After the conclusion of the historic 110th Indy 500 on Sunday, IndyCar heads straight into the Detroit Grand Prix this weekend. For Santino Ferrucci, this turnaround is as bittersweet as it gets.

The No. 14 AJ Foyt Racing driver recorded his eighth consecutive Top 10 at the Indy 500. But as impressive as that run sounds, it left him infuriated and wanting to "punch something" that he still hasn't won the Greatest Spectacle in Racing despite such consistency.

However, the IndyCar schedule won't give Ferrucci time to ponder over that big what-if. Heading into Detroit, possibly the most unforgiving street track on the calendar, the 27-year-old is expecting a tough challenge.

Santino Ferrucci spoke about this during Wednesday's IndyCar media availability over Zoom, which Motor Culture attended. In response to our question about how many laps a driver needs to find the limit at the nine-turn, 1.645-mile street circuit, considering that the track's nature can change over a year with changing weather conditions and road cars passing over it, he replied:

"Probably about five to six on this place. You'll see a lot of drivers, we'll go out, we'll get the tires warm, then we'll start pushing our brake zones. It will take us five to six laps, maybe seven. We set the pressures lower, so it takes a little bit longer to come in. The first run is lengthier after that. After that, it's three- to four-lap stints."

Ferrucci then touched upon the tricky aspect of navigating the bumpy streets affected by cold Detroit winters, adding:

"Unfortunately, with Detroit, with the rough winters, you have no idea what hole is going to show up. The storm grates are hopefully still in the same location."

The Detroit GP circuit is one of the bumpiest on the IndyCar schedule. It would have been the bumpiest, but the Arlington GP circuit, which held the inaugural IndyCar event in March, took that crown, with cars visibly bouncing on the long straight.

Santino Ferrucci "Fired Up" for Detroit Comeback After 2025 Podium

While Santino Ferrucci may be concerned about Detroit's track surface, nothing can lower his confidence heading into the race weekend. In 2025, he finished on the Detroit GP podium, a career-best runner-up finish behind winner Kyle Kirkwood.

It was his second IndyCar career podium and was highly unexpected, considering he started the race in 21st. Speaking about his expectations for this weekend during the Zoom call, which he attended from his trailer, Ferrucci said:

"That would be what we're looking for in Detroit. We had a great result there last year, which came kind of out of the blue. I'm really fired up with the engineers. I'm about to head over to the shop and make sure that we are all buttoned up. I've literally got my notebook right here. I'm ready to roll."

Unfortunately, in 2025, Ferrucci's podium was overshadowed by a post-race penalty. His No. 14 AJ Foyt Racing Chevrolet failed post-race technical inspection for violating Rule 14.4.2. Driver Equivalency Weight, which required the combined weight of the driver and driver ballast to be 185 pounds.

For Santino Ferrucci, the driver ballast was underweight. The No. 14 entry was deducted 25 points and fined $25,000. However, he retained his second-place finish.

This year, he has yet to secure a Top 5 finish, with two eighth-place finishes at Barber and the Indy 500 as his best.

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Written by

Yask Kotak

Edited by

Yask Kotak