Robert Wickens: From Formula 2 Runner-Up to IndyCar Rookie and TCR Champion

Robert Wickens is a Canadian driver from Guelph, Ontario. A Formula Renault 3.5 champion and FIA Formula Two runner-up, he raced in IndyCar until a 2018 Pocono crash left him paraplegic. He returned to racing and won the TCR drivers' championship in 2023.

Who is Robert Wickens?

Robert Tyler Wickens was born on 13 March 1989 in Guelph, Ontario. He began karting in 2001, collecting early wins in junior classes before taking three Sunoco Ron Fellows Karting titles, in 2002, 2003 and 2005, across several classes.

His formula career began in 2005, when at sixteen he joined Team Apex Racing USA in Formula BMW USA on a BMW junior scholarship. He finished third overall with two wins and five podiums, and took the best rookie title before going on to the Formula BMW World Final, where he placed sixth.

A 2011 Formula Renault 3.5 title came before a Pocono crash, and a TCR championship came after it.

How did his junior single-seater career develop?

Wickens moved to EuroInternational in 2006 after joining the Red Bull junior team. He won the Formula BMW championship that year with three wins and seven podiums, and he also raced as a guest at the Nurburgring in the ADAC Formula BMW round, which supported a Formula One weekend.

In 2007 he moved into the Champ Car Atlantic series with Red Bull and Team Forsythe. He took one win and three more podiums, and he finished the season third in the standings. A move into Formula Renault 3.5 followed in 2008 with Carlin Motorsport, where he won at Silverstone and finished twelfth overall on 55 points.

That same year he also contested the Formula 3 Euro Series with Signature-Plus. His best results came in the rain at the Norisring and at the Bugatti Circuit, where he won both races, although half points were awarded in each because the distance was short. He returned to the series in 2009 with Kolles and Heinz Union but scored no points.

How far did he go in FIA Formula Two and GP3?

Wickens was the only North American in the revamped FIA Formula Two Championship in 2009, driving car number 12. He led every lap from pole in the opening race, becoming the first driver since Philippe Streiff in September 1984 to take an international Formula Two victory. He repeated the feat in race two and led the championship, but reliability problems later in the year caused five retirements, and he finished 51 points behind champion Andy Soucek.

That November he revealed that he had held informal talks with several Formula One teams, and he argued that his chances were helped by being the only potential North American rookie holding a valid FIA superlicence. In 2010 he raced in GP3 with Status Grand Prix, moved into the lead of the drivers' standings after a strong second race, and finished as runner-up in the series.

What did he win in Formula Renault 3.5?

Wickens won the 2011 Formula Renault 3.5 title with Carlin, with backing from Marussia. He edged out his teammate Jean-Eric Vergne at the final race of the season to take the championship.

That success led to a reserve role in Formula One. In June 2011 Virgin Racing named him its official reserve driver, and in September he completed more than 200 km of straight-line testing in the MVR-02. At the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix that year he took part in the first free practice session of the weekend, and after the season he stayed on for young driver testing with Marussia Virgin Racing and Lotus Renault GP.

Why did he move to DTM and IndyCar?

In April 2012 Mercedes announced the revival of its junior team, and Wickens joined Roberto Merhi and Christian Vietoris as a driver in the DTM series that year. Michael Schumacher, a seven-time Formula One champion, was involved as a mentor to the three drivers. Wickens was one of two Canadians in the DTM field, alongside Bruno Spengler.

He raced in DTM for HWA Team until the end of 2017. In June 2017 he stepped into the No. 7 Schmidt Peterson car for practice at the Road America round, replacing Mikhail Aleshin, who was unable to return to the United States in time. He was confirmed for a full-time IndyCar season with the same team the following October.

In 2018 he earned pole position on his first qualifying session in IndyCar, at the St. Petersburg Grand Prix. He led all but the final two laps of that race before a racing incident with Alexander Rossi ended his lead. The Indianapolis 500 brought him a rookie award after he led two laps and finished ninth, and he went on to finish third at Toronto and second at Mid-Ohio.

What happened at Pocono in 2018?

Wickens crashed violently at the ABC Supply 500 at Pocono Raceway on 19 August 2018. After a restart on lap seven, he ran side by side with Ryan Hunter-Reay into the back straight, and the two cars touched. Hunter-Reay's car was turned across the front of Wickens's car, which was launched over the nose of the other car and into the catch fencing.

His car broke apart on impact, shedding its tyres and most of its bodywork, although the driver's safety cell held. The cockpit tub came to rest on the track beyond the second turn. The crash caused a multi-car pile-up that also eliminated Hunter-Reay, his teammate James Hinchcliffe, Takuma Sato and Pietro Fittipaldi. The race was red-flagged while he was extricated, and he was flown to hospital.

Wickens had surgery on a thoracic spinal fracture on 20 August, with titanium rods and screws placed in his spine. Further operations treated fractures to his arms and legs, and in early September his family disclosed the full extent of his injuries, which included a neck fracture, fractures to both legs, a pulmonary contusion and an indeterminate spinal injury. In late October he revealed that he was paraplegic.

The No. 6 car returned to the track at Portland with Carlos Munoz driving, and the team's second car was renumbered 7 for 2019, with Marcus Ericsson at the wheel. Owners Sam Schmidt and Ric Peterson said the No. 6 would be his when he came back.

Several factors helped Wickens survive. He ducked low in the cockpit, so his head did not strike a solid object, the cockpit missed a steel pole, and the forces of impact were absorbed as the car broke apart. His teammate James Hinchcliffe, also caught up in the crash, was cleared to race, and the team withdrew Wickens's car from the Bommarito Automotive Group 500.

How did his recovery and return to racing progress?

His recovery was documented in public. On 21 November 2018 he published a video of himself walking a few steps with machine assistance, and on 30 January 2019 he posted footage of himself riding a spin bike without any help. In July 2019 he drove the parade lap at the Honda Indy Toronto using hand controls.

During the COVID-19 pandemic he competed in the INDYCAR iRacing Challenge, with a best result of fifth at Motegi. He also took part in the 2020 virtual 24 Hours of Le Mans with Mahle Racing, alongside DTM driver Ferdinand Zvonimir von Habsburg and the sim racers Jimmy Broadbent and Kevin Rotting. The car finished 16th in the GTE class and 45th overall.

On 5 May 2021, 989 days after the Pocono accident, he tested the No. 54 Hyundai Veloster N TCR car with Bryan Herta Autosport at Mid-Ohio. The car was normally raced by Michael Johnson, a paralysed team driver who also uses hand controls, and Wickens was soon up to pace within a few laps.

How did he win the TCR title?

On 14 January 2022 his return to competition was confirmed, with a place in the Michelin Pilot Challenge alongside Bryan Herta Autosport. He scored a podium on his debut at Daytona, finishing third with co-driver Mark Wilkins. On 25 June 2022 he and Wilkins won the TCR class at Watkins Glen, his first race victory since 2017, and he followed it with a win at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park the next time out.

Wickens had banked enough points to win the IndyCar Rookie of the Year title before he missed the season's last three races. His rookie year, which began with a pole, ended in a crash that changed the rest of his life.

He finished sixth in the 2022 TCR drivers' championship. For 2023 he was paired with Harry Gottsacker, and a consistent season with several podiums ended with the pair taking the TCR drivers' championship at the final race at Road Atlanta.

In 2024 he was involved in a crash while driving a Hyundai Elantra N in the first race of the Nurburgring Langstrecken-Serie at the Nordschleife. He was taken straight to a nearby hospital, and his team said he was conscious and would spend the night under precautionary observation.

What is his personal background?

Tim and Lisa are his parents, and his older brother Trevor previously operated a kart team based in Hamilton. He has said that as a child he was fascinated by the film Days of Thunder. He married Karli Woods on 28 September 2019 in Carmel, Indiana, and the couple's first child, Wesley Joseph, was born in July 2022. Twins Daisy and Dasher arrived in September 2025.

Career summary

Where does his career stand?

Wickens's record combines early titles in junior single-seaters with a senior career in DTM and IndyCar, and then a return to racing after a serious accident. His 2023 TCR title came after he had raced with hand controls, adapted to the car in a few laps during the 2021 test, and built a consistent programme around the car.

He now races in the IMSA Sprint Cup for DXDT Racing, and his place in motorsport history rests on a career that moved from karting in Ontario to IndyCar and back to the track after 2018. Future seasons will show how far his return to top-level sports car racing goes.