Photo: RLLR
Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing has finally achieved its plan of getting Juri Vips back on the IndyCar grid, as he joins the team’s line-up for the Grand Prix of Portland.
The former Red Bull Racing reserve driver and Red Bull junior has been out of full-time racing since coming 11th in the 2022 Formula 2 season, with his only two competitive outings last year being with RLLR at the end of the IndyCar season.
He started and finished 18th on his debut at Portland, then was seventh fastest in qualifying for the Laguna Seca season finale but an engine change meant he started 13th on the grid and he finished the Grand Prix of Monterey in 24th.
During the off-season, RLLR co-owner Bobby Rahal then affirmed that while the team was not in a position to run a fourth car on a proper part-time schedule for Vips, to go alongside its three full-time entries, it was keeping the Estonian on its books.
“We exercised our option with Juri, and as I said several months ago, we see Juri as a long-term plan as well,” Rahal said to media including Formula Scout at the time.
One of the appeals of having Vips within the team for 2024 was that IndyCar was introducing hybrid power, and Vips had applicable experience from F1 tests that could be utilised. He has served as an RLLR simulator driver through 2024.
“I’m very grateful to the team for giving me this opportunity,” the 23-year-old said of his racing return.
“I have been working closely with the team on the simulator programme and it has been a year since I have been in the car, but I’m confident that the experience gained last year at Portland and Laguna Seca will help me to get up to speed quickly. It will still be a very big challenge and one I am very much looking forward to.”
Rahal added: “We’re pleased to be able to run Juri in Portland for a number of reasons. For one, he showed at both Portland and Laguna Seca last year that he certainly has the pace to feature in any event he runs with us. He has done a lot of work for us in the simulator this year, which has helped us understand the hybrid system, so it’s nice to reward him for his effort. I’m hopeful that this will lead to more races for him with RLLR.”