Hinchcliffe replaces Pagenaud at Schmidt IndyCar team for 2015
James Hinchcliffe has signed a multi-year deal to join the Schmidt Peterson Motorsport IndyCar team, where he will replace Simon Pagenaud in the #77 car
The Canadian, who has spent the past three seasons with Andretti Autosport, drove for Schmidt's Indy Lights team in 2009, and said that he is excited to return to the fold next year.
"Despite being around in Indy Lights for years, SPM is a relatively young team in the IndyCar paddock," Hinchcliffe said.
"To see what they have accomplished in the last few seasons has been incredible. Winning races, being competitive at all tracks and finishing in the top five in the championship against more experienced teams at this level is impressive.
"Because they are young, there is still room for them to grow and improve, and that's an exciting thought for me."
Team co-owner Sam Schmidt said that Hinchcliffe had been on his radar for several seasons.
"He would already be with us driving the #77 if he would have been available three years ago," Schmidt said.
"We went after him in 2011, but it didn't work out then.
"We know that his success in the IndyCar Series is no fluke. We've now won races and contended for championships, and we believe he's going to be the person we need to keep moving forward as a team.
"It's a very big compliment to the team that James wants to come drive for us and that he thinks that he can win and contend for championships with us."
Fellow SPM co-owner Ric Peterson said that Hinchcliffe, a three-time race-winner in IndyCar, is the perfect fit for the team's ambitions over the next few seasons.
"When Sam, Rob Edwards [SPM general manager] and I discussed who was going to drive our #77 car, it was always focused on who could help us achieve our two main goals over the next three years - winning the championship and the Indianapolis 500," Peterson said.
"James' three victories in 2013 and his two career front row starts at the Indy 500 were evidence that he had the potential to help us realise those goals."
Pagenaud was recently confirmed as moving to Penske, where he will drive a fourth car alongside Will Power, Helio Castroneves and Juan Pablo Montoya.
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