IndyCar: Santino Ferrucci tipped to drive for Dale Coyne Racing in 2019

By Asher Fair | Oct 2, 2018

SONOMA, CA - SEPTEMBER 14: Santino Ferrucci, driver of the #39 Dale Coyne Racing Honda, on track during pracrtice for the Verizon IndyCar Series Sonoma Grand Prix at Sonoma Raceway on September 14, 2018 in Sonoma, California. (Photo by Jonathan Moore/Getty Images) /

Former Formula 2 driver Santino Ferrucci has been tipped to drive full-time for Dale Coyne Racing in the 2019 IndyCar season.

Santino Ferrucci, who made his first four career IndyCar starts this past season driving for Dale Coyne Racing, has been tipped to drive full-time for Dale Coyne Racing in the 2019 IndyCar season as the teammate to four-time Champ Car champion Sebastien Bourdais, who has already signed with the team to return for his third consecutive season as the driver of the #18 Honda.

Ferrucci would drive the #19 Dale Coyne Racing Honda if confirmed as the team’s second driver. He competed in the two Chevrolet in Detroit races on the streets of Belle Isle in Detroit, Michigan in early June as the driver of the #19 Honda.

Ferrucci also competed in the final two races of the season, the Grand Prix of Portland at Portland International Raceway in early September and the IndyCar Grand Prix of Sonoma at Sonoma Raceway in mid-September. He competed as the driver of the #39 Honda, as Dale Coyne Racing fielded three cars for those races. Pietro Fittipaldi drove the #19 Honda.

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The 20-year-old Woodbury, Connecticut native crashed out of the first Belle Isle race en route to a 22nd place finish, and he finished in 20th in the second race, one lap off the lead. He performed better in the Portland race but finished in 20th, four laps off the lead, as a result of a mechanical issue.

Ferrucci closed out the season in the Sonoma race with by far his best performance. For the first time in his IndyCar career, he finished on the lead lap, and he did so after starting all the way back in 20th place. He recorded a career-high finish of 11th.

In July, Ferrucci, who has been a development driver for the Haas Formula 1 team since the 2016 season, was fired by his Formula 2 team, Trident, after the races at Silverstone Circuit as result of the fact that he crashed into his teammate, Arjun Maini, following the sprint race at the track. It was also discovered that he drove his car from the support race paddock to the pits while he was wearing just one glove and holding a mobile phone.

If Ferrucci is confirmed as the driver of the #19 Dale Coyne Racing Honda for the 2019 IndyCar season, it would make the 2019 season the first season since the 2014 season during which Dale Coyne Racing have fielded cars for two full-time drivers. Carlos Huertas and the late Justin Wilson drove full-time for the team in the 2014 season.

In the 2017 season, Bourdais and Ed Jones drove full-time for the team, but Bourdais missed eight races as a result of the fact that he suffered major injuries in a crash during qualifications for the Indianapolis 500.

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Will Santino Ferrucci be confirmed as Dale Coyne Racing’s second full-time driver in the 2019 IndyCar season? If so, when will the announcement be made and how will he perform in his first full season as an IndyCar driver?