As the NTT INDYCAR Series heads to The Thermal Club outside of Palm Springs, Calif. for the second race of the 17-race season, the unique format of last year's Million Dollar Challenge with heat races and the 20-lap Sprint feature has been changed to the normal race format this weekend. The Thermal Club INDYCAR Grand Prix on the 17-turn, 3.067-mile Twin Palms track will be one of the most challenging races of the season. We asked drivers David Malukas and Santino Ferrucci a few questions...
DAVID MALUKAS joined AJ Foyt Racing as driver of the No. 4 Chevrolet this year. Last year, he missed the first seven races of the season when he injured his wrist in an off-road accident. In the Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg, he qualified 17th and finished 13th. He was in position to finish in the top-10, but a miscue on the final pit stop dropped him four positions.
Are you looking forward to Thermal, even though you missed it last year?
DM: "Very excited to get going again after a short break from St. Pete! We were able to spend some time looking through the data we collected to better the car and myself heading into Thermal. Because of my injury last year, I was never able to race at Thermal so this will be a first for me. Lots of new things to look forward to and I can't wait to see what gains we have made!"
What do you like about the Thermal track?
DM: "I enjoy the large difference between the two sections. You can almost split the track in two. High speed and low speed. From a driver's perspective, it's easy to make changes in the car to set up for the new sections."
What are the biggest challenges you face with that track?
DM: "I feel others have had a lot more track time than I. So that will be the main disadvantage."
What is key to getting around the track? Where are the key passing zones?
DM: "This track seems to be all about setting up the exits to get good runs out. Key passing zones are probably T1, T6, T7, and T14."
Will tire management be a big factor in the race?
DM: "One hundred percent! I remember the race last year being tough on tire deg and it wasn't even a full race stint. So it will be interesting to see how it plays out."
Since the drivers stay in the casitas at the track, do you plan to go into Palm Springs or just stay at the track all weekend?
DM: "I will most likely stay at the track all weekend. I don't normally go out during race weekends. Just stay in and study for the next session."
How did testing go at Barber?
DM: "It was a good test for us. We ran into many issues that hindered our track time at Barber but at least it's all cleared up before heading into the race weekend."
Will you be able to apply anything from that test to this upcoming event?
DM: "Of course, we ran some test items that we believe will help us for Thermal."
What was your biggest takeaway from your first race with AJ Foyt Racing?
DM: "Overall, I was definitely a bit rusty for my first weekend back but I know the potential with this team is very high. Going to take some time to gel and mesh with everyone and what we need to create a rhythm but can very much be there. It's a good group of guys that has that family feel to it."
Malukas Fast Facts: Age 23...Born in Chicago...Lives in Indianapolis...Single...First generation Lithuanian American...Father gave him his first go kart launching his multi-time championship karting career including the 2015 IAME International Final World Championship (Junior division) in LeMans, France...Scored poles and victories in the USF2000 and Pro Mazda series before becoming Vice-Champion in the 2021 INDY NXT by Firestone series...Joined Dale Coyne Racing with HMD to advance to the 2022 NTT INDYCAR Series scoring a 2nd place finish at World Wide Technology Raceway (WWTR)...Came back with Coyne in 2023 and scored another podium at WWTR finishing 3rd...In 2024, a wrist injury in a dirt-biking accident in the off-season led to a partial 10-race season with Meyer-Shank Racing where he posted two Top-10s and qualified in the Firestone Fast 6 five times.
SANTINO FERRUCCI entered his third season with AJ Foyt Racing as the driver of the No. 14 Sexton Properties Chevrolet. In the Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg, he qualified 19th and finished 14th as the fuel strategy did not work to his advantage. Ferrucci is coming off a strong 2024 season where he finished a career-best ninth in the final driver rankings after posting 11 top-10 finishes and winning the NTT P1 Award.
What are the key sections for a fast lap at Thermal?
SF: "It would be the high-speed sections and braking zones. It's tough to pass on this track. So, it's going to put more emphasis on pit stops and strategy. It's going to be a very challenging race. Last year the tire deg was high so not sure what we will have this year. It definitely puts a premium on qualifying well and managing your tires."
What are the challenges that the Thermal track presents?
SF: "When drivers go off, it dirties the track, so if someone goes off and you're the first one to come back through, It could be a bit of a deficit. Or, if you're someone that finds someone that's gone off the track, It could be a positive. You can use it to your advantage. But like I said, this track is just very technical, very difficult. It's going to be a big qualifying race and a big tire-save race. But if they left the tires where they degrade, it might open up a lot of options."
What did you learn from your first race of the season that you can apply at Thermal?
SF: "Definitely communication can be a little bit better. I think being with a new engineer and a new crew, I think we need to improve our communication skills, which, it's not the end of the world. So I think it's something that only having one test day to kind of learn everybody definitely makes it difficult. With a new crew and new teammate, there's a lot of tools that we didn't utilize in St. Pete that we need to use to improve our performance."
Is Thermal unique on the Indy car circuit, or does it have similarities to other tracks? And if so, how is that helpful?
SF: "It is unique on its own. It would have been pulling characteristics from the old Mid-Ohio before that track's repave because the track surface is worn-in which makes it tough. It's really tire dependent on how everything reacts."
Since you're staying in the Casitas at the track, do you go into Palm Springs or just stay at the track all weekend?
SF: "I stay at the track. I don't leave. I like seeing all the cars and meeting all the people. Honestly, it's a really fun time. So, I make it a point to stay, I know people there now and we visit with them and see their cars, which is really cool."
How did the test at Barber go last week?
SF: "It's definitely a learning process. I think we could have done a better job as a team. There's just a lot of things that didn't really go our way. Unfortunately, that's part of it, it's a lot of learning. We had a sim test before this weekend so between what we learned at Barber and the sim this week, I think we might be able to come away with a good starting baseline."
Do you and your teammate David have similar driving styles or do you like different setups?
SF: "We definitely like different setups, that is certain. I wasn't surprised by that. I like a more free car in general. I've never had a teammate where we can share the same setup. Bourdais was helpful for my learning curve as a driver when I came to IndyCar but as far as setups, we were still different."
What have you been doing between St. Pete and now?
SF: "Working on my C-5 Corvette."
Your project car? Your crew chief has a project truck he's working on.
SF: "Every adult male has a project-something going on."
Ferrucci Fast Facts: Age 26...Born in Woodbury, CT...Lives in Dallas, Texas...Married Renay Moore in January, 2024...Began racing karts at age 5, moved to cars in 2013...Competed in Formula 2000, British Formula 3, GP3 finishing third at Spa Francorchamps as a rookie, was development driver for Haas F1 team for three years (2016-2018), moved to Formula 2 in 2018...made his INDYCAR debut in Detroit in 2018...moved to NTT INDYCAR Series fulltime in 2019 finishing 13th in standings for Dale Coyne and won Indianapolis 500 Rookie of the Year after finishing seventh...13th in standings again with fourth place finish in the 500...drove part-time in 2021-22 but maintained top-10 streak in Indy 500 with finishes of sixth (RLL Racing) and 10th (Dreyer Reinbold Racing)...Scored career-best finish to date with his 3rd place finish in the 2023 Indianapolis 500 to continue his string of consecutive top-10 finishes in the 500...Competed part-time in NASCAR Xfinity Series in 2021-22. Earned 2025 NTT P1 Award at Portland, Ore....posted 11 Top-10 finishes for career-best to finish 9th in the NTT INDYCAR Series driver standings, his highest ranking to date. The Foyt team finished in the top-10 in the points standings for the first time since 2002.
The Thermal Club INDYCAR Grand Prix will be broadcast live on FOX this Sunday afternoon starting at 3 p.m. ET. The qualifying and practice sessions will be featured on FS1.
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