would be on the lookout for a replacement beyond the next season.
However, they might have a hard time convincing Bottas to make the switch so soon.
Give him my cell number!
— Chip Ganassi (@GanassiChip) October 26, 2022
The 33-year-old confirmed he has thought about a future in the United States, but currently feels he has multiple years more left in him in F1.
“I have [thought about it], actually,” he stated.
“I still definitely have a few more years in F1, no doubt; I still feel like I have things to give for this sport; but eventually… I have thought about it.
“IndyCar is quite interesting, but we’ll see.
“I don’t really yet have to think about it too much but eventually I will have to. You never know.”
On the attraction of IndyCar, Bottas explained, “For me, it seems like it’s a pretty cool series; the race tracks, they are nice; the racing seems really real; probably from my understanding, a little bit less politics than F1; and it seems like it’s been gaining popularity recently, at least in Europe.
“I know many people who follow that series, and let’s see.”
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