Andretti Autosport has announced that James Hinchcliffe will be driving the #29 full-time for the 2021 IndyCar season.
Hinchcliffe raced with the team for six races during 2020, running the Indy 500 and filling in for a departing Zach Veach at the end of the season.
The part-time season, which saw the charismatic Canadian get behind the microphone for the events in which he was not driving, was the first time he wasn’t participating in a full season since he joined IndyCar in 2011.
Now Hinchcliffe fully joins the team he first ran with eight years ago, and is looking to have the best season of his career.
“Having Hinch back in the family has been great,” said Andretti Autosport Chairman & CEO Michael Andretti. “He did a few races for us last year. It was like having him come back home. Just gets along with everybody performs really well. We’re excited to get to be able to announce this deal.
“We’re happy to have Genesys back with us as well. It’s so fun to work with a company that is so excited about the sport and is getting behind it. We thank them.
“It’s really a great announcement today. We’re real happy with our driver lineup. I think we have four great full-timers that are going to help each other to hopefully have four of them fighting at the end of the year for the championship. That’s our goal.”
Genesys will once again be a main sponsor for Hinchcliffe this year, taking the main sponsorship spot on his Honda-powered machine for 10 races throughout the season, including the Indianapolis 500.
The 34-year-old believes the comradery within the team will allow him to take advantage of his team-mates’ experience and allow him to fight at the front of the field straight away.
“This program is something we’ve been working on since the day we signed our three-race deal with Andretti Autosport last March,” said Hinchcliffe.
“Being back full time has always been the goal and it feels so great to know that I will be back on the grid and with such an amazing team, one I’ve had a lot of great memories and success with.
“So many people at Genesys worked hard to get this done, and I am looking forward to representing them this year.
“Even though it’s been a long road, the real work starts now, and I can’t wait to get to the track and kick off 2021.”
Hinchcliffe’s fifth season with Andretti Autosport will get under way at Barber Motorsports Park on April 18.
