IndyCar: 5 possible Arrow McLaren SP drivers for 2023

Arrow McLaren SP signed Alexander Rossi for the 2023 IndyCar season, but they still have a seat to fill. Who will end up getting it?

At long last, the “worst kept secret” of the 2022 IndyCar silly season was confirmed at the beginning of last month when Arrow McLaren SP confirmed the addition of current Andretti Autosport driver Alexander Rossi for 2023.

The move was announced just one week after it was confirmed that Pato O’Ward is set to return to the team on a multi-year contract extension, another silly season move that had been widely anticipated.

But it wasn’t confirmed which seat Rossi is taking next year, and Arrow McLaren SP still have a seat to fill, as Felix Rosenqvist’s future with the team is still up in the air.

So who will be Arrow McLaren SP’s third driver for 2023? Here are five options.

Possible Arrow McLaren SP drivers: No. 1 – Felix Rosenqvist

As the incumbent driver of the #7 Chevrolet, Felix Rosenqvist has to be considered among those in contention to become the third driver to sign a deal with Arrow McLaren SP for 2023.

Rosenqvist endured a season of struggle in his first year with the team following his departure from Chip Ganassi Racing last year, and the 2022 season started out in similar fashion.

Since then, he has seen a significant improvement in form, finishing in sixth place at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course before finishing in fourth in the Indy 500. He then climbed 15 spots to secure another top 10 in the final race on Belle Isle, the site of his nasty 2021 wreck and injury, and finished in sixth at Road America. He had a chance for another solid result at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course before a mechanical issue.

Is it too little, too late for the 30-year-old Swede, or has he done enough — or can he still do enough — to earn a third year with the team? He is already signed by McLaren, but whether or not it’s for the IndyCar team remains to be seen.