ECR driver Alexander Rossi delivers a clear verdict on ‘most aggressive’ IndyCar champion who might flip the script at WWT Raceway

Josef Newgarden entered this year’s Indianapolis 500 chasing history, aiming for a rare three-peat victory. However, hopes of a historic triumph were derailed by Team Penske's cheating scandal, and similar bad luck has been the theme for Newgarden's 2025 season. Despite the issues, ECR driver Alexander Rossi described the fellow Indy 500 champion, Josef Newgarden, as the “most aggressive” on the grid and believes he’s poised for a comeback at WWT Raceway.

Setbacks have plagued Josef Newgarden's 2025 season. At Long Beach, a potential top-10 finish was lost when his seatbelts came loose, forcing an unscheduled pit stop and resulting in a 27th-place finish.

At the Sonsio Grand Prix, an electrical issue dropped him from sixth on the grid to last, though he fought back to finish 12th, and at the season opener at St. Petersburg, a fuel mishap forced him to coast to the finish, costing him a likely podium.

However, Ed Carpenter Racing driver Alexander Rossi picked Newgarden as the best driver at Ovals and explained he is the most aggressive and possibly can turn it around.

“He’s the best oval racer in the series,” Ed Carpenter Racing driver Alexander Rossi said.

“He’s the most aggressive," Alexander Rossi added (via IndyCar)

Following last year’s Detroit Grand Prix, Josef Newgarden secured five podiums in the final 11 races, including a standout win at Worldwide Technology Raceway, the venue for the upcoming race on June 15. He capped off the season with three podium finishes in the last five rounds, showcasing strong late-season form.

---

Alexander Rossi gave interesting reasoning for Max Verstappen's 'snap' at George Russell at the F1 Spanish GP

F1 Grand Prix of Emilia-Romagna - Qualifying - Source: Getty

IndyCar driver Alexander Rossi has offered a unique perspective on the controversial clash between Max Verstappen and George Russell during the Formula 1 Spanish Grand Prix. Verstappen, visibly frustrated with his Red Bull car, collided with Russell’s Mercedes shortly after being instructed to surrender P4 due to an earlier off-track incident at Turn 1.

Though he briefly allowed Russell to pass before Turn 5, Verstappen made contact moments later, a move some analysts deemed intentional. Speaking on his Off Track with Hinch and Rossi podcast, Rossi, a former F1 driver with Marussia, theorized that Verstappen’s reaction resembled behavior seen in iRacing, suggesting it may have been instinctive.

"I do wonder how much of that was subconscious, something he does in iRacing, and it just leaked out into real life. Because we know how much time he spends on the sim. I can very easily see him... like you get penalties in iRacing too," said Rossi (40:30:00 onwards)

"I could very easily see him doing it as 'Oh, I gave the place back. The AI computer shows that the car was in front. F*** you.' I wonder if it was just like a snap in his head," he added

The FIA penalized Verstappen with a 10-second time penalty, dropping him from fifth to tenth, and added three points to his super license, bringing his total to 11. One more point within the 12-month window would trigger a one-race ban.