Following Ed Jones’ departure from DCR to join Chip Ganassi Racing, Coyne has been searching for a replacement to partner incumbent ace Sebastien Bourdais.

Indy Lights race winner Zachary Claman DeMelo was understood to be the frontrunner for the seat, having made his IndyCar debut at the Sonoma finale last year, and has been testing for Coyne team in 2018. But there is a strong possibility of more than one driver filling the seat of the #19 DCR-Honda.

Following an Indy Lights test with reigning series champions Juncos Racing at Sebring, a chance meeting with DCR team boss Dale Coyne led to Fittipaldi – grandson of two-time Indy car champion and two-time Indy 500 winner Emerson Fittipaldi – driving the 2018 Indycar at Sebring on Wednesday.

“The [Indy Lights] test went really well and the day after IndyCar was testing and I stayed an extra day just to watch the teams test,” Fittipaldi told Motorsport.com. “Then I met Dale Coyne and we were there talking about stuff. It came as a bit of surprise when he gave me the opportunity to test the car on Thursday. It was Sebastien Bourdais’ car because he was going to go to Daytona.

“He said he wanted to test me and he put me in the car, so I was extremely happy to get my first IndyCar outing. And the test went really, really well

“It took me a couple of runs to get used to it. The car is similar, downforce-wise, to the World Series – in a driving-style way at least. Obviously, it has more power and you brake deeper and carry more speed into the corners but the style is similar.”

Fittipaldi is expected to announce his 2018 plans in the next two weeks and says that IndyCar is a potential option for him – but that the decision lies with his backers Escuderia Telmex.

“I know that [IndyCar] would have to be finalized very quickly and my plans will be finalized in the next week or two,” he said. “I’m very excited about what comes next. The last couple of months have been very good for me. If I can race in IndyCar it would be amazing.”

Former AJ Foyt Racing driver Jack Hawksworth, now driving for 3GT Racing in IMSA’s GT Daytona class, has also been linked to the seat but has not yet tested a 2018-spec IndyCar.