James Hinchcliffe will return to Andretti Autosport to contest at least three IndyCar rounds this season, including the Indianapolis 500, after being dropped by Arrow McLaren SP last October.
The 33-year-old Canadian, who won three times in as many seasons with the team between 2012 and 2014, will drive a sixth Andretti entry backed by technology company Genesys at the Grand Prix of Indianapolis on the IMS road course, the Indy 500 and the Texas 600 at Texas Motor Speedway.
Hinchcliffe’s most recent of six career IndyCar wins came at Iowa Speedway in 2018, but his close links with Honda Canada meant he lost his drive at the conclusion of 2019 when Arrow Schmidt Peterson Motorsports linked up with McLaren and switched to Chevrolet power.
Although McLaren pledged to pay Hinchcliffe’s salary in 2020, he was set to face a year on the sidelines before confirming his part-time return to Andretti, with which he twice qualified on the front row for the Indy 500.
Hinchcliffe joins full season drivers Alexander Rossi, Ryan Hunter-Reay, Marco Andretti, Zach Veach and Colton Herta at the team which has won IndyCar’s biggest event five times, with Dan Wheldon (2005), Dario Franchitti (2007), Hunter-Reay (2014), Rossi (2016) and Takuma Sato (2017).
“It’s no secret that the 2020 season isn’t going to be exactly what we were expecting,” said Hinchcliffe.
“But being able to start the new year with the announcement that Genesys was stepping in to save our season and partner with us was awesome, and now adding the next big piece in my reunion with Andretti Autosport just really makes it feel like the momentum is going our way.
“I can’t wait to work with this group again and to get back behind the wheel of an IndyCar!”
Michael Andretti added: “We’re really pleased to be able to welcome James back into the Andretti team. He has, for sure, been knocked down a few times by this sport and to be able to help him meet the challenge is really special.
“We had a lot of fun, and some great successes with James when he was part of the team before, and we’re really looking forward to picking up where we left off.”