IndyCar contenders: Alexander Rossi talks mission to win first title

With the 2018 IndyCar season at an end, Andretti Autosport’s Alexander Rossi talks battling for the title and his Verizon IndyCar Series renaissance.

The Verizon IndyCar Series championship is in Alexander Rossi’s sights. The Andretti Autosport driver will race for the title in Sunday’s GoPro Grand Prix of Sonoma, but that’s only one part of his story.

Rossi made history in his rookie season when he won the Indianapolis 500, but he’s having an even more impressive drive two years later. He has three race victories and has been up front in almost every race, putting every driver around him to the test.

Now there are just 26 points standing between him and the Astor Cup, while the California native has also become one of the most prominent drivers in the entire Verizon IndyCar Series thanks to his success both on and off-track.

FanSided spoke to Alexander Rossi ahead of Sunday’s GoPro Grand Prix of Sonoma to get his thoughts on the 2018 IndyCar season. Read what he had to tell us below, and then watch him race Sept. 16 at 6:30 p.m. ET on NBCSN.

FanSided: You’re the only championship contender who doesn’t have a previous title on his resume. Do you see that as a disadvantage, or even an advantage because they haven’t had to fight you for a title before?

Alexander Rossi (AR): I don’t really think it matters. Each year and each race is so different. You can obviously rely on experiences and lessons that you’ve learned, whether they’re good or bad, but there’s no one race that’s ever the same. I don’t really think I have an advantage or a disadvantage. I just have to try and maximize the races where we have a good car and minimize any damage in the races we don’t have a great car.

FanSided: You’ve finished in the Top 5 in three of the last four races, and we have to go all the way back to Detroit to find a time when you finished outside of the Top 10. Does that give you any extra confidence?

AR: Yes and no … With the new aero kit, it’s always a little bit of a mystery if some of the same performance characteristics are going to apply. At some tracks we’ve been better than expected, and some tracks we’ve been worse, so it’s hard to really predict. You get there and you get on track.

FanSided: Your teammate Ryan Hunter-Reay was also in contention for the championship until Portland, and topped the speed charts in Friday’s practice at Sonoma, so he could be a factor on Sunday. How have you two balanced being teammates with competing for a title?

AR: Ryan and I have worked really closely together, and that’s gotten better and better as years go by. We get along great, and our driving styles are pretty similar, so it allows us to work well together as teammates to try and push each other forward. Hopefully that’ll be an advantage for us.

FanSided: One thing all the championship contenders have in common is consistency with their organizations. How has being with Andretti Autosport for three seasons helped you?

AR: It’s been great. I think continuity is something that is pretty underrated in motorsports. To have the same engineer and strategist and crew guys for the past few years has been awesome for me. My whole career has been with them, so it’s almost like family to me and it’s a joy to drive for them. We can just focus on extracting the best out of people and doing our job, and hopefully that means race wins and a championship.

FanSided: What have the last three years been like for Alexander Rossi personally? You went from this idea that you may not even stay in IndyCar to one of the biggest names in the league.

AR: It’s an evolution. You have to start somewhere, you have to start at a point. I think my road [in] the series was greatly enhanced because of the year-long media tour and promotion that I did for the 500, and what that did for me in terms of my value and fanbase in the series, if you will. I think that was a little bit different than another rookie coming into the series since.

I’ve enjoyed that responsibility and I’ve tried to do everything I can to promote the series, with Conor [Daly] and I doing The Amazing Race last year and that sort of thing. It’s always our job as drivers to grow the sport. I’m glad I’ve had the chance to do that.

FanSided: Speaking of Team IndyCar, there’s talk of Harding Racing teaming up with Andretti next season, so if Conor stays with them you two could be teammates on-track in 2019.

AR: I would just love for Conor to have a full time ride. Whatever situation allows for that to happen would be a great thing.

FanSided: You also co-host a podcast called “Off Track with Hinch and Rossi” alongside James Hinchcliffe. How has that been going for you two so far?

AR: “Off Track” has been a pretty cool experience. A new one for me, getting into the world of hosting a podcast. The show has definitely been interesting and a lot of fun. James is one of my closest friends from Indianapolis, so that’s been great to do it with him … I look forward to seeing where it goes and how it goes, especially in the offseason, since James, [producer] Thim and I will have a lot more time to put into it once the season is over.

For complete coverage of the 2018 IndyCar season, follow the Motor Sports category at FanSided.