Jim Ayello | IndyStar

Jim Ayello/IndyStar

Matt Kryger/IndyStar

INDIANAPOLIS -- Michael Andretti knew Takuma Sato was negotiating with other teams. He understands why, too. Andretti was once a driver and he knows sometimes they have to look out for their own best interests.

So when Andretti began talking to Chevrolet, an engine manufacturer he knew Sato couldn’t run with, he fully expected the reigning Indianapolis 500 champion to start talking to other Honda-powered teams.

But when Andretti decided to keep his team with Honda, he said Sato and his manager wouldn't even negotiate with him.

“His management basically had made up their minds that they were leaving (for Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing),” a frustrated Andretti told IndyStar this week in an exclusive interview. “To this moment, I don’t understand the move. They never even gave me a chance to come back and figure out what I could do to keep Takuma here. The whole thing was a little unfair.”

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Contractually, Sato and his manager, Steve Fusek, are not permitted to discuss the 2018 season until after this season’s finale at Sonoma.

RLL team owner Bobby Rahal told IndyStar only that “I’m working on a second car, but I have nothing to report at this time.”

Andretti laughed upon hearing that a deal hadn’t been reached. “It’s done,” he said. “It’s in their contract that they can’t say anything to you guys, but we can. It’s done.”

The news was a major blow to Sato’s close friend and Andretti Autosport teammate Alexander Rossi, who said he and Sato -- the “new guys” in the Andretti camp -- bonded over the past seven months, sharing their experiences as first-time 500 winners.

“He’s been an amazing addition to the team,” Rossi told IndyStar Wednesday. “He’s awesome. I think he’s really proven what he’s capable of in this championship, and he didn’t necessarily always have the chance to show that. … He was a perfect fit here. So we’re definitely going to miss him.”

More on Sato:

Andretti, too, is saddened to be losing Sato, whom he thought would have thrived in his second season with the team.

“He really fit in with this team well,” Andretti said. “He was starting to gel. ... We really enjoyed having him as part of the team. Obviously he won the Indy 500 for us, so it’s disappointing he won’t be defending his title for us.”

Follow IndyStar Motor Sports Insider Jim Ayello on Twitter and Instagram: @jimayello.