GP2 driver Daniel Abt eyes move to IndyCar (3rd Update)
 |
| Daniel Abt will likely drive 4th Andretti Honda |
The fourth full-time car for Andretti Autosport is one of the hot-button items this Verizon IndyCar Series offseason, and while budget isn't fully finalized for the car yet, team principal Michael Andretti still hopes to have it completed shortly.
"We're working on it; we're working on four, and hoping for five (cars)," Andretti told MotorSportsTalk in an interview promoting the Indy Grand Prix of Louisiana this weekend.
The team is finalizing its commercial partnership with United Fiber & Data, which served as primary sponsor for both James Hinchcliffe in IndyCar and Matthew Brabham in Indy Lights Presented by Cooper Tires this past season. Hinchcliffe has since departed for Schmidt Peterson Motorsports, where he will become that team's lead driver.
"We're working on (UFD) right now," Andretti said. "But we couldn't get that done in time for Hinch. I told Hinch, ‘Don't let the other opportunity go away, because I can't guarantee it.' So unfortunately we couldn't get it done in time for him, but we're getting close."
Andretti spoke very highly of Daniel Abt, the German GP2 and FIA Formula E driver who tested for the team a couple weeks ago at Barber Motorsports Park.
"Daniel, we were all very impressed with him," Andretti said. "He didn't put a wheel wrong. He was right on pace. He provided great feedback and is a nice guy. We had very good feedback on him." NBC Sports
10/27/14 "Ich habe einen guten Tag hatte," says the exuberant Abt in his native German, which loosely translates to "I've had a good day" in the Honda-powered No. 27 Andretti Autosport car on an unseasonably warm autumn day in Birmingham, Alabama. It was an enjoyable one, too, for the GP2 driver, who came to the 3.38-mile, 16-turn road course to appraise the prospects of competing in the Verizon IndyCar Series in 2015 and be evaluated by team personnel.
Interest in the series and racing in the States was piqued by an American friend and fellow competitor, and much time didn't lapse before Abt was hooked on the series' blend of street, road courses and ovals.
"I guess it all started with Conor Daly being my teammate. He kept telling me stories about IndyCar so my attention got more and more serious as I watched the races, and I went to Fontana (Calif.) this year to see the race live," says Abt, 21. "I'm just at a certain stage of my career where I want to take the next step and IndyCar is certainly a great option so that is why I'm here.
"I'm not just doing the test because I'm bored and I want to spend some time racing. First of all, I want to get a feeling for the car and the people. I don't know what the options are at the moment, but I'm interested in doing the season if the package is right and everything is like I want it to be."
In 20 GP2 races this year with Hilmer Motorsport, Abt has a best finish of fifth (Hungary sprint and feature races, Belgium feature) and one pole start (Belgium feature race). He is 15th in the drivers' championship standings with two races left in the season Nov. 22-23 in Abu Dhabi, UAE. Jolyon Palmer wrapped up the drivers' title at Sochi, Russia, earlier this month.
Last year in GP2, Abt placed 22nd in the standings with ART Grand Prix. He won two races and earned five other podiums in 16 races in placing second in the 2012 GP2 standings with Lotus GP.
"GP2 is only a feeder series, so it's not a series you want to do for the rest of your career. It's to get experience," Abt says. "But you don't have that many options in Europe. You have Formula One, which at the moment is really hard to get in because of money and politics. I think INDYCAR is a great series, and racing in the U.S. is different I have to say. It's a whole new style of everything, but when you race in Europe your entire life it's interesting to see something new, meet new people and go to new tracks.
"I met Marco (Andretti) in Fontana; just a nice bunch of people. I really liked how all the drivers were open and friendly, and I think that is the spirit that all series should have."
Abt spent time in the Dallara simulator in Speedway, Ind., so as to not hit the challenging serpentine circuit cold, which he noted was another positive about the Michael Andretti-led team. He could fill the vacancy of the No. 27 entry following the move earlier this month of James Hinchcliffe to Schmidt Peterson Motorsports for the 2015 season.
The introduction to the team came in preparations for the Formula E debut, which counts Andretti Autosport with drivers Franck Montagny, Charles Pic and Matthew Brabham among its teams. Abt qualified third and finished 10th in the inaugural race in China last month in an Audi Sport ABT entry.
"A lot of other drivers texted me to say, ‘Ah, I want to test for that team, too," Abt said. "It's a great chance to be with such a big-name team and get the chance to test the car with them. It all came together for this test and we'll see where it goes from there." IndyCar.com
09/25/14 This rumor is now upgraded to 'strong' based on this report.
08/31/14
21-year-old German driver Daniel Abt made the trek from last weekend's GP2 event at Spa-Francorchamps to Southern California with an eye to evaluate the Verizon IndyCar Series reports racer.com.
A veteran of GP2, GP3, and Formula Renault 3.5, Abt is like many other young European open-wheelers with a desire to move up to Formula 1. Yet with so few seats available and the incredibly high costs to drive for a backmarker, the relatively level playing field offered in IndyCar and reasonably affordable budgets inspired Abt to go on a fact-finding mission in Fontana, site of the IndyCar season finale.
"I've never been to an IndyCar race before, so that's why I'm here," Abt told RACER. "I wanted to grab the chance to get a feeling for it and to see it. I don't know anyone, and it's a bit different. For me it's just to get a feeling and it's an option I have in my mind, but before I can really make a decision, I have to get a feeling for the sport."
IndyCar's presence in Germany is minimal according to Abt, but thanks to his Hilmer Motorsport GP2 teammate Conor Daly, the young American has inspired his friend to look outside of Europe as a way to continue his open-wheel career. Driving for one of the lesser GP2 teams hasn't provided the momentum he needs to land in F1, which has also led to Abt's interest in IndyCar. And with experience racing against some of the young guns in IndyCar, he has a good feel for where he might fit on the grid if he joins the series next year.
"The first thing for me was to see [Carlos] Munoz was my teammate in Formula 3, and I know his skill level compared to mine," said Abt, who is affiliated with energy drink giant Red Bull. "That was the first time I thought it would be a good option. Formula 1 was always my dream; that's why I do Formula 3, GP2, GP3, but at the moment, it's very locked in.
"I'm not sure it's still the right way to go and the thing I really want to do. You can always bring some money and drive for Caterham, but is it worth it just to be called an F1 driver? I don't think these guys are having fun, or if that's the dream I've always wanted. I'm 21 one now and need to figure what makes sense." Racer.com