Alexander Rossi endured a difficult season in IndyCar, scoring just one podium over the year with third place at Laguna Seca.
The American driver will leave Arrow McLaren after two years with the team and be replaced by Christian Lundgaard in IndyCar.
Rossi was beaten comfortably by his teammate Pato O’Ward, who finished fifth in the standings after enjoying three wins.
The season finale at Nashville Superspeedway ended a captivating title battle, with Alex Palou clinching his third title in four years.
Nashville’s oval featured a bump at the end of the lap at the apex of Turns 3 and 4 that Rossi believes delivered the harshest impact of the year when speaking on the Off Track with Hinch and Rossi YouTube channel.
Alexander Rossi believes the bump at Nashville Superspeedway had ‘the worst impact’
The Nashville Superspeedway was a relative unknown for much of the IndyCar field, having been absent from the calendar since 2008.
Only a few drivers had raced on the circuit previously, including Chip Ganassi Racing’s Scott Dixon, who took victory three times earlier in his career.
The circuit featured a sizeable bump towards the end of the lap, which caused chaos over the weekend. It caused incidents in Indy NXT and a shunt for Nolan Siegel in practice, destroying his Arrow McLaren.
READ MORE: How Logan Sargeant impressed Jim Meyer and Mike Shank ahead of November IndyCar test
Rossi explained it was the bump with ‘the worst impact’ of any circuit on the IndyCar calendar and required a specific set up in the car to manage it.
He said: “Not the worst bump, but the worst impact, whereas at Nashville, it was like, can you survive? You’re better in IndyCar and racing, whatever, you’re better off being as low as you can.
“So can you survive enough over the bump to get all of the benefits of being low ride heights everywhere else in the lap?
“I think, yes, because of the nature of how you tried to set up the car, it was a very dramatic bump. Your car balance had to be in a very specific window for when you went over it.”
Alexander Rossi has no confirmed seat in IndyCar for the 2025 season
Rossi has enjoyed a superb career in IndyCar, winning the 100th Running of the Indy 500 in 2016 for Andretti Autosport.
The 32-year-old may be a good option for an IndyCar team due to his experience at the sharp end of the field.
There is a lack of opportunities for him to remain at the front as Team Penske and Chip Ganassi Racing have settled lineups.
Other teams further down the grid, such as Juncos Hollinger Racing, may be a better option for Rossi as Romain Grosjean‘s future is uncertain.
Italian team PREMA are joining IndyCar next season, and Rossi could be an option to partner Callum Ilott in one of the two Chevrolet-powered cars.