It’s been an extremely impressive start to life in IndyCar for Agustin Canapino, a 15-time champion in various categories in his home nation of Argentina before joining the IndyCar grid this year. 2023 sees him in single-seaters for the first time in his career.
He’s kicked off his maiden campaign with two solid and excellent P12 finishes at St. Pete and Texas.
The Argentinian led the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach — albeit through not putting under caution like everyone else — before unfortunate contact with Helio Castroneves brought an end to his day prematurely. Canapino had impressively led the rookie standings after the first two events.
The 33-year-old admitted to NBC earlier today that his rookie season is going ‘much better than expected’ to date.
“Honestly, much, much better than I expected,” said Canapino. “The first two races went really well. Long Beach, too.
“I had good pace to finish in a good position, but I had a problem in the second stint of the race and that’s it. But the pace was there.
Ahead of the Rookie Orientation Program that is currently taking place at Indy, Canapino says he’s living a dream by driving on the famous Indianapolis oval for Juncos Hollinger Racing.
“Now, honestly, I am achieving a dream. It’s like a dream come true because I always watched Indy 500 on TV, my whole life, and I can’t believe I will be here,” he said.
“Honestly, for me, I come from very far from here, in another country [Argentina], in South America.
“And being here with this opportunity, I am really grateful and I am really happy.”
Photo credit: Penske Entertainment | Joe Skibinski
