Kyle Kirkwood will be an Andretti driver in 2023, but says early-season deal doesn't change his mindset for remaining races with Foyt
Kyle Kirkwood will be an Andretti driver in 2023. The official announcement came this Wednesday (2), and the young American will drive the #27 car of Alexander Rossi, who is leaving to McLaren. Even with his future set for next year, the 2021 Indy Lights champion said he remains focused on working with Foyt, and that he feels he still has something to prove this year.
"Even though these announcements came out so early, I'm not focused on any of that yet. We've only run six races this season and I feel I still have something to prove. Even if I already have something guaranteed, at least for the 2023 season, I still need to prove myself in this championship. So I'm not focused on what's next at the moment," Kirkwood said.
"I'm going to try as hard as I can, because we still have 11 races ahead of us. I feel like I'm in a position now where nothing changes, like nothing is signed for next year. I want to do my best for Foyt because the best way to thank the team and everyone around me who has worked so hard is to go and get the results they deserve with the #14 car″, Kyle continued.
Kirkwood reunites with Andretti, the team for which he won the Indy Lights title last year. In addition, the 23-year-old is also reunited with one of his best friends from the grid: Colton Herta. The two have known each other for a long time, and have a long history of battles on the track.
"I've known Colton for a long time. We've been racing against each other for a long time. I think the first time was probably in 2012 in karting, how much we battled all weekend. I think George Russell ended up winning the race and we competed in several other races. But we've known each other for a while, we've gone out together quite a bit, and I would say he's one of the drivers I'm closest to, even before I got into Indy. I think we're going to have a great relationship," Kyle said.
Kirkwood is currently 21st among Indy drivers, and the best representative of Foyt. The young American returns to the track this Sunday (5), for the Detroit GP, at the street circuit of Belle Isle Park, with full coverage by GRANDE PRÊMIO.