Rinus Veekay says he would be happy staying in the NTT IndyCar Series for a long time and has not seriously considered a move to Formula 1, but he would think about it if he had to chance to fight Max Verstappen on track.
Veekay, whose real name is Rinus van Kalmthout, currently races in IndyCar with Ed Carpenter Racing and took his maiden series victory last year in the GMR Grand Prix around the road course at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Despite his results tailing off towards the end of the year, he had done enough to earn himself a second season with the team for 2022.
The Dutchman says that whilst Formula 1 has never been top of his wish list to race in, he would consider making the switch should be become either team-mates or competitive rivals to his compatriot Verstappen, who won the World Drivers’ Championship for the first time in 2021.
And with the likes of Pato O’Ward and Colton Herta both being linked with moves away from IndyCar to Formula 1 in the near future, Veekay is another to link himself to the sport, although he is definitely content to remain in IndyCar for the long term and would only consider it if in with a chance of battling Verstappen.
“If I get the chance to become Max Verstappen’s team-mate, or maybe Max Verstappen’s competitor at a top team, then I will certainly think about that,” VeeKay said to Dutch publication Ziggo Sport. “But I’m not working on that at all right now.
“If I can drive in IndyCar for the next 20 years and compete for the titles, then my life is more than complete.”