Speedcafe understands Scott Dixon is on the brink of leaving Honda’s top team Chip Ganassi Racing for Chevrolet rival McLaren.
Ganassi’s exclusive negotiating window with Dixon recently lapsed, allowing the Indianapolis 500 winner to speak with other teams.
Dixon has been a staple at Ganassi since 2003, taking all six of his IndyCar titles with the North American open-wheel racing titans.
It’s not the first time Dixon has been linked to McLaren.
Even as far back as 2018, Dixon entertained the idea of a move to Zak Brown’s team before re-signing with Chip Ganassi.
Even at 45 years old and as the elder statesman of IndyCar, Dixon’s signature would be a significant scalp for any team that could afford him.
Take the short survey.
As for who would replace Dixon at Ganassi, Speedcafe understands there would be a straight swap between the New Zealander and McLaren star Christian Lundgaard.
Lundgaard has been a standout this season, regularly matching McLaren favourite Pato O’Ward.
He has two wins to his name this season while O’Ward is still searching for a breakthrough.
The Danish driver leads his Mexican rival to the tune of 40 points in the championship a little over halfway through the 18-race season.
Speedcafe understands Ganassi also looked at Meyer Shank Racing incumbent Marcus Armstrong to take Dixon’s place before settling on Lundgaard.
Armstrong has been on loan from Ganassi since the beginning of last year.
He joined Ganassi in 2023, but when IndyCar changed its rules to limit teams to three full-time cars in 2025 he was shipped off to the Jim Meyer- and Mike Shank-run squad.
The team is keen to keep Armstrong and Rosenqvist’s exit will surely free up some capital to convince the Kiwi to stay.
Rosenqvist informed MSR of his plan to leave prior to the most-recent round at Road America. Just days later, Armstrong almost scored his first IndyCar race win until a cruel engine failure.
With its technical alliance to Chip Ganassi Racing, the second seat at Meyer Shank Racing is understandably prized among the paddock’s free agents.
Caio Collet has already been earmarked as an early candidate for the vacant seat.
Meyer Shank Racing driver and co-owner Helio Castroneves told Brazilian media this week that the AJ Foyt Racing driver is on the team’s radar.
Whether for his standout performance at the Indianapolis 500 or any cash that he could bring, the team has a couple of good reasons to look at Collet.
As for Rosenqvist, his destination is unannounced. Early indications are that there is space at Andretti Global and McLaren.
There were suggestions earlier this week that Rosenqvist could replace compatriot Marcus Ericsson at Andretti.
However, the wind has swung around with claims that McLaren is the more likely option where the Swede would replace Nolan Siegel.
This year is the last on Siegel’s contract with McLaren. While his teammates Lundgaard and O’Ward ride in fourth and fifth respectively, Siegel is only 21st with one top 10 to his name.
Siegel’s tenure at McLaren has been questioned ad nauseam, though the American is known to bring funding to that team to the tune of more than $1 million.
An O’Ward/Dixon/Rosenqvist line-up would be a costly exercise for McLaren with one of IndyCar’s most popular drivers, the six-time champion, and this year’s Indianapolis 500 winner.
A line-up like that would, however, make it an absolute powerhouse against the series giants Ganassi and Penske.
The situation at Andretti Global is an interesting one too.
The difference between a one-year extension and a two-year deal made Will Power’s decision to leave Penske for Andretti this season an easy one, so expect him stay on another year.
Teammate Marcus Ericsson hasn’t been bad, per se. However, he hasn’t won a race with the team in his two-and-a-half seasons off the back of his Indianapolis 500 success with Ganassi.
Meanwhile, Kyle Kirkwood has shown that the cars are capable of winning and even contending for the title. As Andretti’s leading effort, don’t expect him to go anywhere.
If there’s anything for Ericsson to be concerned about, maybe it’s Dennis Hauger – who is on loan from Andretti to Dale Coyne Racing.
The Norwegian has a pair of top 10 finishes to his name with Coyne, though no standout performances that may suggest he should be shoehorned into Ericsson’s seat at Andretti.
In any case, Ericsson is off-contract, putting him in a precarious position.
Expect the silly season to unfold quickly as teams and drivers play their high-speed game of musical chairs.
Discussion about this post