Andretti Autosport announced today that they will be fielding five cars in the Indianapolis 500 next month.
In addition to their three full-time drivers (Marco Andretti, Carlos Munoz, and defending Indy 500 winner Ryan Hunter-Reay), the team announced last month that Justin Wilson would be joining them in Indianapolis. Today, the team confirmed the addition of Simona de Silvestro, who will drive the No. 29 Honda, sponsored by TE Connectivity. The global headquarters for TE Connectivity resides in Simona’s homeland of Switzerland. Their U.S. base is in Philadelphia, PA where today’s announcement was made.
Simona made her return to the Verizon IndyCar Series last weekend in St Petersburg, driving for Andretti. She started in 11th and finished 18th after a rough day in the Sunshine State. She has made 66 starts in the series, dating back to 2010, and will attempt to qualify for her fifth Indianapolis 500-mile race.
Team owner Michael Andretti was there in Philadelphia, and excited to welcome Simona back. “Simona did a great job for us in St. Pete and we are excited to add her as a fifth Andretti entry for the Indy 500. We could not have found a better partner than TE Connectivity to be the primary sponsor of the No. 29.
The first laps on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway oval will come on May 3, when the new speedway aerodynamic package will hit the pavement for the first time. Practice for the Indy 500 begins on May 11.
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Good news for everyone concerned. I was afraid that her rather “rusty” performance at St. Pete might sour the relationship. I personally think that AA is spreading themselves too thin in May with 2 part timers and the potential for speedway aero kit shortages. You may be interested in my post about NSSN’s 2015 reader’s poll.
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I think they expected her to have a little rust in her first race back in such a long time.
I don’t know if they’re spreading too thin at Indy because these are two proven talented drivers. Wilson is still one of the ten best drivers out there, so these aren’t your normal “part-timers” like Lazier, Mann, Clauson, etc.
I will be sure to check it out and give it a read.
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