We've got an interview double header on this episode of The Race IndyCar Podcast, as host Jack Benyon (without regular co-host JR Hildebrand!) chats to both former Indy 500 champion Marcus Ericsson and IndyCar newcomer Juri Vips.

First up, Ericsson discusses his big off-season switch from Ganassi to Andretti, explaining why he's so excited about the move, how his strengths could help Andretti’s perceived weakness, and the possibility of one day driving an Andretti F1 car. The Swede also gives Jack a brilliant behind-the-visor insight into what IndyCar’s new hybrid package is like at 240mph on the Indianapolis oval, after running the system recently ahead of its 2024 introduction.

Following that, Jack chats to Juri Vips about being parachuted into RLL for the final two races of 2023, with the Estonian discussing his transition from F2, his stunning Laguna qualifying performance, and being thrust into a battle for nearly $1 million in the championship.

He also discusses how he hopes to learn from the second chance he's been given, following a turbulent 2022 in which he was axed from Red Bull's F1 programme for using a racial slur, meaning the Portland IndyCar race in September was his first competitive outing in over a year.

Jack rounds off the episode with a news round-up, bringing listeners up to date on the latest on Romain Grosjean's arbitration process with Andretti, amongst other topics.

• Follow The Race on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook
• Check out our latest videos on YouTube
• Download our app on iOS or Android

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.