Mikhail Aleshin Tag

By Christopher DeHarde, Staff Writer With the 2018 Verizon IndyCar Series season rapidly approaching, Motorsports Tribune is previewing each of the teams competing on the tour. The site’s IndyCar staff will break each team down, laying out their results from the previous season while previewing the year to come for the organization and their driver(s). Team: Schmidt Peterson Motorsports  Drivers: James Hinchcliffe, Robert Wickens What Happened Last Year: The 2017 season gave Hinchcliffe his first victory since New Orleans 2015 when the likable Canadian won at Long Beach. That plus two third-placeRead More

The Verizon IndyCar Series just concluded their return to Gateway Motorsports Park and it provided its own unique element to the season. The gang reviews that, the upcoming race at Watkins Glen, expectations moving forward on the potential 2018 television deal and more. Gateway’s return to the series brought out one of the more intriguing races of 2017, what is your assessment of their return and might we see more tracks return to the schedule that follow their approach? Frank Santoroski, Contributing Writer and Host of Drafting the Circuits podcast:Read More

By Christopher DeHarde, IndyCar & Road to Indy Writer MADISON, Illinois — Looking ahead to the 2018 Verizon IndyCar Series, temporary Schmidt Peterson Motorsports driver Sebastian Saavedra rediscovered his passion for IndyCar racing while filling in for Mikhail Aleshin on the streets of Toronto. “I mean, as of right now I want to stay here,” Saavedra said after qualifying for Saturday’s Bommarito Automotive Group 500 at Gateway Motorsports Park. “I was a bit more sports car prone before Toronto, then we did Toronto and that passion for speed just came toRead More

By Christopher DeHarde, IndyCar & Road to Indy Writer Jack Harvey couldn’t catch a break. After losing two tiebreakers in the 2014 Indy Lights points standings and losing the 2015 Indy Lights championship in the final two races, the 2012 British Formula 3 champion didn’t have a Verizon IndyCar Series drive for 2016 or 2017 until this year’s Indianapolis 500. However, that situation has changed for Harvey as he has picked up the seat in the No. 7 Honda for Schmidt Peterson Motorsports at Watkins Glen International and at Sonoma RacewayRead More

By Christopher DeHarde, IndyCar & Road to Indy Writer On any street circuit gaining positions is difficult, but on the streets of Toronto, Andretti Autosport’s Ryan Hunter-Reay and Schmidt Peterson Motorsports’s Sebastian Saavedra did that better than anybody by gaining ten and nine spots respectively from where they began the race. Hunter-Reay took the green flag in 16th place and moved to 14th following the opening lap incident between Scott Dixon and Will Power. The No. 28 DHL Honda then saw pit lane on Lap 21 before a caution for TonyRead More

By Joey Barnes, Editor-in-Chief Sebastian Saavedra returns to the Verizon IndyCar Series to pilot the No. 7 with Schmidt Peterson Motorsports for this weekend’s Honda Indy Toronto. Mikhail Aleshin, the usual full-time driver of the entry, will sit on the sidelines but be on hand for “support” according to a team release. Gary Peterson, owner and longtime supporter of Saavedra, will have his AFS Racing branding joining the No. 7 Lucas Oil SPM Honda. The move also reunites the Colombian with former Indy Lights race engineer Blair Perschbacher. Saavedra onlyRead More

By INDYCAR NEWTON, Iowa (Sunday, July 9, 2017) – The victory drought is finally over for Helio Castroneves. Now his chase toward a first Verizon IndyCar Series championship is in high gear. The three-time Indianapolis 500 winner ended a three-year, 54-race streak without a win by taking the checkered flag today in the Iowa Corn 300 at Iowa Speedway. In the process, the driver of the No. 3 Hitachi Team Penske Chevrolet closed within eight points of the championship lead after 11 of 17 races. “We’ve been close (to winning)Read More

By Christopher DeHarde, IndyCar & Road to Indy Writer Enough, Racing Gods. Enough. Dale Coyne has clearly suffered through massive amounts of heartache. During Saturday’s Rainguard Water Sealers 600 at Texas Motor Speedway, the longtime Verizon IndyCar Series team owner had another night that would make any normal team owner question his involvement in the sport. With Tristan Vautier becoming the driver du jour in the No. 18 GEICO Honda replacing Sebastien Bourdais, the new Frenchman qualified fifth and was running in the upper end of the field. Meanwhile, teammate EdRead More

By Christopher DeHarde, IndyCar & Road to Indy Writer Expect the unexpected. This year has seen a massive improvement from Honda as they have won five out of eight races and heading into a newly-reconfigured Texas Motor Speedway, the Verizon IndyCar Series had no idea what to expect into Saturday’s Rainguard Water Sealers 600. Well, looking at the practice and qualifying recaps, it was a complete tossup until final practice. In the first practice session, Honda had the top six times as Scott Dixon led Charlie Kimball, Alexander Rossi, Graham Rahal,Read More

By Christopher DeHarde, IndyCar & Road to Indy Writer In Friday practice for the Verizon IndyCar Series’ Chevrolet Grand Prix of Detroit doubleheader weekend, Graham Rahal and Helio Castroneves were all alone at the top of the time sheet as both drivers were fastest in each of the two practice sessions. Not only that, but they were second fastest in the session where they weren’t fastest. In opening practice, Rahal went around the 2.35 mile Belle Isle street circuit with a time of 1 min 15.3328 seconds while Castroneves was justRead More