Juncos Racing announced Friday that it has chosen Austrian driver Rene Binder to drive four races in the upcoming 2018 Verizon Indy Car Series season.
A native of Innsbruck, Austria, Binder will begin his stint with the season opening race March 11 in St. Petersburg, Florida. He’s also slated to run the road courses at Barber Motorsports Park in Birmingham, Alabama, as well as Mid-Ohio, and the street course in downtown Toronto.
“I have been a huge fan of IndyCar and what the series has to offer to me as a driver,” Binder said in a media release. “I had a hard decision to make this year on which path I would take in my career, and I am confident that I made the right decision.
“Right now, we have signed for four races, but I hope to add more to our schedule as the season progresses.”
Binder comes to IndyCar from the World Series Formula V8 Series, where he earned four wins, five podium appearances and two pole positions. He finished the season fourth in the championship.
“Rene has a successful background running in the World Series V8 and GP2, along with the testing he has done within Formula 1, and I know he will carry that momentum into the Verizon IndyCar Series this year,” team owner Ricardo Juncos said. “The timing is right for a talented driver like Rene to join, as everyone will be starting over with the new IndyCar aero kits.”
Binder is a third-generation driver and joins 2017 Indy Lights champion Kyle Kaiser on the Juncos IndyCar effort in 2018. Binder will make his first test in an Indy car in late February, the team said.