Aaron Bearden Tag

By Aaron Bearden, Contributing Writer With the FIA Formula One World Championship season just two months away, Williams Martini Racing has finally announced the driver that will join sophomore Lance Stroll to complete their 2018 lineup. The team announced Tuesday that Sergey Sirotkin will be their replacement for the retired Felipe Massa, noting that the 22-year-old’s performance in the FW40 as part of last year’s Abu Dhabi Pirelli tyre test impressed the organization and ultimately earned him the ride. “We have conducted a rigorous and exhaustive driver evaluation process,” ChiefRead More

By Aaron Bearden, Contributing Writer After a successful three-race debut stint in 2017, Gabby Chaves and Harding Racing are set to leap into full-time Verizon IndyCar Series competition in the upcoming season. The organization announced their intent to field Chaves full-time in the No. 88 Chevrolet on Friday, continuing a pairing that exceeded their own expectations in their first year. “After the success we had in our three races of 2017, the next logical step was to take the team to a full season.” Team Owner Mike Harding said inRead More

By Aaron Bearden, Contributing Writer With Juncos Racing intending to step up their participation in the Verizon IndyCar Series after a one-off run in the 101st Running of the Indianapolis 500 in 2017, the organization has named a second driver for the upcoming season. The team announced Friday that Rene Binder will join them and drive the No. 32 Juncos Racing entry for a four-race effort in the 2018 INDYCAR season. The Austrian driver will begin the year at St. Petersburg, Florida, with additional starts planned at Barber Motorsports Park,Read More

By Aaron Bearden, Contributing Writer Ed Carpenter Racing will turn to a United States newcomer to fill out the No. 20 Fuzzy’s Ultra Premium Vodka Chevrolet’s lineup. The organization announced Thursday that Jordan King, 23, has joined them to compete on road and street courses in the 2018 Verizon IndyCar Series schedule. The Briton will compete in 11 races for the team beginning with the season-opening race in St. Petersburg. He’ll split driving duties for the ride with team owner Ed Carpenter, who will continue to compete in the sixRead More

By Aaron Bearden, Contributing Writer Motorsports Tribune reviews the season of the top 10 drivers from the 2017 Verizon IndyCar Series championship. Our list continues with the second-place championship finisher, Simon Pagenaud. Simon Pagenaud, No. 1 Team Penske Chevrolet 2017: 2nd in the championship  Wins: 2, Top 5: 13, Top 10: 15, Poles: 1, Laps Led: 187 Best Finish: 1st (Phoenix, Sonoma) For the second-consecutive year, 2016 Verizon IndyCar Series champion Simon Pagenaud put together an impressive season-long campaign to position himself to contend for the title. But unlike last season’sRead More

By Aaron Bearden, Contributing Writer After bookending the 2017 Indy Lights season with victories at St. Petersburg and Watkins Glen International, Aaron Telitz and Belardi Auto Racing are set to give the tour another go. Belardi announced on Thursday that Telitz, 26, will return to the organization for his second Indy Lights season in 2018. The team intends to complete the full 17-race schedule, though they currently have only a partial budget prepared for the coming year. “I’m incredibly excited about how our team is developing for 2018, and beingRead More

By Aaron Bearden, Contributing Writer Motorsports Tribune reviews the season of the top 10 drivers from the 2017 Verizon IndyCar Series championship. Our list continues with the third-place championship finisher, Scott Dixon. Scott Dixon, No. 9 Chip Ganassi Racing Honda 2017: 3rd in the championship  Wins: 1, Top 5: 10, Top 10: 16, Poles: 1, Laps Led: 131 Best Finish: 1st (Road America) It was a quiet 2017 season for Scott Dixon – his first without multiple victories since 2005. But considering the many variables associated with it, Dixon and Chip GanassiRead More

By Aaron Bearden, Contributing Writer Motorsports Tribune reviews the season of the top 10 drivers from the 2017 Verizon IndyCar Series championship. Our list continues with the fourth-place championship finisher, Helio Castroneves. Helio Castroneves, No. 3 Team Penske Chevrolet 2017: 4th in the championship  Wins: 1, Top 5: 9, Top 10: 16, Poles: 3, Laps Led: 442 Best Finish: 1st (Iowa Speedway) With Team Penske’s Helio Castroneves set to move over to sports car racing outside of the Indianapolis 500 in 2018, his 2017 served as both an impressive final Verizon IndyCarRead More

By Aaron Bearden, Contributing Writer Motorsports Tribune reviews the season of the top 10 drivers from the 2017 Verizon IndyCar Series championship. Our list continues with the seventh-place championship finisher, Alexander Rossi. Alexander Rossi, No. 98 Andretti Herta Autosport Honda 2017: 7th in the championship Wins: 1, Top 5: 5, Top 10: 10, Poles: 2, Laps Led: 99 Best Finish: 1st (Watkins Glen International)  If winning the 100th Running of the Indianapolis 500 thrust Rossi into the Verizon IndyCar Series spotlight in 2016, then the former Formula One prospect’s 2017 seasonRead More

By Aaron Bearden, Contributing Writer Motorsports Tribune reviews the season of the top 10 drivers from the 2017 Verizon IndyCar Series championship. Our list continues with the eighth-place championship finisher, Takuma Sato. Takuma Sato, No. 26 Andretti Autosport Honda 2017: 8th in the championship  Wins: 1, Top 5: 4, Top 10: 7, Poles: 1, Laps Led: 41 Best Finish: 1st (Indianapolis 500) His championship hopes may have sputtered over the summer months, but Sato’s 2017 will be forever be remembered as a tale of redemption after his fateful drive toRead More