Servia In At Newman/Haas?

Thanks to the joys of the old rumor mill, we know Newman/Haas should finally be announcing Oriol Servia this week as their full-time driver. We don’t have any ideas on sponsorship yet, but I remain convinced that Servia is a great move for this team.

The Reign From Spain?

I’ve mentioned Servia’s resume before; it isn’t heavy on wins, but he’s raced well on some teams that were not exactly upper echelon. He had some very good results in the series in 2008-2009, and there’s no reason to think he can’t do the same this time around. Oriol Servia will make the most of what he's given.

I think that most of us with a sense of appreciation for American Open Wheel history want to see Newman/Haas return to prime form. It won’t be easy, but if this team can hang on and Servia can reliably bring it home in good standing and in one piece, that’s a tremendous step forward.

As for James Hinchcliffe, my hope right now is we get to see him at least in a part-time capacity in 2011. I think Newman/Haas is going the right way if they take the solid veteran as their primary driver, but Hinch is personable, charming, and a dream for the right sponsor. If they can field both at some point this year, I’d sure like to see it.

Image courtesy IndyCar Media