The Rahal Letterman Lanigan team have question marks over their driver line-up in IndyCar ahead of next season.
Graham Rahal is confirmed for 2025 but the other two drivers within the team are yet to be selected at RLL for next year.
The American driver has delivered some excellent results this year, taking eighth place in the second race of the weekend at Iowa Speedway in IndyCar.
Pietro Fittipaldi has been improving in the No. 30 car but isn’t secured on the grid for next season, and Christian Lundgaard is moving to Arrow McLaren.
Rahal told motorsport.com that he would be delighted to welcome Alexander Rossi to the team, the American will leave Arrow McLaren after the season finale at Nashville Superspeedway.
Graham Rahal believes ‘it would be great’ to have Alexander Rossi as a teammate in IndyCar
Rossi would be a superb signing for Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing, a driver bringing experience and raw speed to help develop the team.
The 32-year-old has been successful in IndyCar, winning the 100th Running of the Indy 500 in 2016 for the first of Rossi’s eight race wins in the series, and may be able to instil a winning culture into RLL.
Rossi and Rahal would also be a very experienced line-up of drivers who know how to win races, something the team hasn’t done consistently among Team Penske and Chip Ganassi Racing’s domination of the series.
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Rahal would be happy to partner with Rossi in 2025 but also thinks Estonian driver Juri Vips would be a credible candidate.
He said: “I think what I’m looking for is somebody that helps add to the equation. We as a team need to be moving forward, and we need to improve. And that’s the gist of it. I want somebody that’s going to be able to come in and help me. And so help not only me, but help the team.
“It would be great to have a guy like Alex, but obviously Pietro is doing a much better job,” Rahal continued.
“And then, lastly, I’ve said all along Juri deserves a shot; and if it’s not with us, I hope somebody looks at Juri because Juri is a professional.”
Both Alexander Rossi and Juri Vips have shown they have strong pace in IndyCar
Rossi would be a safer option than Vips as a driver who has won races and been consistently reliable over his career.
Vips has impressed when given opportunities with Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing, including in Portland earlier this season. The 24-year-old finished 19th in his first car race of the year.
He has had limited chances in IndyCar and is yet to prove himself over a full season and make his debut on an oval, a vital part of racing in the championship.
This may count against Vips, but he has delivered strong results throughout his career in various junior series and in IndyCar.