Mikhail Aleshin is returning to work. Schmidt Peterson Motorsports announced that Aleshin will return to the team in the No. 7 Honda, pairing with James Hinchcliffe once more for 2017.
Twitter: Please join us in welcoming @mikhailaleshin back for the 2017 @IndyCar season!!! https://t.co/G9wmPrp06P -… https://t.co/vX1OgRc6Xf (@SPMIndyCar)
Aleshin rejoins SPM after months of speculation. Aleshin is hoping to better his 2016 campaign when he managed only one podium—a P2 at Pocono and three top-10 finishes. Aleshin’s resigning comes as much needed relief for the Russian, but also for team co-owner Sam Schmidt.
“We’ve been eager to maintain continuity, with both the engineering department and – for the first time in our five years in IndyCar – our driver line-up.
“I mean, yes, 2016 was Mikhail’s second year with us but there was a year’s gap in between and he didn’t have the same teammate, because in 2014 we still had Simon [Pagenaud].”
Mikhail Aleshin will be piloting the No. 7 SMP Honda in 2017 for Schmidt Peterson Motorsports.
The Hinchcliffe-Aleshin pairing finally gives the SPM team the full-time stability it has been lacking since the departure of Simon Pagenaud in 2014 and due to Aleshin’s sponsorship uncertainty in 2015. The pairing also gives the SPM team a moniker that fans might rally around, Team Redemption, since both drivers are returning from serious on-track injuries.
With Hinchcliffe’s recent success on “Dancing With The Stars” and Aleshin’s continued familiarity with the team, the partnership seeks to continue SPM’s visibility with casual and hardcore fans alike.
The pair will see track action together during a private Feb. 7 test at Sonoma Raceway, before going to Phoenix International Raceway for IndyCar’s open test on Feb. 10-11.
