Former Red Bull junior Juri Vips given second chance with IndyCar Series in Portland

Juri Vips, a former Red Bull junior who was dropped from the program for using a racial slur while gaming, will join the Rahal Letterman Lanigan team for a one-off IndyCar race at Portland.

The Estonian racer contested two IndyCar races for RLL last season — Portland and the season finale Laguna Seca — where he secured a best finish of 18th.

Juri Vips in the hunt for a 2025 IndyCar seat

In June of 2022, Juri Vips was dropped from the Red Bull junior program after using the n-word while playing a video game on Liam Lawson’s Twitch stream. Vips, who was Red Bull Racing’s reserve driver until that point, was replaced by Liam Lawson.

Vips took part in a private IndyCar test with Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing in October of 2022 before joining the team for two race outings in 2023.

At the time, RLL was looking to replace driver Jack Harvey, but Vips was passed over in favor of Pietro Fittipaldi. However, with RLL driver Christian Lundgaard leaving the team for Arrow McLaren in 2025, Vips may be able to find a home as Lundgaard’s replacement.

Vips is believed to be in line for that seat should his performance meet RLL’s expectations. It would be his first full-time race season since he contested the 2022 Formula 2 Championship.

Learn more about F1’s junior programs:

👉 Red Bull junior team: The 12 drivers looking to rise through the ranks to F1

👉 IndyCar vs Formula 1: Junior driver development series ladders compared

Vips will drive the No. 75 Honda at Portland International Raceway on August 25, just days away from his 24th birthday, to make a return to IndyCar on a familiar circuit — albeit with IndyCar’s new hybrid powertrains to contend with.

“I’m very grateful to the team for giving me this opportunity,” Vips said in a release.

“I have been working closely with the team on the simulator program 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.”

Further, RLL co-owner Bobby 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 RLL.”

IndyCar will return from its summer Olympic break on August 17 with a race at Gateway; it will then head to Portland the following weekend, where Vips will make his debut.

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