2 ex-IndyCar drivers in contention to lead new officiating body, claims Alexander Rossi

yCar came out earlier in December and announced the formation of INDYCAR Officiating Inc., which will be an independent officiating body for the American open wheel racing series starting in 2026. IndyCar star Alexander Rossi recently came out and suggested that former IndyCar drivers to be in contention to lead the officiating body.

An Independent Officiating Board (IOB) was set up to govern the new independent officiating system. Ray Evernham and Raj Nair were two of the members selected via a vote from the IndyCar teams. The third member was selected by the FIA, named Ronan Morgan.

The board comprising the three members has now been tasked with selecting a Managing Director of Officiating (MDO). The MDO will report to the Independent Officiating Board with no interference from IndyCar or Penske Entertainment.

Once the MDO is appointed, he/she will then be tasked with building a race control team, technical team, and hiring for other areas required for full officiating oversight.

With the IOB still in the decision-making phase regarding the MDO, Ed Carpenter Racing driver Alexander Rossi came out on the Off Track with Hinch and Rossi podcast and revealed that two former IndyCar drivers are in contention for the MDO role. However, Rossi didn't name either of the two. He said

“I have. I definitely can't share (the names), but I can say that two of them were ex-racing drivers. Like IndyCar drivers.” (31:00 onwards) “Oh, and the other one was a person that was very influential on the American side for the FIA. And that's all the details I'm going to give,” added Rossi as he revealed the third person in contention for the MDO position.

FIA President reacts to the formation of IndyCar’s Independent officiating system

The American open-wheel racing series hosted a delegation of the FIA at the Milwaukee Mile in 2025 to understand the workings of an external governing body for motorsports. Over the next few months, a decision to form an independent officiating body was made rather than having an external governing body as F1 does in the form of the FIA.

F1 Grand Prix of Abu Dhabi - Final Practice - Source: Getty

FIA President Mohammed Ben Sulayem reacted to the formation of the independent officiating body for IndyCar, as he said,

“INDYCAR is an American icon and I am proud of the relationship we are building together. The FIA’s independent expertise in delivering consistent officiating oversight across our World Championships, combined with INDYCAR’s innovation and competitive spirit, will support the continued growth of the series. I look forward to the work ahead of us.”

The FIA will not be a part of any way except for the appointment of one of the three members on the Independent Officiating Board.

Edited by Pranay Bhagi