DETROIT -- It took Alexander Rossi a little bit of time to settle in to life as an IndyCar driver.
But winning the Indianapolis 500 as a 24-year-old rookie certainly speeds up the process.
By the time Rossi stepped on to the Automotive News World Congress stage last week to receive his "Baby Borg" replica of the iconic Borg-Warner Trophy, he looked like a comfortable veteran. Joined by team owners Michael Andretti and Bryan Herta of Andretti-Herta Autosport, Rossi was delighted to finally be able to take home tangible proof of his remarkable Indy win after being feted for the accomplishment for the past seven months.
"This was the second of two big things I was looking forward to -- seeing my face on the Borg-Warner Trophy, and obviously, this evening where I get to take a 'Baby Borg' home," Rossi said. "It's been quite a journey and an incredible experience, not only post-May 29 but everything leading up to the race because it was all new to me.
"There's been something celebrating the win every two to four weeks and it's something I've kind of become accustomed to," he added. "That adds to the motivation to do it again."
The IndyCar Series wasn't on Rossi's radar until early 2016, when he lost the drive he was expected to land with the Manor Formula One team. As it happened, that transpired at the same time Herta was talking to Andretti about joining forces for an Indy car program, and Andretti was reaching out to Rossi to gauge his interest in bringing the Californian's career back to America.
It may have been a marriage of convenience, but the Indy win turned it into a year-long honeymoon. With his driver at the back of the field after a problematic pit stop, Herta devised the fuel strategy that allowed Rossi to coast across the line to take the checkered flag at reduced speed while the charging field led by Carlos Munoz failed to catch him.
It was the second time in five years that Herta triumphed as a car owner, and somewhat similar to his other win in 2011 when J.R. Hildebrand's last-lap crash handed the victory to Dan Wheldon.
"You work so hard toward this singular goal of being part of an Indy 500 winning team," Herta said. "To do it once in a lifetime is amazing, and to do it twice, I just feel incredibly honored and blessed. Humbled is really the only word I can come up with."
"I don't mind coming up to Detroit in the middle of January if it's to get one of these babies [a 'Baby Borg']," Andretti said. "One of the things that makes winning Indianapolis unique is you don't just celebrate on the day you win -- it just goes on and on."
For Rossi, who still held out dreams of landing a full-time F1 ride, the Indianapolis win was a career-changer. Now firmly established in Indy cars, his goal is to challenge for top-5 finishes on a regular basis.
He had only five top-10 finishes outside of Indianapolis in 2016, topped by a fifth-place run in the season finale at Sonoma Raceway.
"I want to be more competitive," he said. "When you qualify 10th and you're excited about it because you've been struggling, that's not good. We were pretty terrible on street courses last year. But now I know how the tracks go and how the series works and how the team works.
"This is the first time in my career where I've known the direction I'm going for the following season so early on and it's a super positive atmosphere right now with the whole Andretti organization. We've already made some big steps forward in terms of engineering changes this winter.
"Honestly 2016 was a challenging year for us, except for the month of May," he noted. "As much as that was a highlight for us, the rest of it was a disappointment and we're looking to turn that around as much as we are trying to repeat at Indy."
Of course Rossi, like any driver who has won the Indianapolis 500, would trade a few disappointing results elsewhere for another Indy win.
An Indy 500 crown is truly the gift that keeps on giving.
"It's been incredibly eye-opening and life changing and positive and I can't wait to get back to the Speedway in May and try to do it all over again," Rossi said. "I feel like it makes the motivation and desire to win again even greater, because if you haven't won, you get a taste of it and you want to keep experiencing it."