Mental coaching & Football Manager: Inside Malukas’ IndyCar development
- Archie O’Reilly
- Jul 9
- 11 min read
David Malukas is entirely unashamed in his admittance of support he has had from a mental coach. Exactly as it should be and for too long has not been.
Beyond simply racing, in a wider sporting context, so much emphasis is placed on the physical elements of training. From youth, children are raised to work on their physical fitness and skillset in whatever sport they may be participating in.
Racing has been no different.
All the talk is of neck strength, withstanding incomprehensible G-forces and possessing the endurance to cope with gruelling races - often in high temperatures. There is constant talk of hydration, nutrition and everything in between. And not wrongly.
But somehow there has long been a taboo element surrounding the mental aspect of sport - especially pertinent in the brutal business of racing.
Such a massive part of the industry is rebounding from and understanding setbacks, moving on from the peaks and troughs within a non-stop season and shelving any fears or apprehensions. And doing this amid the rigours of everyday life too.
But often all you see or hear about is drivers pushing the limits and improving in a physical sense.
“When you talk with drivers all the time, they’re always talking about the physical and you see all these cuts of them in the gym working their arms, showing the triceps, biceps. ‘Yeah, we’re getting strong,’” Malukas says. “Obviously that’s always important.
“But I feel like the mental aspect hasn’t really been spoken about too much.”
Marcus Ericsson has been something of a trailblazer in an IndyCar sense. He has been refreshingly candid about the benefits of working with a mental trainer - both in a sporting and wider wellbeing context - to gain an edge in an area which feels drastically underutilised.
As the stigma continues to be broken and challenged, Malukas has taken it upon himself to start work with a mental coach. And he has immediately seen the benefits.
“It’s tough,” Malukas explains. “You look at IndyCar and motorsports in general, it’s a sport where you’re surrounded with fans and PR all the way until the very start of the race. You get in the car, five minutes and now you need to be focused.
“In other sports, you have time to go in the locker room, have time to recollect. [There are] a lot of strategies that we do to switch into racing mode, to get focused, just because there’s that very short period of time. It’s very important.
“There’s a lot that we can learn from it and it’s still a new environment for me that I’ve gone into - and the sport in general.”
The IndyCar season is intense. With 17 races condensed into a six-month period and the bulk falling in the May-to-August period, it becomes unrelenting. Drivers are often forced to rebound from adversity within days and are scarcely afforded time to revel in the highs.
As soon as one race passes and debriefs are concluded, attention turns to the next. But amid preparation for the next, sights already have to be set on the race beyond that too.
“It’s very easy to get overrun with thoughts,” Malukas admits. “Just even going off of Mid-Ohio, I left the shop this [Tuesday] morning trying to figure out strategies of what we can do when it comes to the post-event at Mid-Ohio, how things went and looking forward to Laguna [Seca, held in a fortnight’s time].
“But now we kind of need to put that on hold, switch up and get ready for Iowa [doubleheader] because that’s coming up in the next few days. There’s a lot of different aspects that we need to figure out from the mental side and even physical.
“With my trainer, there’s been more talks of how to recover than how to train this next month. It’s a new perspective on things and we’re trying to make sure we can capitalise, because the better you can capitalise on the off-days, you’re going to be better on the on-days when you’re racing.”
Part of Malukas’ recovery programme has been rest where possible amid the congestion of races. Whether on flights or in any free time at home, hotels or even the track, Malukas has found the Football Manager video game an ideal means of relaxation.
He started by managing Premier League side Nottingham Forest, but upon finding that a little straightforward, he has switched to sixth-tier English outfit Dorking Wanderers.
“I’m trying to work them up into the Premier League, which has been a tough struggle but I’m in Season Three right now… we’re getting there,” Malukas informs with a smile. “I’m still very much addicted. I’m putting in a lot of hours into that.”
From a physical side, an extremely hot stretch of races has meant hydration and electrolyte consumption has been a critical aspect of recovery and preparation - all week in the aftermath of the previous race and in the lead-up to the next.
But the unwinding and resetting aspect from a mindset perspective is equally important in optimising performance.
“From a mental aspect, trying to be able to not think about the previous race that much [is important],” Malukas adds. “It’s already hard that, let’s say, you’ve had a bad race; bad races tend to stick with you a little bit harder. It’s always hard to move on from that perspective.
“So that’s the big challenge between all these races. If we have a bad one, if a mishap happens, make sure we can do a full reset, don’t think about the past, don’t let the past race influence this race coming up. Make sure we can be fully recharged, reset and go out there and give our 110 percent performance for the next one.”
For teams on a wider scale, it is pivotal to manage the fatigue of extensive stretches of successive races - often meaning long periods away from home and away from families.
Malukas is transparent about the toll that the toughness of the season can take on him as the driver but also has a distinct appreciation for the crews, who do not have all the same luxuries.
Rallying as a team is critical. Malukas, a driver who is often seen working about the garage, cleaning the car and standing beside his team, is acutely aware of this fact.
“The biggest shout-out goes out to the crew members of all teams,” he insists. “[Drivers] still get to be a little bit spoiled and get to just relax, recover, say we’re athletes and go into the sauna, cold plunge. ‘Okay, yeah… but this is my recovery.’
“Those guys, they work their butts off all weekend and then they go to the shop, flip the car around non-stop, have a little bit of food here and there and jump back to the next race. Those guys are non-stop on it.”
Malukas has also been dealt additional distractions out of the car this season, with rumours swirling about the potential of him replacing Will Power at Team Penske amid widespread belief that Penske are funding his ride with partner team AJ Foyt Racing.
A welcome distraction? Maybe. Interest from one of the series’ most formidable outfits has to be flattering.
But still, regardless of whether a future at Penske - next season or later - is inevitable, Malukas’ work with his mental coach has also encompassed remaining in the here and now. That mindset has been important amid a turbulent 18 months, as Malukas lost his Arrow McLaren drive without racing for the team due to his pre-season injury in 2024.
“No matter the rumours or no rumours, everybody is trying to strive to always live in the present instead of stressing about the past and the future,” he says. “I’ve always gone about that no matter what the situation may be.
“I’ve had a mental coach training me to always stay and live in the present. Right now, I’m with the AJ Foyt team and we’re focused on our successes and what we’ve accomplished so far this season. And there’s a lot more coming and a lot more results that’s going to be here very soon.
“We’re learning so much every single race that goes by. Even from Mid-Ohio, there’s a lot that we’ve already learned from that one race. We’re taking it a step at a time but we’re always going on an upward trajectory.”
The start to Malukas’ first season with Foyt - his full-time return to IndyCar after only racing the second half of 2024 with Meyer Shank Racing (MSR) after his cycling injury - was a little testing. Through five races, his 13th-place result in St. Pete was his only top-15 finish and he sat 19th in points heading into the Indianapolis 500.
But that is where things changed.
Malukas was not expecting anything groundbreaking from the Month of May after a year’s absence from IndyCar’s marquee race. But quickly he realised he had a “rocketship” beneath him, going on to qualify seventh and finish the race third on the road before being promoted to runner-up after Marcus Ericsson’s post-event penalty.
Foyt rode that wave. Santino Ferrucci finished fifth in the Indy 500 and went on to claim his first two career road and street course races in a four-race streak of top fives. For Malukas, seventh at Road America was his only notable result, recovering from an early beaching in the gravel, but he qualified on the front row in Detroit and fourth at Gateway.
Mid-Ohio last time out was somewhat more challenging - Ferrucci and Malukas finishing 16th and 17th - as the team endeavours to refine its road course package. But the chance for the team to work closely together over the Indy 500 fortnight has proven invaluable.
“It’s just coming into a new team and we’ve had a lot of new guys just join from the crew side, the mechanics, new engineering being switched around,” Malukas explains. “There’s a lot of new chemistry and builds that need to happen.
“Month of May, when there’s a new group of new guys, that always is a big turnaround. Because having a full month where you wake up every morning, you go to bed every night, you’re always there with the crew, you’re seeing the same guys and you can learn what I like from the car, what we need from the car. It helps a lot.
“That foundation is built in the Month of May and you can finally work towards something for the rest of the season. We have had that.”
The trajectory of the season has not surprised Malukas, finding his way and building an understanding within the team before results started to arrive. All the while, the team is continuing to build an increasingly well-rounded car suited to IndyCar’s diverse range of tracks.
“We’re starting to show things from that direction and I’m very excited to be a part of it,” Malukas says. “The chemistry that the team has right now has been at an all-time high. I’m enjoying my time there, having a really good time with all the guys.
“Confidence, the team morale is high. The basics are there and we’re starting to work up and hopefully we can start working these finite details to have an ultimate car all around.”
When he first arrived at the team, Malukas was building his car off the setup from the sister No.14 machine of Ferrucci. There was an experimental element to the start of the campaign, which may also have fed into some of the unremarkable results.
But past midway in the 2025 season, Malukas is driving a car that is his own.
“We finally can say: ‘Okay, now this is David’s setup. This is the No. 4 setup and we can build off of that foundation and work from there,’” he acknowledges. “We’ve just been on a really good trajectory, every session that we do.”
Not only has the team rekindled the strength that saw Ferrucci leap from 19th to ninth in the standings last year, but they now have Ferrucci inside the top 10 and Malukas 11 points shy and on the brink in 12th. They are fighting on a team-wide front with two young chargers.
In the remaining seven rounds of the season, there is a bout of ovals and a further street course in Toronto - perceived as Foyt’s strong suit - and Portland, where Ferrucci took the team’s first pole in over a decade last year. Laguna Seca remains the biggest question mark.
From Malukas’ side, there is an emphasis on cutting out some of the errors that have crept in and denied better race results. A strong finish in Detroit was taken away after running into the rear of Álex Palou, followed by wall contact when in win contention at Gateway.
He recovered from his Lap 1 mistake at Road America but made a misjudgement there nonetheless. And at Mid-Ohio, a crash in opening practice was suboptimal.
“We just keep getting quicker and quicker. Qualifying performances have been consistently better,” Malukas assesses. “Hopefully we can keep that going and start getting some better results come these races.
“It comes down to having good consistency, making sure no mistakes from our end. I feel like our qualifying performances, we’ve been there but missing out here and there. These little finite things happen and spiral us into losing a few spots.
“[At Iowa] we just need to make sure we can have clean pit stops. With everything being so close, maybe making a risky pass to try to go for some short-term success through a long-term perspective might go into play for a few passes.”
Through his two years at Dale Coyne Racing and stint with MSR, Malukas has been on a constant upwards trajectory himself. Aided by MSR’s technical alliance with Andretti Global and Penske’s with Foyt, he has been exposed to a vast amount of the series’ best drivers.
A popular turn of phrase in the racing world, he has been ‘a sponge’.
“I’ve seen a lot of different drivers in the paddock - pretty much half the field now. I’ve seen their different driving styles,” Malukas remarks. “So seeing all of that and putting it all in one giant pile to collect some data and make myself better, it comes out better in the end.
“Looking at a positive from what has been a rough previous season of mine with 2024, having that experience [of working with different teams] is what’s going to make me a better driver. And still being 23, my mind is still fresh for learning and trying to absorb as much information as I can to make myself a better driver.”
The Indy 500 was perfect evidence of Malukas’ willingness to learn from his competition to maximise his own skillset. He relished following Palou in the lead battle for large portions of the 200 laps.
“To be able to race with Palou when he’s at this peak of racing that is just smoking the field in a field that’s already so strong and so powerful, he’s just making everybody else better,” Malukas suggests. “The amount of things that I learned just being with him the entire race when it comes to the 500 was massive.
“At the age of 23, I can take a lot of that knowledge into making myself better and pushing forward. That’s happening from the entire field. Everybody is studying it. Everybody is trying to close that gap on him.”
When Malukas reflects on what he has learned over almost four years as an IndyCar driver, one thing in particular stands out…
Patience.
“If I would tell something to my younger self, it would definitely be patience,” he reflects. “When you’re a young driver, you want things to come quickly, get results no matter what it may be.
“Just seeing how these past two seasons have come out, I feel like I’ve matured 40 years in one really. It’s been a big one for me. I feel like I’m at a much better state when it comes to driving as I was when back in 2022: a lot less hot-headed and more calculated when it comes to things I want to do.
“I’m already starting to build an understanding of how races are going to go, depending on the yellows and what situations are happening.”
By the time he is 28 with over double his existing experience, a driver who built the nickname ‘Lil Dave’ jokes he could sport ‘Yoda’ as his new nickname.
“I’m just going to be so wise.”
A two-time podium sitter - at Gateway in each of his seasons with the Coyne team - the next step for Malukas is elevating himself into Victory Lane. The Foyt team has not won a race since 2013 and it would be perfect proof that Malukas is ready for his touted big move.
“Winning at IndyCar, especially the time that we’re at now… I think the level of drivers, it’s at an all-time high,” he says. “Everybody is just incredible, so no matter who you’re going up against, everyone is at their all-time high. They’re just performing at an all-time peak.
“Going out now, it’s very tough. Things need to really go your way. You need to have luck. You need to be at your ultimate performance, the best car to really get that win.
“It would be massive. If we could come out with a win this weekend, that would be a big turnaround for us and make the confidence just skyrocket even higher than what it already is now. That would be fantastic.”
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