“I want to win” - VeeKay’s 2026 mindset is crystal clear
- Evan Roberts
- 2 hours ago
- 4 min read
In what was a decisive season for Rinus VeeKay’s career, the Dutchman proved his critics wrong to place a fantastic 14th place in the Drivers’ Championship.
His performances earned him a seat on the grid this year as he made the move from Dale Coyne Racing to Juncos Hollinger Racing where big expectations followed him.
“For me, I want to win,” said VeeKay.
Alongside his singular podium in Toronto, he achieved a string of impressive results, including a further six top 10 finishes; all of this for a flailing Coyne outfit that had failed to pick up a single top 10 finish the year prior.
Despite Veekay’s standout performances, the team clearly struggled for consistency, especially on ovals, with both cars qualifying as the two slowest entries for the 109th Indianapolis 500.
This outcome was something of a wake up call for VeeKay, who had historically experienced success at the speedway, especially during qualifying: “I think every hard moment and challenge in your career makes you stronger. For sure, I feel like I've again grown as a driver in 2025 at the 500.”
Unsurprisingly, VeeKay decided to jump ship and has joined JHR for the upcoming season, citing the team's development plan as the main influence: “It wasn't a super easy decision to make. I really weighed both being with Coyne and now JHR.
“I think talking to the team, I got to see and hear what their off-season plans were, what their development was going to be like. That to me was just the better decision of the two.”
Last year, he had what could be described as quite a unique off-season, receiving just two weeks’ notice before suiting up in St Petersburg.
This time around, having been announced all the way back in October, there has been far more time for the Dutchman to prepare for the year ahead.
“Definitely more than two weeks of preparation for St. Pete will be nice this year,” said VeeKay. “Just going to be nice to really have almost a full off-season to work with the team and get to know everybody and get to work with the engineers before we actually turn a lap.”
It is a team he has worked alongside already in his career, having taken them to a runner up position in the 2019 Indy Lights Championship.
Seven years later, he has returned to the team on a one-year contract and has made his ambitions of taking them to the top step clear: “We've had success together in the Road to Indy, which is a different ballgame.
“I've signed for one year now, but for me, I want to win. We all share that feeling within the team, within JHR. If we can make that happen there, that's all we want.
“They want their car to win. I want my car to win. The goal is to make it all happen together.”
With his contract lasting only this season, many would feel nervous about the uncertainty surrounding their career’s future.
Not VeeKay.
He opened up on how the pressure to achieve a result on a weekend basis resulted in the revival of his career: “I think it's really healthy for a driver to approach a weekend like it's their only shot, to really make everything — to maximize everything they have and don't get comfortable.”
“I felt like at DCR at one point I was there for so long I was so comfortable.
“I kind of loosened up a little bit too much, where what really shook things up last year is that I really had this one shot that I had to take with both hands, and I want to keep that mindset throughout.
“One contract year or 10, it doesn't matter.”
It’s strange to think that, at the age of 25, he is considered a series veteran. Six years in the series, five with Ed Carpenter Racing and then one with DCR, leaves him with a wealth of experience.
“I've grown a lot. Really it's funny to see 19 year old Rinus just dive into INDYCAR with such easy expectations. It's a lot harder than people would think, especially coming from the Road to Indy,” VeeKay expressed.
“I've really gotten a lot smarter in the car while driving. I'm really proud of myself for how I've created this mindset that extracts everything out of myself and the team at all times.”
This experience, alongside a teammate that is yet to crack the top 20 in points, puts him in a brilliant position to lead the team for the upcoming season as he sets his eyes on a top 10 in the Drivers’ Championship.
“I want to be in the top 10 in the championship for sure by the end of 2026,” VeeKay remarked. “For me, getting consistently in the top five is a priority. I feel like at least five, six top fives are going to be necessary to comfortably be in that top 10 in the championship.
It’s a result VeeKay has never achieved in any of his IndyCar seasons. Bizarrely, he has finished every championship between 12th and 14th, a pattern he is keen to buck as he heads into a crucial year of his career.
“Probably when I'm top 10 in the championship,” he said. “I want to be top five. I'm always striving for more.”
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