Rossi, Maldonado in frame for IndyCar switch

Alexander Rossi and Pastor Maldonado are both in the frame for a move to IndyCar after losing their F1 seats.

Maldonado was dropped by Renault after problems between the team and sponsors PDVSA, while Rossi lost out on a drive at Manor as the team opted for Pascal Wehrlein and Rio Haryanto as its race drivers. With Gabby Chaves losing the #98 Andretti Autosport-BHA seat in 2016, Bryan Herta says he is looking at those who missed out on F1 drives as well as J.R. Hildebrand.

“We have a shortlist of people we've spoken to – and J.R. is one of them – but it also includes drivers who are no longer in Formula 1 this year, or thought they were going to have Formula 1 rides but now don’t," Herta told Motorsport.com.

“I’ve been involved with the discussions between Andretti and the potential drivers, and right now I’d say there are three or four guys on the shortlist, and two serious ones. And the next 24 to 36 hours will be critical as to which way it goes.”

While Herta would only confirm he has previously spoken to Maldonado, when asked if Rossi is one of the ex-F1 drivers he is considering, he replied: “That would be a good guess.”

Will Stevens could also be in the frame after losing his Manor drive, with all race seats now taken in F1.

Williams FW38: Pat Symonds Q&A

Check out Red Bull Racing's 2016 livery

Key dates for the 2016 F1 season

Keep up to date with all the F1 news via Facebook and Twitter

Andrew Lewin

Andrew first became a fan of Formula 1 during the time when Michael Schumacher and Damon Hill were stepping into the limelight after the era of Alain Prost, Nigel Mansell and Aryton Senna. He's been addicted ever since, and has been writing about the sport now for nearly a quarter of a century for a number of online news sites. He's also written professionally about GP2 (now Formula 2), GP3, IndyCar, World Rally Championship, MotoGP and NASCAR. In his other professional life, Andrew is a freelance writer, social media consultant, web developer/programmer, and digital specialist in the fields of accessibility, usability, IA, online communities and public sector procurement. He worked for many years in magazine production at Bauer Media, and for over a decade he was part of the digital media team at the UK government's communications department. Born and raised in Essex, Andrew currently lives and works in south-west London.

Recent Posts

Verstappen pondered quitting Red Bull, but loyalty stronger

Max Verstappen admits that he pondered a future away from Red Bull earlier this season,…

7 hours ago

Sainz critical of Ferrari's execution: ‘No one’s happy today’

Carlos Sainz delivered a podium finish to Ferrari in Las Vegas, but the Spaniard was…

8 hours ago

Las Vegas GP: Saturday night's action in pictures

There are two more races to go before the curtain falls on F1's 2024 campaign.…

9 hours ago

Horner: Verstappen has 'cemented' position among F1 greats

Red Bull team boss Christian Horner believes that Max Verstappen’s fourth F1 world championship has…

11 hours ago

Norris proud of McLaren, but title 'never really on'

Lando Norris came to Las Vegas with a mathematical chance of catching Max Verstappen in…

12 hours ago

Vasseur plays down Leclerc’s post-race radio rage

Ferrari team principal Fred Vasseur has brushed off Charles Leclerc’s fiery post-race radio message following…

13 hours ago