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Indianapolis 500 winner Marcus Ericsson will race for Andretti Autosport in the 2024 IndyCar season.
Ericsson, who sits sixth in the IndyCar championship entering this weekend’s Gateway race, has been one of the key players in the driver market this year.
After his 2022 Indy 500 win, and having brought a budget in his previous drives, Ericsson wanted a proper paid-for future with his next seat and Chip Ganassi was reluctant to give that to Ericsson.
So many great memories with everyone at @CGRTeams !!! Thankful and proud of what we have achieved together. And we still have 3 races to go this season to make some more. I’m ready to give my everything to finish on a high with the no8 @huskiicespritz crew 💪🏻! Let’s do this #ME8 pic.twitter.com/0eYtVU5GEt
— Marcus Ericsson (@Ericsson_Marcus) August 23, 2023
Ericsson had a period of exclusivity with Ganassi until August 1, just before which Ganassi made a new offer, but ultimately Ericsson has decided to make a move to one of Ganassi’s main Honda-powered rivals on what The Race understands is a multi-year deal.
“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.
“I want to thank Michael and Dan [Towriss] for putting their trust in me and I can’t wait to get to know everyone in the organization.
“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.”
(2/2) Chip Ganassi Racing looks forward to finishing the year strong and remains dedicated to upholding our winning tradition. The team will announce driver updates in due course.
— Chip Ganassi Racing (@CGRTeams) August 23, 2023
Michael Andretti added: “Like everyone else, we have paid close attention to Marcus’ success in the NTT 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.
“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.”
After Romain Grosjean replaced Ryan Hunter-Reay in the team for 2022, the squad has been without a series champion or Indy 500 winner, so Ericsson ticks the latter box for the team.
Andretti hasn’t won a 500 since 2017 or an IndyCar championship since Hunter-Reay’s 2012 title, and is nowhere near doing so in 2023 either – with Kyle Kirkwood its best driver in ninth.
It’s unclear what Andretti’s next move will be in the driver market, with Ericsson, Colton Herta and Kirkwood making up three of its four confirmed entries.
It’s clear Grosjean’s place in the team is under consideration after a difficult year, while sophomore Dale Coyne driver David Malukas has been heavily linked to replacing Devlin DeFrancesco in the squad. The latter could be set for a switch to Coyne.
At Chip Ganassi Racing, Racer has reported that Linus Lundqvist has been chosen to replace Ericsson after his sterling pair of cameos standing in for the injured Simon Pagenaud at Meyer Shank Racing.
