Fresh from a history-equalling sixth IndyCar Series crown, Scott Dixon has opened up about his close shave with a career in Formula 1, and whether the chance to race in the top-tier series was a topic of regret.
Speaking to Autoweek, Dixon said the question is an occasional one — but one with a definitive answer.
“My wife asks me that, occasionally, ‘Are you sad that you didn’t chase the F1 thing more?’ No, not really.” he said. “There’s no reflection on ‘did we make a bad choice’ or anything like that. I think we made the best choice, absolutely. There’s no denying that.
“We just won the [2003] championship. Do you go to Formula 1 and be a test driver and be lost forever, or do you continue on racing?”
Dixon performed test with Williams-BMW F1 in 2004. History shows that the Kiwi wouldn’t get a seat with the squad for the subsequent 2005 season; Mark Webber and Nick Heidfeld instead getting the nod.
“Scott said he looked pretty good on the last morning and had a better engine and more sets of tyres,” Glenys Dixon, Scott’s mother, told the NZ Herald at the time. “He was disappointed, though, with the last two days.
“He didn’t feel he really accomplished much for himself. He wished the weather was better and he had a chance to put some good times together on the board. He felt he could have done better on the last day if not for the weather and the breakage.”
While Dixon has been quizzed about F1 before, his 2020 achievements have seen numerous recent references made in the media about whether he should have given the wings-and-slicks category a shake.
In March F1 broadcaster and media personality Will Buxton listed Dixon as fifth-greatest driver to never race in F1, describing him as “one of the most versatile and consistently competitive drivers of his generation”.
Then a few months later, former McLaren and Ferrari ace Stefan Johansson said Dixon would have been a champion in F1 had he been accepted into its fold. Johansson also noted that the Kiwi was initially set to perform a test in a Ferrari, too.
Along with his comments about F1, Dixon was also quizzed by Autoweek about the prospect of retirement — the (still incredibly rapid) 40-year-old giving the question a “no, definitely not.”
“Earlier, when you look at championships, people were already talking about seven, which seems so far away when you have five, especially with how tough the competition is. But now seven is a lot more achievable now that we have six.
“Honestly, I just love to race,” he said.
“I’m so lucky, I’m so privileged. I get to do what I love. I get to work with the best in the business. I have such a great relationship with Chip [Ganassi] and Mike Hull and everyone on the team. The passion is still there, the fire burns hot, maybe one day it will end, it has to, but not right now.”
Scott is a Top notch driver and better person. Not a Ganassi fan but if my team is not doing well then I root for Scott.
Formula One might have more money and international prestige. But Indy Car will always be number one on this side of the pond. One reason, Indianapolis 500. Every driver who is anybody wants to run Indy at least once.
F1 doesn’t have that same draw on drivers here.