Alfonso Celis Jr will make his Verizon IndyCar Series debut at Road America in June after getting promoted by Juncos Racing from the Indy Lights series.
Celis enjoyed a successful 2017 in the World Series V8 3.5 series where he finished third with Fortec Motorsport, ahead of fellow Juncos driver Rene Binder who also shares the No.32 Juncos/Chevrolet with Kyle Kaiser across the 2018 campaign.
The Mexican also has some Formula 1 experience with the Force India team, taking in part in free practice and test sessions since 2016.
"I’m very excited to be able to make my Verizon IndyCar Series debut,” said Celis Jr. "This is something that I’ve dreamed of since I was a kid and something that we have worked for many years to achieve.
"I’ve had a lot of experience in Europe with high downforce and high horsepower cars, both in my testing duties in Formula 1 and in my seasons at World Series V8 3.5, so I feel ready to take on this new challenge
"The competition in IndyCar is very high and I know it will be hard work, but we will work with the Juncos team so that we can catch up as quickly as possible. I’m really looking forward to Road America and to the opportunities that this will open."
Team Owner Ricardo Juncos has been pleased with Celis Jr's progress and believes the 21-year old is ready to make the step into the IndyCar series; he is also keen to find another driver to fill the now vacant seat within his Indy Lights outfit.
"Although this comes as a surprise for our Indy Lights team, this is another step forward with our IndyCar program," added Juncos.
"Alfonso (Celis Jr.) has proved he is ready to make this move from the success he has previously had in Formula 1 and I look forward to working with him in the IndyCar Series.
"In the meantime, we will continue to search for a replacement in the Indy Lights car, and maybe even a driver for our third car. We have had a lot of success in the Indy Lights series and I would like to continue that by running at least a two-car team."
Discussion about this post