IndyCar: Does 'under contract' mean anything at all?

Arrow Schmidt Peterson Motorsports were under contract with Honda through the 2020 IndyCar season. Now they will align with McLaren and Chevrolet for next year.

Entering this week, three things were confirmed for Arrow Schmidt Peterson Motorsports pertaining to the 2020 IndyCar season.

First of all, they were under contract with Honda through the 2020 season. Secondly, James Hinchcliffe was under contract to drive for the team through the 2020 season. Finally, put two and two together; Hinchcliffe was under contract to drive a Honda-powered car for the team in the 2020 season.

Two of these three “confirmed” items will not happen while one is still up in the air.

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What two words do all three statements have in common?

“Under contract”.

Do these two words have any meaning whatsoever anymore?

Rumors circulated that Arrow Schmidt Peterson Motorsports would form a partnership with McLaren for the 2020 season. McLaren attempted to form a partnership with Andretti Autosport, but because McLaren cannot work with Honda after how their relationship with one another deteriorated in Formula 1 from the 2015 season through the 2017 season, this partnership could not happen once the team signed a multi-year contract extension with the Japanese manufacturer.

With Arrow Schmidt Peterson Motorsports under contract with Honda for the 2020 season, team co-owner Sam Schmidt even said that this “alienated” his team from a potential partnership with the Woking-based team. Here is what he had to say, according to NBC Sports.

"“Again, we have another year on our contract with Honda. The company has stated perfectly clear they can’t be associated with (McLaren CEO) Zak Brown or McLaren, so I think that alienates us from that program.”"

The fact that this statement turned out to be false proves that in itself, “under contract” means nothing in IndyCar, or really in motorsports in general when you consider various driver confirmations in NASCAR and Formula 1 in recent years.

With all things considered, it really depends on the parties involved in the contract and what the contract entails.

I have no doubt that Schmidt truly believed this statement when he made this statement, and that’s just it. He wouldn’t come right out and lie, especially knowing that it the truth would ultimately bring to a conclusion the team’s long-time partnership with Honda. That’s not even a point of discussion.

In these types of scenarios, there are always underlying details that aren’t revealed until a confirmation is made. Otherwise, contracts would be cut and dry and everyone would know everything.

In this particular instance, it is clear that money talks.

Let’s revisit the confirmations discussed at the start of this article.

Arrow Schmidt Peterson Motorsports were under contract with Honda through the 2020 season. That is no longer the case.

Hinchcliffe was set to drive for the team next year. That could still be true, and according to Hinchcliffe himself, Schmidt and McLaren CEO Zak Brown, it appears likely, but it hasn’t been confirmed.

Finally, Hinchcliffe was set to drive a Honda-powered car for the team next year. This is also no longer true. Hinchcliffe could still end up driving a Honda-powered car, but only if he leaves the team, which would render all three of these “confirmations” false.

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In a way, there is just something about the words “under contract” meaning nothing that doesn’t seem right. But let’s be honest; IndyCar has certainly been a lot more interesting when there is flexibility to a seemingly nonnegotiable two-word combination, especially as it pertains to this situation and the addition of a Formula 1 team to the field on a full-time basis.

IndyCar: Does ‘under contract’ mean anything at all?

By Asher Fair | Aug 10, 2019

Arrow Schmidt Peterson Motorsports were under contract with Honda through the 2020 IndyCar season. Now they will align with McLaren and Chevrolet for next year.