2023 IndyCar drivers and teams | Herta re-signs with Andrretti | GRR

We haven’t got a full grid, quite obviously as I’m writing this almost immediately after the final race of ’22. But several drivers do already have their contracts in place for 2022 – if you’re called Alex Palou then you have two.

Andretti Autosport has three drivers sealed in for 2022. Alex Rossi is departing and the future of Colton Herta is less than certain. But the team retains Devlin DeFrancesco for his second season in IndyCar as well as Romain Grosjean, who will race for the team for a second year. The third Andretti car was filled when Kyle Kirkwood announced in June that he would be leaving A.J. Foyt to replace Rossi.

Colton Herta re-signs for Andretti

Updated: Wednesday 26^th October 2022 at 12:30. Colton Herta will continue to race for Andretti Autosport until at least 2027, after signing a new contract with the team.

The seven-time IndyCar race winner has signed the new long-term deal after attempts to move to Formula 1 with AlphaTauri were ended by a lack of F1 super licence points.

Herta will remain in the #26 car sponsored by Gainbridge at Andretti Autosport. However, the team and Herta have been clear in their announcement that room has been left for a move to F1, should Michael Andretti’s wish to enter a team come to fruition.

Herta will race alongside Romain Grosjean, Devlin DeFrancesco and Kyle Kirkwood at Andretti in 2023.

Speaking after the announcement team-owner Michael Andretti said: “We’re really pleased to confirm that Colton and Gainbridge will remain with Andretti Autosport for years to come.

“Colton is a true talent in a racecar and has natural determination that makes him want to win. He’s a strong competitor and a good teammate. I’m looking forward to seeing what Colton and Andretti can continue to achieve together.”

Herta added: “I’m super-happy and grateful for everything the entire Andretti and Gainbridge teams have done for me. This is a huge step for me professionally and I’m so glad it can be with a top team like Andretti Autosport.”

2023 IndyCar grid

Images courtesy of Motorsport Images.

McLaren retains Rosenqvist, Palou stays at Ganassi

Updated: Wednesday 14^th September 2022 at 15:25. After over a month of legal wrangling the fight between Chip Ganassi and McLaren over Alex Palou has ended with both teams retaining their current drivers.

Palou had been announced as a Ganassi driver, before publishing a furious message on social media claiming this wasn’t true. McLaren announced that Palou had joined its “family” at around the same time, and thus a tug of war began over the 2021 IndyCar series champion.

Today it seems that war is at an end with Palou remaining with Ganassi to drive the number 10 car while Felix Rosenqvist returns as a McLaren IndyCar driver for another season. Palou will, however, join McLaren’s F1 testing programme immediately.

Announcing the news on Twitter Palou wrote: “I’m excited to announce that Chip Ganassi and I have come to an agreement and I’ll be back in the No. 10 car next season!

“Looking forward to a BIG 2023! I’m also grateful that Chip Ganassi will allow me to pursue F1 testing with McLaren F1 outside of my IndyCar commitments.

“Thank you Chip, Mike and the entire team for your willingness to work together and help support both the team and my personal goals throughout this process.”

Rosenqvist, who has been racing for McLaren for two seasons, said: ““There’s no better way to enter the off-season than with this news! I love this team, and I’m so happy to continue working with all the incredible people I’ve gotten to know over the past two seasons. With everything the team has in the pipeline, the continuing relationship with Pato and the addition of Alex Rossi, we are going to bring our A-game for 2023. It will be the most exciting season for me so far. Let it be March already!”

Zak Brown, McLaren Racing CEO, added: ““I’m delighted that Felix will again be racing with AMSP through 2023. He had a strong 2022 season, and I look forward to seeing what he, Alex Rossi and Pato O’Ward can do when they join forces in papaya.

“It’s also great to have Alex Palou joining the McLaren Racing family in our Testing of Previous Cars programme.”

The re-signing of Rosenqvist completes McLaren’s three-car IndyCar line-up for 2023. The Swede will race alongside Pato O’Ward and Alex Rossi for the team while Palou races alongside current team-mates Scott Dixon and Marcus Ericsson in an unchanged Ganassi line-up.

McLaren SP’s line-up is either completed or up in the air, depending on who you want to believe. It has multiple drivers under many different kinds of contracts, but Pato O’Ward and Alex Rossi are fully signed to race for the team in the new season. Who they are partnered with is yet to be determined. The team has Felix Rosenqvist signed to a contract, but looks unlikely to place him in a car. Its real prize is the 2021 series champion, Alex Palou. The Spaniard is at the centre of a tug of war between his current team Chip Ganassi Racing – which says it has a contract with Palou for 2023 – and McLaren – which does too. It may result in a decent chunk of cash making its way from McLaren to Ganassi.

Speaking of Chip Ganassi Racing, six-time champion Scott Dixon is confirmed alongside Indy 500 winner Marcus Ericsson. But the identity of their team-mate is to be decided, given the current legal wrangling over Palou.

Ed Carpenter Racing is retaining Conor Daly and Reenus Veekay. Daly had a difficult season in 2022, with a highest finish of 5^th back at the first Indianapolis GP, while Veekay managed to extract a podium finish from his car in Alabama and managed to finish 12^th in the standings, ahead of drivers including Andretti’s Romain Grosjean.

Calum Ilott will remain at Juncos Hollinger Racing, which is expected to expand to two seats for 2023. The identify of his team-mate is yet to be announced. At Meyer Shank Racing Helio Castroneves and Simon Pagenaud – both former series champions – will stay on.

Rahal Letterman Lanigan also looks ready for some stability as we move into 2023. Graham Rahal remains after a consistent but unspectacular season, while Rookie of the Year Christian Lundgaard easily did enough to convince the team he should stay on. Harvey’s season was a struggle, but the former British F3 champion will return for 2023.

Finally, Penske, the champion team, has no reason to change any drivers, and so hasn’t. Scott McLaughlin had a storming year, belying the fact that it wasn’t just his second season in IndyCar, but in open-wheeled racing. Team mates Josef Newgarden and Will Power fought for the championship – McLaughlin was in the hunt until the final race too – and were separated by just 16 points in the championship. Newgarden will be keen to reassert his position as the top dog at Penske for 2023.

That is one of the most stable grids IndyCar has seen for years, but there’s always chance for change. Stay tuned to GRR to find out what changes over the coming months.