Indianapolis 500 winner Marcus Ericsson will leave Chip Ganassi Racing at the end of this year after four seasons in their IndyCar line-up and move to Andretti Autosport for 2024.
Ericsson raced in Formula 1 from 2014 to ‘18, with a best finish of eighth, and in 2019 he moved to IndyCar with Schmidt Peterson Motorsports.He claimed one podium finish in his rookie season, then moved to Ganassi. During his 61-race spell with them Ericsson has won four races – including the 2022 Indy 500 – and taken five other podiums. At present he lies sixth in the standings, where he finished the previous two years.
“I’m very happy and proud to be joining Andretti Autosport next season,” said Ericsson. “Andretti is one of the most legendary names in motorsports, so it is definitely a dream come true for me to join this team
“It’s a very exciting new chapter in my career and I’m really looking forward to getting to work achieving our goals together. Exciting times are ahead and I’m thankful for this opportunity.”
Andretti currently have four full-time cars competing in IndyCar, with two of those being co-entered by other teams. They will retain the four-car model for next year.
Colton Herta’s car is entered under the Andretti Autosport with Curb-Agajanian banner and he is contracted to Andretti through to 2027. Kyle Kirkwood joined the team this year and has already been confirmed as staying there for 2024.
Romain Grosjean is in the team’s third car and has indicated he will stay in IndyCar next year, although he is also down to race Lamborghini’s new hypercar as one of their factory drivers. Devlin DeFrancesco pilots the Andretti Steinbrenner Autosport entry and his contract expires at the end of this season. Andretti are looking to put a paid driver in that car, which for many years has been filled by drivers bringing money to the team.
The announcement of Ericsson does not specify which of those two drivers he may be replacing, but does confirm he is on a multi-year deal.
“Like everyone else, we have paid close attention to Marcus’ success in the IndyCar series and have been impressed with how quickly he proved that he belonged with the frontrunners in what is arguably the most competitive IndyCar field ever,” said team boss Michael Andretti.
“It’s no secret that we want to win races and championships and to do that we need drivers like Marcus who have that natural talent and determined drive. We are excited for the winning mindset that Marcus brings to the table and I’m eager to see what next season has in store for us.”
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Exediron (@exediron)
23rd August 2023, 20:01
If there’s any sanity in the world, he’s replacing DeFrancesco. The #29 car has been absolutely anonymous this year, aside from a few laps near the front after his fluke Fast Six appearance.
Radoye
23rd August 2023, 21:57
DeFrancesco is gone regardless of Ericsson arrival, most likely he will end up with Coyne. It remains to be seen if Ericsson lands in #29 (if Grosjean stays) or in #28 (if both DeFrancesco and Grosjean are gone).
MPH (@mhaynes652)
23rd August 2023, 22:49
My only question is why? He is leaving reliability for the week to week havoc of Andretti. Is this a return to F1 play?
Radoye
24th August 2023, 5:04
Because Chip is not willing to pay him, and Ericsson’s sponsors no longer want to pay for his drives so that kind of shut the door at CGR. And Andretti offered him a paid seat.
GeeMac (@geemac)
24th August 2023, 6:36
Sort of true. My understanding is that Ericsson, while he has backers, no longer feels he has to bring that backing as he is an Indy 500 winner, thus having proved he is a frontline driver.
MacLeod (@macleod)
24th August 2023, 7:42
Sort of wrong too every drivers has some kind of backers it depends if they are sponsoring the driver personally or both (driver+team). Look at Alonso for example you see always a certain bank on the cars. Max has Exact i think Perez has also a Mexican sponsor which support the team.
This is the same in Indy or any motor sport Motor sport is very expensive. That is why drivers have so many events around a racing weekend.
Don
23rd August 2023, 23:54
We knew this was coming after endless rumors, but Lundqvist to Ganassi is a surprise. How did Shank let him go? It appeared they had him wrapped up.
Radoye
24th August 2023, 5:06
MSR is going for Blomqvist to replace Castroneves and needs someone more experienced in the other car, Lundqvist doesn’t fit the bill. But Rosenqvist does…