Open-wheel prospect Wickens returns from tin-tops
Robert Wickens had a successful series in junior open-wheel series. After finishing third in the 2007 Atlantic Championship, the Canadian headed to Europe and achieved second places in Formula 2 in 2009 and GP3 in 2010 before winning the Formula Renault 3.5 title in 2011.
On his way to the Formula Renault 3.5 title, Wickens beat the likes of Jean-Éric Vergne, Alexander Rossi, Daniel Ricciardo, and Brendon Hartley. Yet that was his last season in open-wheel racing as he spent the following six seasons in the DTM.
Wickens achieved six wins in 84 starts in the DTM and finished fourth in his best season in 2016. Although he was never a title contender in the DTM, his junior open-wheel results allow us to expect good results from him, at least on road courses. The teammate rivalry with the fellow Canadian James Hinchcliffe will be interesting; Wickens beat him in the 2007 Atlantic Championship when they finished third and fourth.
Wickens' decision to join INDYCAR must have been affected by Mercedes' decision to leave the DTM after the 2018 season. However, leaving a factory ride for INDYCAR is a bit of an unusual move; Wickens might have stayed with Mercedes in Formula E or GT series, or might have moved to another manufacturer in the DTM.
Factory teams in touring cars, sports cars, and most recently in Formula E have been the preferred options for most of the open-wheel talent whose F1 chance has gone. Factory teams have been able to provide them the career opportunities that would have been uncertain in privately owned INDYCAR teams.
In that sense, it's a good sign that an INDYCAR team could sign a driver like Wickens who has been a factory driver for Mercedes. While major manufacturers are joining Formula E, INDYCAR teams can hopefully afford to compete for some of the top open-wheel talent from the European ladder system in addition to the Mazda Road to Indy graduates.
Le Mans winner Hartley gets his F1 chance
Brendon Hartley was a test driver for Scuderia Toro Rosso and later Red Bull Racing from 2008 to 2010. However, his results in the feeder series weren't particularly great and he was dropped from Red Bull's junior program.
Hartley continued in feeder series after being dropped from Red Bull's program, though seventh in the 2011 Formula Renault 3.5 series was the best he could achieve since finishing third in 2008 British Formula 3 Championship. Hartley got to drive an F1 car again in 2012 and '13 as a test driver of Mercedes.
However, Hartley has made name for himself in sportscar racing. He joined Porsche's LMP1 program when the manufacturer returned to the top class in 2014. He won the World Endurance Championship in 2015 and is close to a second title this year in addition to the Le Mans victory for Porsche and the Petit Le Mans victory at the wheel of a Nissan DPi in IMSA.
Porsche's LMP1 departure has left Hartley looking for a seat for 2018 and he could be another high-profile driver joining INDYCAR as it looked almost certain he will get the vacant seat at Chip Ganassi Racing. While many recent LMP1 drivers have joined Formula E, it's nice to see INDYCAR is also an attractive series for some of those.
However, getting to drive for Toro Rosso at the US Grand Prix may change the plans as Toro Rosso's 2018 lineup is unconfirmed. My impression is Hartley will drive for Ganassi next year unless he impresses Toro Rosso bosses and can get out of a possible contract with Ganassi.
While it would be nice to see Hartley in INDYCAR, it would be equally nice to see him in F1. Although his junior open-wheel record isn't that impressive, he's been one of the top drivers in LMP1, a class with some of the top talent outside F1. It would be nice to see how a top LMP1 driver would perform in F1.
Hartley would also be an exception to the trend of a manufacturer arranging a young prospect an F1 ride to gain experience. While there are some F2 and even GP3 and F3 drivers who are ready for F1, I don't think F1 is the place to gain experience if you aren't ready yet. I'd rather see those inexperienced drivers spending one or two more years in the feeder series or in a series like the WEC or the DTM.
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