Marcus Ericsson will leave Chip Ganassi Racing for Andretti Autosport in the 2024 NTT IndyCar Series season.
Ericsson had spent the past four seasons at Ganassi with four victories (including the 2022 Indianapolis 500) and 10 podium finishes. He is ranked sixth in the IndyCar points standings.
In a release Wednesday morning, Andretti confirmed Ericsson as a teammate of Colton Herta and Kyle Kirkwood next season. The four-car team has announced no future plans yet for its other two current drivers, Romain Grosjean and Devlin DeFrancesco.
Andretti said Ericsson’s car number and sponsor will be announced at a later date.
“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,” team owner Michael Andretti said in a release. “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.”
Prior to joining IndyCar in 2019 with Schmidt Peterson Motorsports, Ericsson raced for five seasons in Formula One and won championships in British Formula BMW and Japanese F3.
His first IndyCar win was at Detroit in 2021, followed by a victory in the inaugural Music City Grand Prix. He won the 2023 season opener in St. Petersburg, Florida, and finished second to Josef Newgarden in his bid to become the first back-to-back Indy 500 winner in 21 years.
“I’m very happy and proud to be joining Andretti Autosport next season,” Ericsson said in a release. “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 (co-owners) 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.”
Though team owner Chip Ganassi had said he wanted to keep the driver, Ericsson said he was frustrated that Ganassi required him to bring sponsorship in order to stay.
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
In mid-June, Ericsson told NBC Sports’ Kevin Lee that he and the team were “quite a ways apart” on negotiations. “At least 15 drivers don’t bring budget (in IndyCar), and I would like to think I’m deserving to be one of those, but the team thinks otherwise,” Ericsson told Lee. “I tried to play nice, but I don’t understand it, and it’s frustrating.”
Chip Ganassi Racing released a statement on Ericsson’s impending departure: “Chip Ganassi Racing wishes Marcus Ericsson all the best in his future endeavors. In his time with CGR, the No. 8 team secured four victories, notably the 106th Running of the Indianapolis 500.
“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.”
Ericsson was among the biggest names in a crowded lineup of impending free agents in IndyCar, where at least 10 seats on the 27-car grid remain unannounced for 2024.
Ganassi teammate Alex Palou, who is on the verge of clinching his second title, has yet to announce his 2024 plans. But it seems increasingly likely that the 2021 champion will stay with Ganassi instead of moving to Arrow McLaren as he originally had announced last year.
