IndyCar: Report shows James Hinchcliffe got screwed over more than first believed

By Asher Fair | Nov 4, 2019

MONTEREY, CALIFORNIA - SEPTEMBER 20: James Hinchcliffe #5 of United States and Arrow Schmidt Peterson Motorsports Honda prepares to drive during practice for the NTT IndyCar Series Firestone Grand Prix of Monterey at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca on September 20, 2019 in Monterey, California. (Photo by Chris Graythen/Getty Images) /

James Hinchcliffe is out of a ride at Arrow McLaren Racing SP in the 2020 IndyCar season despite being promised one. But a new report shows it’s worse than expected.

You’d need more than two hands to count how many times the public was told by those within Arrow McLaren Racing SP, including but not limited to team co-owner Sam Schmidt and McLaren CEO Zak Brown, that James Hinchcliffe would be back behind the wheel of the #5 car for what would be the sixth consecutive IndyCar season next year.

This was the case even after Arrow Schmidt Peterson Motorsports formed a partnership with McLaren back in August and switched from Honda engines to Chevrolet engines. This move came as a shock to come, as they had a contract to run Honda engines in the 2020 season.

We were assured that this would not be an issue. And in reality, it wasn’t; Hinchcliffe himself confirmed this from day one. He had a contract to drive through the 2020 season.

Yet here we are in November, and Hinchcliffe does not have a ride.

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Arrow McLaren Racing SP confirmed that 2018 and 2019 Indy Lights champions Patricio O’Ward and Oliver Askew are set to drive for the team next year.

But Hinchcliffe is technically still “under contract” with the team, meaning that if he doesn’t land a ride with another team, he can effectively collect the money he is owed.

After this announcement was made, Schmidt was asked in a teleconference what was to stop Hinchcliffe from simply “doing nothing and sitting out all year” and taking this route.

“What’s to stop him is the race driver within him. I mean, I think as [McLaren sporting director] Gil [de Ferran], myself, anybody else on the line that’s a driver, you want to drive, you want to prove, you want to win the Indy 500, you still got boxes to check,” stated Schmidt.

“And so I have no doubt that he and his team are burning up the phone lines and talking with everybody out there, in any series but primarily Indy Car. He’s still young, he still wants to win races, so I think that’s what’s to stop him from doing it. Certainly, it’s his option, but I don’t think you’ll see him do that.”

But in reality, simply “sitting out” is not even an option for Hinchcliffe, per a recent report by Toronto Star.

TheStar‘s Norris McDonald reported that Hinchcliffe will still need to earn his salary, which is roughly $500,000 per year, in 2020, by going to the races, spending time in their hospitality unit, shaking hands with people, doing appearances away from the track, etc.

McDonald also reports that the team would claim a breach of contract and stop paying him if he refuses. Hinchcliffe’s lawyers have reportedly already threatened to sue the team, but they have been told that the team will withhold Hinchcliffe’s pay if they do.

So as screwed over as Hinchcliffe was to begin with by losing the ride that was initially his for the 2020 season, that isn’t half as bad as what he will really be faced with if he doesn’t find a ride for next year.

But of course, they way Arrow McLaren Racing SP see it, they’re doing him a favor by keeping him “under contract” and paying him even though he won’t be driving one of their cars next year.

At least that’s what the public were supposed to think; never mind the fact that the organization already backstabbed him by way of issuing misleading statements to that very same public.

When it was revealed that they reached out to Askew to replace Hinchcliffe in the season finale at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca after Hinchcliffe angered title sponsor Arrow by appearing in ESPN The Body Issue, you could tell something toxic was brewing between himself and the team.

The fact that the matter was never brought up nor cleared up publicly, coupled with the ongoing rumors that Arrow McLaren Racing SP wouldn’t retain Hinchcliffe to begin with since Honda had not yet had a say in the matter, added to this speculation, even amidst constant “confirmations” that he would be back in 2020.

Now it’s no longer speculation. It’s 100% true, and it’s a heck of a lot worse than anybody thought it was.

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Will James Hinchcliffe be able to work his way out of his contract with Arrow McLaren Racing SP by landing another ride for the 2020 IndyCar season? Two of the most heavily rumored landing sports for him are Dale Coyne Racing and Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing, although neither team have committed to expanding their driver lineup to field three cars, which they would have to do. Chip Ganassi Racing have also shown interest, and Andretti Autosport remain in the frame.