Mikhail Aleshin’s time with Schmidt Peterson Motorsports for 2017 has come to an end, the team confirming on Saturday that Aleshin will miss the final four races of the season.
In a statement, SPM said Aleshin will focus instead on the development of SMP Racing’s LMP1 prototype. He’d been confirmed to do that this year anyway, but this now sees his IndyCar time with the team at an end.
No replacement driver was listed. Sebastian Saavedra filled in at the Toronto weekend while Robert Wickens ran on Friday at Road America, owing to Aleshin’s immigration issues.
The release, posted on social media, is below; Aleshin later posted a statement himself.
— Arrow McLaren IndyCar Team (@ArrowMcLaren) August 12, 2017
Official pic.twitter.com/sx1RY6fJG6
— Mikhail Aleshin (@mikhailaleshin) August 12, 2017