Following months of speculation, Andretti Steinbrenner Autosport announced that Devlin DeFrancesco will be joining the organization to pilot the No. 29 Dallara-Honda for the 2022 NTT IndyCar Series season, which will mark his inaugural presence in the series.
The 21-year-old racer who competes with dual nationality (Canada and Italy) is coming off his first full-time season in Indy Lights with Andretti Steinbrenner Autosport, where he earned two podium results, nine top-five results and a sixth-place result in the final standings. He made his inaugural presence in IndyCar during a two-day test session at Sebring Raceway in October, where he gained valuable insights during his run.
“I am incredibly grateful to Michael [Andretti] and George [Steinbrenner IV] for the belief they have shown in me over the past two seasons moving up the Road to Indy ladder,” DeFrancesco said. “To now take that final step into INDYCAR with two of the world’s biggest names in sports – Andretti and Steinbrenner – is an incredible opportunity that I can’t wait to take full advantage of. I have three very experienced teammates to learn from and that is what makes this opportunity even more exciting. To get to race in the NTT INDYCAR SERIES with Andretti Steinbrenner Autosport and to contest the Indianapolis 500 is a dream come true and I’m so looking forward to getting started.”
Beginning his racing career with go-karts at age six, DeFrancesco joined forces with HHC Motorsports and competed in the 2015 Ginetta Junior Championship series. He then ascended his way through the racing ladder from the Toyota Racing Series through the F3 European Championship region, where he won the 2017 Spanish F3 Championship.
Following the 2018 season, where he competed between the GP3 Series and the FIA Formula 3 European Championship, DeFrancesco competed in the FIA Formula 3 Championship series with Trident in 2019. The following season, he graduated to the Indy Pro 2000 Championship series with AndrettiSteinbrenner Autosport, where he earned two victories, six podiums, three poles and a runner-up result in the championship standings. He also captured the Rookie-of-the-Year title before moving up to Indy Lights and now the IndyCar Series.
“We’re thrilled to keep Devlin in the Andretti Autosport family as he makes his final jump up the Road to Indy ladder into INDYCAR,” Michael Andretti, CEO and Chairman of Andretti Autosport, said. “Devlin has been a great addition to our Indy Lights program and has showed a lot of growth and strength at the recent test days. I think he will continue to grow with INDYCAR, and I’m really glad that we could again partner with George and the Steinbrenner Racing team for the No. 29.”
“Two years ago, we started a journey with Devlin with the intent to one day take him all the way to the NTT INDYCAR SERIES and I’m thrilled that day has come,” George Steinbrenner IV, CEO of Steinbrenner Racing, added. “From Indy Pro 2000 to Indy Lights and now to INDYCAR, he really impressed with his two initial days in an Indy car and we’re excited to see him in action in 2022.”
The addition of DeFrancesco completes Andretti Autosport’s full-time roster for the 2022 IndyCar season, where he will be a teammate to Romain Grosjean, Colton Herta and Alexander Rossi. DeFrancesco will also be replacing veteran James Hinchcliffe, who piloted Andretti’s No. 29 Honda to a podium result in the inaugural IndyCar event at Nashville Street Circuit and a 20th-place result in the final standings. The Canadian veteran has yet to announce plans for the upcoming season.
DeFrancesco is scheduled to make his NTT IndyCar Series debut for the 2022 season-opening Grand Prix of St. Petersburg at the Streets of St. Petersburg, Florida, on February 27.
