With renewed enthusiasm, with the expectation of being able to get into the top 10 in some event and with a former Formula 1 driver as a new teammate,
Agustín Canapino will begin his second campaign in the
IndyCar Series
this weekend
: it will be on the circuit street of
St. Petersburg
, in Florida, where the most important single-seater category in the United States will begin its 29th season of competition.
The classification will take place this Saturday at 4 p.m. (can only be seen through Star+), while the test will start on Sunday at 2 p.m. (it will also be broadcast on ESPN 2).
The first year in the category was pure learning for the man from Reef, who until then had never raced in a vehicle without a roof.
He was 21st in the championship, with 180 points, and finished second among debutants
, only surpassed by New Zealander Marcus Armstrong (214).
His best performances were the 12th places he achieved in his debut, precisely in St. Petersburg, and in Fort Worth and Toronto.
“Now I can think about competing
,” the four-time Turismo Carretera champion emphasized last week in an interview with Carburando.
In any case, he avoided overflows of optimism:
“We have to be realistic and know where we stand.
The goal is to improve on last year.
I will look for a top ten and have better performances without expecting miracles.
“Today it is impossible to fight for a podium or a race
.
”
The latest tests showed satisfactory results for the 34-year-old pilot.
Last week, he completed 61 laps aboard the
Juncos Hollinger Racing (JHR)
Chevrolet at the Sebring International Speedway and finished 13th among the men who lapped there.
“It was a good test.
We were able to shoot a lot, try different things, corroborate different elements and everything went well
,” Canapino said.
Agustín Canapino finished 13th in the tests that took place last week in Sebring.
Photo: Juncos Hollinger Racing.
In line with its driver's speech, the team that belongs to
Argentine engineer Ricardo Juncos
and businessman
Brad Hollinger
(former majority shareholder of the Williams Formula 1 team) also plans to improve its performance this year, especially through their alliance. strategic with the Arrow McLaren Racing team.
That was not the only important novelty at JHR: the team brought in
Romain Grosjean
, who will replace the British Callum Ilott as Canapino's teammate.
The Frenchman will begin his fourth season in IndyCar after one year with the Dale Coyne Racing team and two with Andretti Autosport (last season he finished 13th in the championship).
Romain Grosjean and Agustín Canapino, smiling with Ricardo Juncos.
Photo: Juncos Hollinger Racing.
Before landing in the United States,
Grosjean had had a long experience in Formula 1
, in which he competed 10 seasons, competed in 181 races and was on the podium 10 times.
His name was engraved in the memories of motorsports fans due to the serious accident he suffered at the Bahrain Grand Prix in November 2020, when his Haas crashed into a containment barrier and caught
fire before completing the first lap. of the career
.
Despite the spectacular nature of the event, the pilot only suffered burns on his hands and ankles.
The incorporation of the Frenchman into the JHR structure was another reason for satisfaction for Canapino.
“I'm living a dream.
It's my second year in IndyCar, I share a team with Romain Grosjean and I can think about competing.
I am full of enthusiasm
.
And I want to enjoy it a little because relatively recently this was impossible for me
,” highlighted the Super TC 2000 champion in 2016 and 2021.
Agustín Canapino with his partner, Josefina Di Palma, and one of his dogs, Milo, at the Saint Petersburg circuit.
Photo: Juncos Hollinger Racing.
Grosjean, 37, showed a very good
feeling
with his new teammate, whom he showered with praise:
“He works hard, he is very committed,
he has a lot of talent and he is a very good driver
.
He is also a very nice person, very intelligent, very kind and very honest.
I like that"
.
And he explained how both could strengthen themselves in this new coexistence:
“I think I can contribute a little of my knowledge about single-seater racing and I am sure that I will be able to learn a lot from him thanks to his experience and all his titles
. ”
Canapino, Grosjean and 25 other drivers will start the championship this weekend on the St. Petersburg street circuit, a short track, 2,896 meters long, with long straights and fast, tight corners, that runs through the streets of the city center
and a stretch of runway at Albert Whitted Airport
.
There, in 2023, also at the opening of the contest, the Swede Marcus Ericsson won, the Argentine finished 12th and the Frenchman 18th.
Sunday will be the first of the 17 tests of the season (one of them double), which this year will increase the number of races on ovals from five to seven (Milwaukee and Nashville are incorporated).
The Spanish Álex Palou will seek his third title in the IndyCar Series.
Photo: Paul Sancya / AP.
The Spanish Álex Palou, current champion and winner of two of the last three titles, is once again emerging as the driver to beat.
His main competitors, a priori, will be the American Josef Newgarden and the New Zealander Scott Dixon.
One step lower among the contenders for the crown are Scott McLaughlin, Will Power, Pato O'Ward and Alexander Rossi.