Max Papis is walking away from the control tower, as Motorsport.com reports. The former driver has confirmed that his role as IndyCar chief steward has come to a close after an 11-year run.
The 57-year-old Italian announced the news on social media. Papis brought a wealth of experience to the role, having contested seven Formula 1 starts in 1995, taken three victories across an 11-year career in IndyCar, and made multiple starts in NASCAR's national series.
His departure arrives just a month after IndyCar locked in extensions for Independent Officiating Board members Ray Evernham, Raj Nair, and Ronan Morgan through the 2027 season, a period covering both IndyCar and Indy NXT. Alongside those updates, IndyCar confirmed that Scot Elkins will stay on as Managing Director of Officiating for 2027, maintaining independent oversight of race control, stewards, and technical inspection without direction from IndyCar or Penske Entertainment Corp.
Reflecting on his time in the role, Papis shared a personal statement directed at the racing community. "This is a PERSONAL message to the entire IndyCar community," he wrote. "2026 will mark my 11th and LAST year as CHIEF STEWARD."
He continued, "In my career, I never really liked most of the people in my position as I felt they were judging me without knowing what it really means to be strapped in a race car. I took this not as a job but as a PROJECT and worked VERY hard to give good reason to the competitors to change the way they looked at the STEWARD with my goal to be a firm, objective, silent partner to the Garage."
Papis emphasized his commitment to fairness and safety throughout his tenure. "I did my VERY BEST, even when we had to have tough conversations and had to agree to disagree, to bring accurate, objective facts, data, and videos and make it not about MY own subjective opinion but intervene ONLY when a rule was infringed and when SAFETY and competition were affected with ONLY one GOAL, make what was good for the SPORT and the fans and let the racers be racers and stay aggressive and tough as it is in each of us inner soul."
Concluding his statement, Papis expressed gratitude to the garage. "I trust I leave the sport that changed my life in a better shape than I found it. It has been an HONOUR of my life to contribute to its growth and to bring back the spotlight on the DRIVERS, the real heroes. To all the DRIVERS, thank you for your TRUST in me, for the RESPECT you all showed me even when it was not easy but most of all THANK YOU for always making me feel I WAS ONE OF YOU."
