Hinchcliffe in a statement said he was "shocked" that he would not drive the No. 5 in IndyCar this seasongetty images
IndyCar driver James Hinchcliffe earlier this week lost his ride with the new Arrow McLaren Racing SP team, and the team has "completely sidelined" him by "continuing to say it will honour" his contract that runs through next season, according to Norris McDonald of the TORONTO STAR. A source said the team will continue to pay his estimated $500,000 annual salary. The source: "To earn it he will have to go to the races and be in their hospitality unit and shake hands with people and talk about racing and be a personality. They might also have him do some appearances away from the races. They are on the hook for a lot of money and they will want to get their money's worth." The source added that if Hinchcliffe "balks or refuses an assignment, the team would consider that a breach of contract and stop paying him." The source noted that Hinchcliffe's lawyers have "threatened to sue and been told that if they follow through, the team will stop paying him" (TORONTO STAR, 11/1). Hinchcliffe in a statement noted he was "shocked" to learn he would not drive the No. 5 IndyCar this season and said, "It’s very late in the game, but my team is working flat out to try and salvage a full 2020 IndyCar campaign" (Mult., 10/31).
SPONSORSHIP IS EVERYTHING: In Indianapolis, Nathan Brown notes Hinchcliffe "brings a combination of skill, charisma and marketability that few in the sport have mastered." However, that alone "won't earn him an IndyCar ride" in '20. Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing co-Owner Bobby Rahal said, "Sponsorship, that's what makes the world go 'round in racing. Unless you have it, despite all your best intentions, there's not much more you can do." Brown notes it "doesn't appear Hinchcliffe is wielding significant sponsor money." His car's main sponsor from this past season, Arrow, is gone, and he "holds a handful of small sponsorships that make for nice patches on a fire suit and are certainly helpful in strengthening an already existing team, but they're not team builders." Honda Canada "likely cannot go it alone" (INDIANAPOLIS STAR, 11/1).
