AJ Foyt Racing’s Santino Ferrucci has thrown down a bold gauntlet for the 2025 IndyCar season, asserting that his team could make a genuine run for the championship. It’s a statement that’s sure to raise eyebrows across the racing world, especially considering the near monopoly of Penske, Ganassi, and Andretti on titles for the past two decades. But is there any merit to Ferrucci’s optimism, or is he shooting for the moon with Foyt, a team that hasn’t cracked the top 10 in the standings since 2002?
To put Ferrucci’s claim into perspective, it’s crucial to look back to 2002, the last time a team outside of IndyCar’s Big Three won the championship. Since then, names like Scott Dixon, Josef Newgarden, and Alex Palou have dominated the leaderboard. Foyt, on the other hand, hasn’t tasted the success of its golden years, and while Ferrucci made significant strides in 2024, jumping from 19th to 9th in the standings and securing his first pole, this leap into title contention feels enormous.
Ferrucci’s performance this year showed flashes of brilliance, especially on ovals where he boasted the third-best average finish. However, consistency remains an issue, as Ferrucci himself admits that several top-five finishes slipped through the cracks, preventing him from seriously challenging for more podiums. His two top-five finishes, both at Iowa, pale in comparison to Alex Palou’s dominance in 2024, where the eventual champion scored 14 top-five finishes across 17 races.
The challenge for Ferrucci and Foyt isn’t just closing the gap to the front-runners but achieving the consistency required to sustain a title challenge. In a points system that heavily rewards race wins—50 points for a win versus 30 for fifth—it’s clear that simply being in the mix isn’t enough. If Ferrucci wants to challenge the likes of Palou, he’ll need to add race wins to his resume, something Foyt hasn’t managed since 2013.
However, there are reasons for cautious optimism. Under the leadership of team principal Larry Foyt, the team has undergone significant improvements, thanks in part to key engineering hires like Michael Cannon and a newly forged technical partnership with Team Penske. Cannon’s methodical approach, which has already yielded results at the Indianapolis 500, has brought a level of systematic growth to the team that was missing for years. The new partnership with Penske, providing access to top-tier dampers, information, and personnel, could help elevate Foyt’s performance to new heights.
The arrival of David Malukas for 2025 also presents a potential game-changer. Malukas has shown flashes of brilliance and brings a wealth of knowledge from his time with Dale Coyne Racing and Meyer Shank Racing. The internal competition between Ferrucci and Malukas could push both drivers to up their game, and if the team’s technical development continues on its current trajectory, Foyt could surprise some of the series’ heavyweights.
But let’s not get carried away. For all the progress Foyt has made, IndyCar remains an incredibly competitive series dominated by established powerhouses with deep resources and highly experienced drivers. Ferrucci will be battling not only Penske’s three-car lineup but also the combined might of Ganassi, Andretti, and McLaren, all of whom have consistently shown they can win races and championships.
Ferrucci’s qualifying performance—averaging 14th in 2024—underscores the uphill battle he faces. Starting so far down the grid makes it difficult to challenge for wins, and while he’s done well to gain positions in races, a title contender needs to be in the mix from the start, consistently challenging for the front row in qualifying.
Ultimately, while Ferrucci’s ambition is admirable, and Foyt’s progress undeniable, challenging for a title in 2025 seems like a leap too far. The team’s steady improvements and the Penske partnership provide hope, but the reality is that jumping from two top-five finishes in 2024 to a championship fight in 2025 would require a near-miraculous transformation.
The sport would undoubtedly benefit from breaking the stranglehold of the Big Three, but Ferrucci and Foyt will need more than optimism to make it happen. Whether they can pull off an upset or not, the 2025 season promises to be an exciting test of how far this once-dominant team can climb back toward the top of the IndyCar world.
