Scott McLaughlin had a difficult Rookie season in 2021 even though he was awarded Rookie of the Year in one of the most decorated Rookie rosters in history. With himself as A 3 time Supercars Champion and Bathurst Winner. His competition being F1 veteran Romain Grosjean with 179 F1 starts including 10 podiums. NASCAR Legend & 7 time Champion Jimmie Johnson. Though both did not compete on ovals in their rookie seasons.
Looking back at McLaughlin’s first 2 seasons in IndyCar, there is a clear upward trajectory towards the top of the category. After admittedly struggling to come to grips with the car in 2021, where he finished 14th in the standings. He has made a significant stride forward in 2022 on the way to 4th in the standings, capped off with 3 Wins & 3 Poles to boot. If McLaughlin continues this trajectory year on year into 2023 he is a definite title threat to the reigning champion and teammate Will Power and his ‘Bus Bros’ counterpart in Josef Newgarden.
The Stats:
2021:
- 0 Wins
- 0 Poles
- 2 Top 5’s
- 5 Top 10’s
- 15.2 Average Start
- 13.0 Average Finish
2022:
- 3 Wins
- 3 Poles
- 8 Top 5’s
- 12 Top 10’s
- 6.8 Average Start
- 8.7 Average Finish
Penske’s Return To Form
It is undeniable that McLaughlin’s progress is impressive, but how much of this jump in performance can be attributed to the team?
Penske made good progress on their car for 2022, taking them to 9 wins on the season out of 17 events. Significantly up form their 2021 slump with only 3 wins, down from 7 wins 2020.
