Wickens: F1 only wanted my money

Robert Wickens returned to a difficult patch in his career when the Canadian sought to secure a starting spot in F1. The current resident of the HWA stable-Mercedes en DTM was very close to a contract to drive with Marussia during the 2012 season after winning the Formula title Renault 3.5 Series.

“My heart was with F1, admits Robert Wickens. I was a reserve at Marussia Virgin Racing and I was able to take part in the Friday free practice in Abu Dhabi. I was only a tenth behind Timo Glock who was one of their regular drivers. A lot of teams were interested in me, but everyone was looking for money. Marussia asked me to get a certain amount to start in 2012 and we managed to raise the sum, but a driver arrived with more money and it became impossible for me to keep up. »

Robert Wickens was able to bounce back in DTM with Mercedes taking advantage of the support of Toto wolff, now executive director of Mercedes Motorsport.

“Toto Wolff, who was a shareholder at Williams and HWA, also came to me asking if I was interested in DTM. I responded positively, he arranged a test drive for me at the end of the 2011 season and I immediately loved the car. I wasn't sure I wanted to give up on F1, but when the deal with Marussia fell through, I said to myself: 'Okay, F1 can go.' It was the best decision I made in my life. The fact is that Mercedes wanted me and the others wanted my money. »

Robert Wickens has been competing in the DTM since 2912, continuing to defend the interests of Mercedes. His best season dates back to 2016 where he finished in fourth position in the Championship. The Canadian currently sits eighth in the standings this season as the second highest ranked Mercedes driver after Lucas Auer ahead of this weekend's finale at Hockenheim.