Will Andretti Global return next year with a three- or four-car NTT IndyCar Series team? The answer is imminent, according to Andretti COO Rob Edwards.
“I would hope within the next 10 days to two weeks that we will decide what we’re doing there,” Edwards told RACER. “It’s getting close, but we’re not quite there yet.”
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So far, the team has confirmed a three-car lineup with the returning combo of young veterans Colton Herta and Kyle Kirkwood, and newcomer Marcus Ericsson, who replaces Romain Grosjean. Only on rare occasions has Andretti run fewer than four full-time cars since 2004, but the possibility of reducing to three cars was seriously considered after parting ways with Devlin DeFrancesco, who raced for the team in 2022-2023.
Despite the motivation to downsize and focus on being a stronger and more competitive three-car operation, new opportunities to keep the fourth entry in motion with new funding brought to the team has led Andretti to explore its options. Negotiations were held with Sting Ray Robb, who drove for Dale Coyne Racing last season, but talks broke off before a deal was completed.
Another interesting possibility is said to involve the running of the fourth car by former Andretti driver and co-entrant Bryan Herta, through his championship-winning Bryan Herta Autosport team in conjunction with Beth Paretta of Paretta Autosport, as a satellite program with Tatiana Calderon as the driver.
Underwriting for the car is said to involve a former primary sponsor that was involved in IndyCar in the latter stages of the 2000s through the middle of the last decade. Edwards wouldn’t be drawn on the details or mention that parties by name, but did acknowledge the growing rumors of a BHA/Paretta/Calderon package was one of the directions Andretti could take.
“I’d say that’s in the mix,” he said. “There are a number of different variations on the theme, but that’s certainly one of the options that’s been discussed.”