Written by Dan Jones, Edited by Morgan Holiday
After speaking to 29 drivers across the course of IndyCar's two 2025 content days there was one statement that stood out from the rest.
"I wasn't messing around when I said I think we can run for a championship," Santino Ferrucci boldly claimed in reference to his belief that A.J. Foyt Racing could become key title contenders in 2025.
Ferrucci and the team certainly had a breakout year in 2024, claiming 12 top 10 finishes in comparison to one the year before, a pole position and a level of consistency not seen in the team for decades.
And it's a team that have only grown further in the off-season. The team's blockbuster signing of David Malukas to replace Sting Ray Robb was certainly a sign of their intentions for 2025 and beyond, in addition to operational changes behind-the-scenes which are set to lead the team even closer to the front of the field.
The team's growth, along with Ferrucci's claims, is set to be a key storyline across the course of the 2025 season, and both drivers previewed what they thought the 2025 season had in store for A.J. Foyt Racing.
What can we expect from a Ferrucci-Malukas line-up?
Eight teams will head into the season opener on the Streets of St. Petersburg with a different line-up to the one they ended last season with at Nashville Superspeedway, in addition to the further two entries that PREMA will be providing.
Of all those changes, the general consensus is that Foyt have the most mouth-watering of them all.
It's a bold claim for a pair that only have three IndyCar podiums between them, but they are two rising stars of the series, who are believed to be operating at a very similar level and who certainly have the potential to bring the team their first victory since 2013.
And from Ferrucci's perspective, Malukas is a teammate who is expected to give him a significant challenge, something that Ferrucci hasn't faced in his tenure with the team to date.
He comprehensively beat both Robb and Benjamin Pedersen as teammates, almost doubling both of their points in the standings. During his stint with Dale Coyne Racing, Ferrucci beat the rookie Álex Palou with ease, and was just 36 points shy in his rookie season of four-time CART Champion, Sébastien Bourdais.
And Ferrucci enjoyed the challenge: "My first year Sébastien Bourdais was awesome to say the least, and then working with Palou who I had known from Europe was also really, really good, and it was a challenge for us both to push each other in the right way."
Malukas is expected to pose a significant challenge to Ferrucci though, and the 26-year-old is relishing the opportunity: "Having someone like David, it should be no different. Just keep pushing each other, trying to make each other better, the same with every teammate that we've had. Just keep trying to push each other in the right direction."
Having two teammates that are expected to perform at a very similar level is the clear benefit of a Ferrucci-Malukas line-up, but as noted by Malukas, there may be even more benefits that don't meet the eye:
"We did do some simulator work together, but as of now the driving doesn't seem too far off. Of course it's not going to be until the Sebring test we'll know the driving styles and how to compare. But talking with the engineers, it seems that we are in some form similar in some ways, especially on the ovals."
Both Ferrucci and Malukas have been regarded as fine oval racers, with all of their career podiums coming on ovals. Ferrucci is gaining a particular reputation at the Indianapolis 500, never finishing outside the top 10 in six attempts, whilst Malukas has proven himself as a short-oval supremo, particularly at World Wide Technology Raceway.
"I think it'll be pretty good," added Malukas. "I think we'll be good teammates and definitely be able to pick on each other and be able to do two different setups. I think that's the main goal is having two drivers with the same driving style so we can use two different setups with the limited practice sessions that we have so we can clear two birds with one stone. I like to put it that way."
It's a clear sign of Foyt's intentions to sign two drivers regarded as up-and-coming stars of the series in their quest to be operating at the forefront of the series once again. The dynamic between the pair is yet to be seen, but with two drivers who are known to provide fireworks on-track, both Ferrucci and Malukas are expected to push each other to the next level, and as noted by Ferrucci: "It'll be a good year together."
How has Malukas bedded in with the team?
After being dropped by Arrow McLaren due to injury before he made his debut with the team, Malukas had seemingly found a home at Meyer Shank Racing, after they provided him an opportunity in the second half of the 2024 season. That's what made Malukas' move to Foyt the most shocking of the 2025 silly season.
It was a decision that had clear indications of Malukas having an eye for a Team Penske seat in the future, even more so after suggestions that Roger Penske had facilitated Malukas' move to the team. A Penske move may come as soon as 2026, but Malukas' short term future remains at Foyt, and Malukas is already learning from 'Super Tex.'
"He was very chill," Malukas commented. "It almost felt like we were good friends and he started talking about the stories and the past and the history. To say that he's had me on the team, that meant a lot, too. Both conversations we've had have been great, so I just hope to give him some results in return.
"I met him at the Indy test a few months back, and he was telling me all of his stories. He's got so many cool stories. It was a really cool experience. It was a good time."
And in Malukas' few conversations with the four-time Indianapolis 500 winner, his starstruck view has proved clear - maybe too much so!
"I've probably had two conversations with him so far. But each conversation has been amazing. Obviously for me it was a little bit hard because I'm going into it as, 'it's AJ and you're trying to have a normal conversation, but the entire time it's like I'm talking with AJ', so I'm kind of trying to act normal, act normal, you're not acting normal, and I think he could sense like what is wrong with this kid, what is he doing. I think he could sense it a little bit."
It's clear that Malukas is joining a team on the rise. The alliance formed with Team Penske, as well as the influence of Michael Cannon, has elevated the team into a position that was unimaginable in recent years, with the team achieving their best championship finish since 2002.
Malukas missed the opening eight rounds of 2024 after a pre-season mountain biking accident, forcing Arrow McLaren to break his contact, and for Malukas to temporarily not have an IndyCar drive: "Sitting on the sidelines watching, that was really tough. That was hard. I definitely had to keep some emotions in watching everybody go around."
Despite Malukas' key setback and the uncertainty that came with it for several months in a pivotal stage of his career, he still took away key information that he can use in 2025 to continue to build his profile as a driver.
"I learned a lot, especially being on the sidelines, just seeing what the engineers have to deal with, all the screens, the strategy. There's a lot that I learned that as a driver you don't really know much of what's going on, so I think it was good by the time I got in the car I didn't get angry at the engineers or the strategy on what's going on because they can see a lot more than the driver can see."
"I think that was the No. 1 thing that I learned and that I will take going into this next season."
But Malukas has also changed on a personal level, joking: "I think the craziest thing I've done this off-season is go zip lining with my nephews and the drop was only like two feet. I had to lift my knees up to just do the zip lining. That was the most chaotic thing I've done."
He added: "I've matured a lot, and not just from individuality and outside of the car, but also in the car I've matured a lot. I'm excited to take that maturity, be consistent, have a full season, and actually build with the team that I have. The crew is incredible and I'm very excited to get some very good results. It's going to be a lot of fun."
It's a critical season for Malukas if his genuine long-term goal is to race with Team Penske. With Will Power in a contract year with the team, and Malukas expected to be the heir to the No.12, the Lithuanian-American must justify why he deserves Power's position, and that all starts with how he performs against Ferrucci early doors in 2025.
How will a big-name departure effect the team?
The teams renaissance in recent years has been put down to two main factors. One is the influence of the team's alliance with IndyCar heavyweights, Team Penske. The other is of engineering veteran, Cannon, who has been renowned for his capabilities at building excellent cars at the Indianapolis 500.
Callum Ilott described Cannon as "IndyCar's own Einstein." Colton Herta said the Foyt-Penske alliance was a "cheap way to hire Cannon," for Team Penske to improve their fortunes at the Indianapolis 500.
Cannon departed the team during the off-season to embark on a new venture with PREMA as they make their series debut. Ironically, Cannon has since also departed PREMA, believing his input wasn't being used wisely, with IndyCar's highest-regarded engineer currently not having a role in any team.
Ferrucci noted: "Obviously it's a bummer. Sometimes the stars just don't always align, I've known Michael since I came into the sport. In 2018 I got and still have a fantastic relationship with him. He's someone that I call to chat with from time to time."
And Cannon's departure is going to be a true test to the team, particularly if they want to exceed the incredibly high standards they set in 2024.
Ferrucci believes that goal can be achieved: "I drive the car, and I'm very, very confident in our engineering staff this year. We have Mike Armbrester who's going to lead my car; James Schnabel who's going to move over to Malukas's car; and with Adam Kolesar and CJ and Collin, we have a very, very solid engineering program going right now."
Ironically, Ferrucci also stated: "A little concerned racing against them [PREMA, before Cannon had left the team]. It's always tough."
Whether Ferrucci will have to race against his ex-engineering lead still remains to be seen.
How may other key changes drive the team forward?
With Malukas' arrival and Cannon's departure, the chopping and changing at the team has certainly been in the headlines. What hasn't been in the headlines is the team's centralisation of resources heading into 2025, with both cars now based out of Indianapolis.
In previous years, one car was based in Indianapolis, the other just outside of Houston, Texas, having engineers in both locations.
This setup had its drawbacks as noted by Ferrucci, that won't be experienced going forward: "There's no one playing telephone tag or if there's a quick question you don't have to try and get a hold of somebody and wait and delay. You just walk and switch rooms. Having that is going to be huge."
When speaking to DIVEBOMB, Ferrucci did mention some of his like for the Texas shop though: "I loved it because it was a three-hour drive from my house, so I was at that shop all the time and I loved going down there. I loved the Waller shop. AJ is always down there, so I got to spend a lot of time with him. So I'm going to miss that side of things now that everything is in Indy, but as far as performance goes, this was a very much needed thing."
Ferrucci may feel nostalgic about leaving the team's alternate home in Texas, but from a competition standpoint he believes it's a change that will continue to drive the team forward:
"That was the next step. That was one of the things from the '24 season to the '25 season that will help us -- like I was saying, getting that track time, minimizing mistakes. Now you have the engineers overlooking the car here in Indy, making sure that the mechanics are doing everything correct and as guided. It's just all the meetings are now in house."
It may be inconvenient for Ferrucci's travel plans, but it's certainly a convenience for the team to centralise its resources in what's certainly feeling like a new era for the team.
What are the expectations for 2025?
It's clearly been an off-season of change and development at A.J. Foyt Racing, and the team's prospects for 2025 look brighter than ever, as they continue to build on the successes they achieved in 2024.
Ferrucci achieved 11 top 10 finishes across the course of the season, with Robb adding a ninth place at Gateway, the most top tens the team had achieved in a single season since 2001. Ferrucci also ended the year particularly strongly, taking a surprise pole at Portland, before a pair of fourth place finishes in Milwaukee and a sixth in Nashville. He believes those results were an indication of the work the team was putting in.
"All of that is just building on the success that we had throughout the year, building setups, building books. Our engineering staff last year was almost completely brand new, so it took a while for us to learn, and the Penske alliance, as well, for us to learn that, and we started to figure out towards the end of the year.
"Now having an off-season, a lot of sim time with Chevrolet and continuing to work all under one roof now since our shop is now in Indy, it's going to be game changing, and I think we can just expect more success, just more time 5s, hopefully some more poles, and that maiden win."
The team's success was one of Malukas' key reasons to make the move: "I think with the way the team's success has been, especially this last season, I think it's very, very strong. Expectations are definitely very high.
"I think with the team that we have, we definitely want results. I think with Santino on the ovals we're going to be a pretty strong suit. Expectations are high going into it. But at the end of the day, it just feels good to do a full season and have a consistent season."
However, Ferrucci is the one who can realistically assess where the team is performance-wise, already highlighting the key areas that he believes need improvement heading into 2025.
"Our next step is just going to be finding that rhythm like we did last year. That's the biggest key. We have our setups in our books. It'll just be really breaking into that top 5 rhythm. You've got the top 10 rhythm down pretty good; I'm sure of that. So it's just taking that next chink of armor off, and to do that, everything has to go right.
"Last year we weren't exactly the cleanest in the pits and in the garage with trying to get changes done, and same at testing, we lost a lot of time and we lost a lot of time at the Speedway. That's going to be a big change for this year is that type of seat time and track time and being precise and correct on all those behind the pit lane changes that are going to be the biggest challenge."
On the other hand, a huge aspect of the expectations for Ferrucci is going to be to not get too ahead of himself: "Racing is 99 percent disappointment. Just the nature of the game, unfortunately. I think having that very positive, happy, we-love-what-we-do mentality and that small-team mentality is what's going to propel us to keep those expectations at bay and to keep pushing every weekend to want to make ourselves better."
Confidence is certainly high in the team, and so are the expectations from both a Malukas and Ferrucci perspective. Despite the team's loss of Cannon, Malukas' presence, the centralisation of resources, and time to recognise and embed these changes have put the team in a position where they can be confident in the position they're in, all that awaits is the talking on-track.
Can Foyt actually fight for a championship?
"I do feel like we can go for a championship next season."
Those were Ferrucci's words at the conclusion of the 2024 season. Words that certainly felt far-fetched, even by Ferrucci's standards.
But, he's sticking firmly by his word: "I think when I said that, I think a lot of people kind of laughed at me. You look at where we would have finished in oval points, and then you look at how we did at the end of the year for the last leg of the season. I wasn't messing around when I said I think we can run for a championship."
Ferrucci's points are certainly valid ones. He finished fifth in oval points last season, behind Scott McLaughlin, Josef Newgarden, Pato O'Ward and Scott Dixon, often regarded as the four best oval drivers in the series. When you change that metric to average finish, Ferrucci is third behind only McLaughlin and Dixon.
The momentum that was also carried at the conclusion of the season was notable. Ferrucci took a stunning pole in Portland, before finishing fourth in both races in Milwaukee. Ferrucci was also unfortunate that at least one of those did not covert into a podium finish. The season ended in fine-style in Nashville too, where he finished in sixth after taking a grid penalty.
Consistency was a watchword at the team throughout the course of the season. Ferrucci claimed 11 top 10 finishes, more than Newgarden, O'Ward and Alexander Rossi, and equal to the amount that Dixon and Power achieved, and that's something that Ferrucci values significantly:
"There's a lot that goes into it, but the biggest part is consistency, and that's one thing that I know we have, and that's something that you can't teach.
"Finishing almost all but two races last year, just one mechanical and one I'm not sure from Toronto [Ferrucci landed upside down in this accident], I think that shows. I think if we put that to this year and what we had going at the end of last year plus the development all winter long being under one roof, we're going to be a force."
Ferrucci had even referenced his championship ambitions in response to an earlier question: "Every weekend you can't be missing time on tests, you can't be missing practice time. Every second out there will count for us, especially when you want to make a championship run."
It's a claim that still does seem far-fetched though. It feels near-impossible that the team would beat the likes of Andretti Global, Arrow McLaren, Chip Ganassi Racing and particularly their effective parent organisation in Team Penske across the course of a 17-race season.
But, that said, Ferrucci's confidence in his claims means you just have that small feeling you cannot completely rule him out. The tale will be told when cars hit the track on the Streets of St. Petersburg on March 2nd.
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