The drivers from both Meyer Shank Racing and Ed Carpenter Racing spoke with the media last week during IndyCar content days, the unofficial start to the 2026 season. They reflected on the previous year and their expectations heading into the new season.
Meyer Shank Racing
The 2025 season for Meyer Shank Racing was huge. It was the first season of the technical partnership with Chip Ganassi Racing. It was also the best season in a while, with both drivers, Marcus Armstrong and Felix Rosenqvist, finishing in the top-10 of the championship standings ahead of all three Team Penske drivers.
The two shared their hunger to be better and how they plan to build on last year’s season in 2026, both as a team and as drivers.
Felix Rosenqvist
Heading into his third season with MSR, Felix Rosenqvist is looking to come back even stronger in 2026. Last year, he finished sixth in the championship standings, matching a career high set in 2019.
The growth he and the team have seen since joining two years ago has created a “hunger to get back in Victory Lane.” And he knows it’s going to be easier said than done. But he also knows what he needs to do to give himself a chance: “just got to keep working on everything.”
Rosenqvist also spoke with The Girls Who – Motorsport about pushing the limit, the new tracks, and his key takeaway from the 2025 season, which you can read here.
Marcus Armstrong
Last year, Marcus Armstrong was the ‘new kid on the block’ at MSR. Although it was his first season with the team, he had the best season of his career, finishing eighth in the championship. He points out, “there’s still a hunger just to deliver more.”
When asked what he would be satisfied with this year, he replied with “top three in the championship.” Throughout the season, Armstrong earned two top-fives but usually fought within the top 10, which, to him, “hurt a bit.”
During the off-season, he and his team analyzed what they needed to do to continue their trajectory. “It’s not as if it’s a million miles away, but certainly we need to make some gains in all areas.”
Ed Carpenter Racing
Ed Carpenter Racing entered 2025 with a refreshed identity, new ownership, new partners, and a revamped driver lineup featuring Alexander Rossi and Christian Rasmussen. Those moves helped ECR make significant strides in 2025, highlighted by its first win since 2021.
In 2026, ECR continues to expand its leadership team and engineering department to sustain its upward trajectory. As for the drivers, they aim to continue progressing, reflecting on last year’s performances.
Christian Rasmussen
With a full season of experience after a part-time 2024 campaign, Rasmussen looks to take another step forward this year. His 2025 season continued to show his strength on ovals, highlighted by his first IndyCar victory at the Milwaukee Mile.
He is using his win as motivation not only for himself but also for the team.
“I think everyone got a taste of it last year, where the team is going, and I think there’s more of that coming here in the near future.”
Rasmussen took time in the offseason to try to improve, and he’s excited to “really see what performance gains that we can have.” The main thing he mentioned was that his qualifying performance wasn’t where he wanted it to be. The Danish driver is focused on building a season that is strong week in week out to finish even higher in the standings. He believes he’ll do that by “trying to learn from each time I hit the track and try to get better and better.”
Rasmussen spoke further with The Girls Who – Motorsport about his expectations in 2026 and his experience driving in the Rolex 24 at Daytona, which you can read here.
Alexander Rossi
Heading into his second season with ECR, Rossi will be looking to build on that continuity to achieve success in 2026. Last year, there was a sense of newness, but with the core remaining the same, “we can hit the ground running in a much stronger fashion.”
Last year, he finished 15th in the standings, and although it was his lowest in his IndyCar career, he is looking positively ahead to the season. “I’m very confident and very excited with where I’m at right now.”
Rossi hasn’t been to Victory Lane since 2022, but he believes he can get back there. The promise and momentum of the last third of the season, along with the win in Milwaukee, were “a good reminder from everyone, top to bottom, that you can do this.”
Both Meyer Shank Racing and Ed Carpenter Racing had strong seasons last year, and both look to build on them in 2026 and cement themselves among the other big players in IndyCar.
See more articles on drivers’ goals and teams’ outlooks for the 2026 IndyCar season here.