‘Anyone other than Scott Dixon’
Alexander Rossi admits he’d like to have ‘‘anyone else’’ than Scott Dixon in front of him as they battle for the 2018 IndyCar title.
The American has heaped praise on Dixon ahead of their showdown at Sonoma in California on Monday (NZT).
Dixon leads Rossi by 29 points on the table. But the Kiwi’s hopes for an incredible fifth championship are tempered by double points being on offer in the season-finale, leaving him vulnerable to the rising talent of the 26-year-old Rossi.
Rossi conceded to he would prefer someone other than Dixon to be in his way as he seeks his maiden title.
‘‘Yeah, probably anyone else, honestly,’’ Rossi said.
‘‘He [Dixon] is by far the hardest to beat. When you can beat him, whether it’s in a session or over a weekend or whatever, it’s a very rewarding thing because you know you’re beating the best.
‘‘So, it’s a big privilege to be able to race against him, compete against him and be in the same conversation with him this year. It shows how much progress we’ve made as a team and hopefully it continues a long time.’’
Rossi is in only his third season but has quickly proved his skills. He tried to crack the Formula One scene and got five drives in 2015 without picking up a deal beyond that.
He returned to the United States and got into IndyCar racing and won the Indianapolis 500 in his first try in 2016.
Like Dixon, he has won three times this year and contended in most races on a variety of tracks and conditions.
‘‘It’s cool to be able to go to a racetrack and know we kind of have proven ourselves to not only win on a strategy race but also to be there for the long haul and hopefully win a championship,’’ he said.