IndyCar: Way-too-early driver power rankings for 2022

With the 2021 IndyCar season in the books, take a look at our way-too-early top 10 driver power rankings for the 2022 season.

The 2021 IndyCar season came to an end on Sunday afternoon on the streets of Long Beach, California with the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach, the 16th race on the calendar.

Chip Ganassi Racing’s Alex Palou secured his first championship in just his second season of competition, and Andretti Autosport’s Colton Herta secured his third win of the year and the sixth of his career.

So where do things stand heading into 2022? Here is a way-too-early look.

1. Colton Herta

The fact that he still ended up tying for the series lead in wins, despite having two or three seemingly sure victories get away, is a testament to his raw pace. Add in some consistency next year, and you have a champion in the making.

2. Alex Palou

It’s tough to repeat as champion in IndyCar, and that’s why nobody has done it in a decade. Ironically, the last driver to do it, Dario Franchitti, drove the #10 Honda for Chip Ganassi Racing back in 2011, and Palou proved to be the complete package in what was only his first year with the team in that car in 2021.

3. Pato O’Ward

Pato O’Ward is the reason that the “Big 3” have morphed into the “Big 4”, and after a disappointing end to a season that saw him contend for the championship, he will be extra hungry in 2022.

4. Josef Newgarden

Given some of the issues he experienced earlier in the year, it is quite mind boggling that he managed to finish in second place in the championship standings, giving him three straight top two results. There’s no way he won’t be a factor again in 2022.

5. Scott Dixon

Any time I rank Scott Dixon this low, he wins a championship. But this offseason just doesn’t seem to have that vibe, as a 2021 season which saw him win the fewest number of races among full-time Chip Ganassi Racing drivers showed that he suddenly has far more to worry about than just beating Team Penske.

6. Marcus Ericsson

He took a massive step forward in his second season with Chip Ganassi Racing and should only continue to improve.

7. Romain Grosjean

If Rookie of the Year wasn’t awarded based on points, he would have been the easy winner, having come so close to winning it on points despite missing three races, including the double points-paying Indy 500. Now with Andretti Autosport and running a full schedule, look out.

8. Alexander Rossi

I simply and unfortunately no longer buy the “championship or bust” mantra. Sure, Rossi could still win a race or two here and there, but that championship window seems to have shut after two straight winless seasons, and the arrival of Colton Herta just makes things seem even worse.

9. Rinus VeeKay

He finished in the top nine at every track in 2021 before his injury. After that, he never finished higher than 16th place. If there is one driver who should take full advantage of the offseason, it’s VeeKay.

10. Will Power

He can still win here and there, but 2021 seemed to mark a cliff for him. We’ve seen him bounce back from misfortune before, but there were races this past season where you almost had to remember he was running. He failed to finish in the top five in the championship standings for the first time ever as a Team Penske driver.

The rest…

NOTE: Not all are confirmed for 2022 and not all possibilities included below.

11. Graham Rahal – winless since 2017, but still solid
12. Simon Pagenaud – hasn’t done much since 2019 Indy 500 win
13. Jack Harvey – poised to thrive at a new team
14. Helio Castroneves – wasn’t spectacular outside of Indy in 2021
15. Scott McLaughlin – potential is there, but still seems to be catching on
16. Felix Rosenqvist – unfortunately overshadowed by O’Ward
17. Takuma Sato – under-the-radar consistent in 2021, definitely not done yet
18. Ryan Hunter-Reay – not what he once was, but can still contend periodically
19. Devlin DeFrancesco – not sold on him based on 2021 Indy Lights results
20. Callum Ilott – young driver, new team; struggles expected

The 2022 IndyCar season is scheduled to get underway on Sunday, February 27 with the Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg on the streets of St. Petersburg, Florida.