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Alexander Rossi said Sunday in Toronto that he would decide where he will drive in 2020 "before the end of the year."
But after talking to Michael Andretti, the most coveted IndyCar freestyle player remains in place despite the interest of Roger Penske and at least one other major team in the IndyCar paddock.
Andretti, who with Bryan Herta gave Rossi his first IndyCar race in 2016, said last month that his team wanted to keep the 27-year-old Californian and that the winner of the 2016 Indy wanted to stay
Asked Sunday before the start of the Honda Indy Toronto if he had advanced in negotiations with Rossi, Andretti was optimistic.
"I think things are going well. They are not there yet but we are close. I think that goes in the right direction. "
Penske wants to sign the former Formula 1 driver who has won seven times since 2016; was second in the 2018 standings; and is only four points behind Josef Newgarden in the 2019 NTT title race.
In addition to confirming that Simon Pagenaud would be back next year after his victory at Indianapolis last May, The Captain will never discuss changes or driver changes before the end of the season. The owner of the most winning car in the history of IMS and IndyCar said earlier this summer at RACER.com that he would only run four cars in Indianapolis, but it is obvious that this could change if Rossi came on board.
Rumor has it that Sam Schmidt, Rick Peterson and ARROW made a substantial offer for Rossi's services, but Schmidt was not in Toronto and Peterson could not be located for comment.
It seems more and more likely that Andretti Autosport will retain the power of Rossi and Honda by 2020. Image by Galstad / LAT
Keeping Rossi is probably Andretti's main goal, although the manufacturer who leads his team of four cars is also an important issue.
Chevrolet is believed to be playing for Andretti Autosport, while Honda desperately wants to stick to one of its flagship teams, including Ryan Hunter-Reay and young stars Colton Herta and Marco Andretti.
RHR won the 2012 IndyCar title for Andretti, with Chevrolet.
Andretti was asked if there was a movement on the engine:
"Honda has been great. We have very good relations and we hope to put something in place. We are really very close there too.
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