Rinus Veekay shares "pressure" of mentoring struggling rookie teammate Jacob Abel at Dale Coyne Racing

Rinus Veekay has opened up on the pressure of mentoring his Dale Coyne Racing teammate, Jacob Abel, who is in his rookie year in IndyCar. Abel is struggling to get up to pace with his rivals and even fellow rookies Louis Foster and Robert Shwartzman.

The 24-year-old had a unique story in the ladder up to IndyCar. Dale Coyne Racing was ready to field him in the premier American open-wheel series in 2024. However, he voluntarily chose to compete in a third Indy NXT season because he felt he wasn't ready for the ultimate challenge.

Now that he's here, Abel is having a tough time getting accustomed to the series' hyper-competitiveness. Moreover, Dale Coyne Racing doesn't have the best track record in recent years, which might be adding to his miseries. However, teammate Rinus Veekay, who was the 2025 grid's last signing, has turned out to be the unexpected star of the season.

In a recent interview with FrontStretch, Veekay spoke about his role in the team and specifically, that of guiding and mentoring Jacob Abel. When asked if the presence of a rookie alongside impacts how he carries himself through the season, Rinus Veekay said [8:02 onwards]:

"Well, that does impact me. Jacob is in his rookie season. I need to make sure whatever happens, he builds up. I need to make sure I'm on it. So we see what the car is like early in the weekend... Whatever is going on with him, I need to make sure I'm on it, so I can guide the team towards where we need to go. There is a little bit of pressure on that, but it's actually really fun."

Veekay recently secured his first IndyCar podium in over three years. He landed on the right side of the strategic calls at the Indy Toronto and also led the race for 16 laps out of 90. Eventually, Pato O'Ward got the better of him with Arrow McLaren executing a perfect overcut, to take his second win in three races.

Nonetheless, the No. 18 driver brought his car home with a P2 result, also giving DCR its first podium in two years.

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Rinus Veekay comments on rollercoaster journey en route to IndyCar comeback after Toronto podium

Rinus Veekay raced with Ed Carpenter Racing for five years since his IndyCar debut in 2020. The team let him go after the 2024 season, signing 2016 Indy 500 winner Alexander Rossi as his replacement.

Veekay's chances kept slimming as teams chose their drivers for the 2025 season. It all came down to the final Dale Coyne Racing seat, which finally came calling a month before the season began. After his maiden podium with the team in Toronto, the Dutch driver spoke about the fairytale comeback.

"Yeah, feels awesome," he said via ASAP Sports. "I mean, for the team, their last podium was my last win, my only win, which was also a second place. Wish we could have topped that.

Elaborating on the minimal time he got with the team in the offseason, Rinus Veekay added:

"Especially with the uncertainty in the off-season, the lack of preparation we've had as a team, showing up to races like this, even Barber earlier in the season, we'd really show pace. After the engineering overhaul, we really started figuring out what we needed to do. Michael Cannon brought a lot of experience to the timing stand and the engineering truck. It's paying off."

The next IndyCar race weekend will take place at Laguna Seca from July 25 to 27. The track hasn't been a favorable hunting ground for Veekay in the past.