Robert Wickens
Robert Tyler Wickens ( born March 13, 1989 in Toronto ) is a Canadian race car driver. He was overall winner of the 2011 Formula Renault 3.5. Since 2012 he starts in the DTM.
Career
Wickens began his career in 1999 in karting, which he held until 2005. In addition, Wickens was 2005, his Formula racing debut in the U.S. Formula BMW. Wickens immediately became third in the overall standings. The following season, Wickens won the championship of the U.S. Formula BMW. Furthermore, Wickens played two races each in Formula Renault 2.0 Eurocup and the German Formula BMW. 2007 Wickens went for Forsythe Racing in the Atlantic Championship at the start and was third in the championship. In addition, Wickens started for Carlin Motorsport in some races of the Formula Renault 3.5.
In the next A1GP 2007/2008 season started for the Canadian Wickens A1GP team at seven out of ten races. Wickens reached a total of five podium finishes and won the sprint race in Durban. In the overall standings, the Canadian team finished ninth overall. 2008 Wickens was active both for Carlin Motorsport in the Formula Renault 3.5, and for Signature-Plus in the Formula 3 Euro Series. Although he won a race in both series, he finished in any of the series a place in the top ten drivers.
2009 Wickens went into the revived Formula 2 at the start. With a double victory in the first round in Valencia he had a good debut in Formula 2 Without another victory he secured at the end of the season runner-up title behind Andy Souček. He also started at two race weekends of the Formula 3 Euro Series and at a respective race weekend of the British Formula 3 Championship and the Atlantic Championship. With the end of the 2009 season ended, the support of Red Bull, who had supported him since 2006. 2010 Wickens moved to the newly founded GP3 series with the Irish team Status Grand Prix. With a second place finish in the season opener Wickens good start to the season. At the end of the season he was with three wins runner-up behind Esteban Gutierrez.
2011 Wickens returned to Carlin back in the Formula Renault 3.5. He each won a race at Spa- Francorchamps, the Nürburgring and in Barcelona and decided at Silverstone both races for themselves. Wickens went as overall leader in a duel with his teammate Jean- Éric Vergne to the last race. The two pilots were touching in the starting phase in the second curve, with Wickens broke the suspension. In the further course of the race also Vergne was eliminated, thereby Wickens won with 241 to 232 points, the championship before Vergne. In addition, he was taken in early June from the Formula 1 team Virgin test driver under contract. In this capacity he was employed in the free practice for the Grand Prix of Abu Dhabi. In addition, he received as a reward for winning the title in the Formula Renault 3.5 a Formula 1 test at Renault.
2012, Wickens decided for a change in touring car racing. He received a cockpit in the DTM for Mücke Motorsport. In the race at the Norisring, he scored a ninth place for the first time points. A race at the Nürburgring later he improved with a seventh place his best DTM result. At the end of the season he was on the 16th place overall. 2013 moved Wickens within the Mercedes DTM team to HWA. In the second race at Brands Hatch, he scored his first DTM podium placement with a third place. At the Norisring, he started for the first time from the pole position. In the race, he finished second. As was Mattias Ekström, who had come to finish ahead of him disqualified, Wickens was the best-placed rider in the race. The first place was not reassigned. Two races later, Wickens won at the Nürburgring his first DTM race. At the end of the season, he finished fifth overall.
Statistics
Career stations
- 2008: A1 Grand Prix
- 2008: Formula Renault 3.5 ( 12th place)
- 2008: Formula 3 Euro Series (No. 15)
- 2009: Formula 2 (2nd place)
- 2009: Formula 3 Euro Series (No. 22)
- 2009: British Formula 3 ( 16th place)
- 2009: Atlantic Championship ( 14th place )
- 2010: GP3 Series (2nd place)
- 2011: Formula Renault 3.5 (Master)
- 2011: Formula 1 ( test driver )
- 2012: DTM ( 16th place)
- 2013: DTM ( 5th place)