HELIO CASTRONEVES

Following Acura’s and Team Penske’s announcement that their partnership will end after the final round of the IMSA Sportscar Championship season, and with Penske having no imminent replacement, the team’s sportscar aces have been told they can chase rides elsewhere.

And that’s what Helio Castroneves – three-time Indy

500 winner, fourtime Indycar championship runner-up – is doing. He’d been reluctant to depart full-time open-wheel racing at the end of 2017, but a guaranteed threeyear contract with Penske and the chance to drive for a works team and being granted a Penske entry at the Indy 500 was a strong alternative, and the evergreen Brazilian star shifted disciplines.

Three years later, he’s 1) free to talk with other teams; 2) still fast; 3) still in shape; 4) still motivated. He’s pursuing alternatives in both Indycar and IMSA, but his heart lies in the former, and he wants a full-time Indycar ride for 2021.

“I’ll be honest, I wanna go back,” he says. “I’ve been connected with Penske for over 20 years, and I’m so grateful for all these years together, but they gave us the green flag to go look for drives in other places and that’s what I’m doing.

“I think I can bring a lot. I’ve learned so much from Penske, and my work ethic is still there, and I think I’m driving at least as good as ever. So if the next team is an experienced team, I feel I can still add to what they know, and if it’s a young team, I can add a lot to that too, because I’ve seen how things are done by the best.”

“MY WORK ETHIC IS STILL THERE, AND I THINK I’M DRIVING AT LEAST AS GOOD AS EVER”