Marcus Ericsson leaves Chip Ganassi Racing after four seasons and docks with Andretti Autosport – There he is set to be one of three drivers so far in 2024
Marcus Ericsson is switching fronts for the 2024 IndyCar season. From Chip Ganassi Racing, where he has been under contract since 2020, the 2022 Indy 500 winner is moving to Andretti Autosport. Reportedly, he will find a scenario there for the first time in his IndyCar career, which has been running since 2019, where he doesn’t have to bring money with him, but is paid to drive.
“I am very happy and proud to be driving for Andretti Autosport this upcoming season. Andretti is one of the most legendary names in motorsport. Therefore, it is a dream come true for me to drive for this team,” said Ericsson, speaking of an “extremely exciting new chapter in my career”.
Team owner Michael Andretti shares, “Like everyone else, we’ve followed Marcus’ success in the IndyCar Series closely and have been impressed with how quickly he’s proven that he’s one of the top drivers in what is arguably the most competitive field.”
At the Andretti team, Ericsson will be teammates with the already confirmed Colton Herta and Kyle Kirkwood for the 2024 IndyCar season. Whether the newcomer will take over Romain Grosjean’s car or that of Devlin DeFrancesco is currently an open question, as is who will be the fourth Andretti driver in 2024.
Michael Andretti is only saying this much at the moment: “It’s no secret that we want to win races and titles. To achieve that, we need drivers like Marcus who have the talent and determination. I’m excited to see what we can achieve together in the coming season. “
Ericsson made his IndyCar Series debut in the 2019 season with the then Schmidt/Peterson racing team, which later became the current McLaren team. The former Formula 1 driver finished his rookie season in 17th place overall after a podium finish. He switched to the Ganassi team for the 2020 season.
At Ganassi, Ericsson made it four wins before the end of his fourth season with the team, including the prestigious Indy 500 triumph in 2022. After finishing sixth overall in both 2021 (two wins) and 2022 (one win), he also ranks sixth overall with three races to go in the 2023 season after one win so far this season.
As far as the Ganassi team is concerned, Ericsson’s successor has not yet been officially decided. However, there are increasing signs that it will be his Swedish compatriot Linus Lundqvist. He is last year’s champion of the Indy Lights Series (now Indy NXT) and has been absolutely convincing in recent weeks in his first IndyCar appearances for Meyer Shank Racing.
