Marcus Armstrong has come a long way from his junior days at Ferrari, where he was a member of their driver academy between 2017 and 2021.
After two mediocre years in Formula 2, he was left to complete the 2022 campaign with Hitech all by himself.
It yielded his third straight 13th-place finish in the series before he moved to IndyCar, where results have been mixed.
Gradually, his consistency has improved and results started to flow with it until he was left to find another team ahead of the 2025 season.
Marcus Armstrong’s Ferrari meeting turned into a ‘therapy session’
As a result of Chip Ganassi Racing downsizing to three cars from five, the Kiwi was left to find another drive – where he eventually signed for Meyer Shank Racing.
There he will partner former coach Felix Rosenqvist and should be able to learn a lot from the experienced Swede.
But speaking on the Speed Street podcast, he revealed how his path to North America had a few funny turns.
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“When I was a young boy in the Ferrari driver academy, and I’m going to tell this story and hopefully I don’t get in trouble.
“One of the first meetings I had with one of the bosses of the FDA was, ‘Marcus, who are you?’ And I said ‘I’m a racing driver’ and he goes ‘No, Marcus, who are you?’ and I said ‘I don’t know, a human being?’ and [again] ‘No Marcus, who are you’.
“[Replies] ‘I don’t know man, I’m just a guy.’ Ultimately it was almost like a therapy session in the end, because I don’t really know who I am.”
How Armstrong’s identity has grown over the past few years
Armstrong has established himself within IndyCar as one of the brightest prospects on the grid, which is why he was able to find a drive so quickly after departing Chip Ganassi.
The young Kiwi earned his maiden podium at the Grand Prix of Detroit in 2024, and better results could be on their way soon.
Series legend Dario Franchitti has been keeping a close eye on him and remarked that he will enjoy the party when he wins his first race.
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For now, he needs to take time to adjust and get used to a new environment, which he will head into alongside trainer Angela Cullen.
His fellow countrywoman paired up with him last year after a split from Formula 1 seven-time champion Lewis Hamilton.