The Prema Racing IndyCar team and its technical director Michael Cannon have parted ways ahead of the team’s debut season.
Cannon signed for Prema from AJ Foyt Racing where he had helped boost the team’s performance over a two year period, including one year with a Team Penske tie-up in 2024, when it had its best drivers’ championship finish since 2002 as Santino Ferrucci took ninth.
After working at Forsythe, Andretti and Chip Ganassi Racing, Cannon has built up the reputation of one of the best engineering brains in IndyCar.
Cannon had only recently started at Prema and was part of the team’s launch on January 10, as it begins its first-ever IndyCar season this year.
News of his departure was first reported by Trackside Online and then verified by The Race.
It is believed that Prema is keen to look for another external hire as its new technical director for IndyCar but will temporarily fill the role with an internal appointment.
At its launch it announced a star-studded roster of new recruits including engineers with a Formula 1 background.
The team’s group technical director, Guillaume Capietto, is one of the most well-respected engineers in Formula 2 and junior single-seaters generally and will also be someone the team can rely on in the interim.
The Race understands that the decision for Cannon to leave was mutual.
The team will do a shakedown and then its first test will be on January 28 at the Thermal Club in California.
For its driver line-up it has brought Callum Ilott back into IndyCar full-time and recruited his fellow former Ferrari junior Robert Shwartzman, while Romain Grosjean will be its reserve.
