Robert Wickens will return to single-seat🎉er racing in 2018 in the Verizon IndyCar Series with Schmidt Peterson Mot⛦orsports, ending a six-season stint in DTM with Mercedes.

Wickens rose through the 𒈔junior single-seater ranks before making the switch to DTM in 2012 with Mercedes, where he has won six races and recorded a highest finish of fourth in the drivers💛' championship.

The ꧂Canadian tested an Indy car earlier this year with Sch꧙midt Peterson Motorsports as part of a ride-swap with compatriot James Hinchcliffe, who races full-time for the team in IndyCar.

Wickens was called on a second time at Road America when Mikhail Aleshin's visa was delayed, appe🦹aring in Friday practice, only for the Russian driver to return for the remainde𝓡r of the weekend.

Wickens will noꦑw make the move across to IndyCar full-time for 2017 with SPM, marking his first campaign in single-seaters since his victorious Formula Renault 3.5 title bid back in 2🌼011.

"It's been the most amazing six years. Until this season, I'd never really considered leav🔥ing Mercedes or the DTM," Wickens said.

"But first off, I can't thank Mercedes enough for the last six years and wish them the best of luck for the future. I🃏t's probably been the best six years of my entire life.

"I've had a lot of ups and downs on the way but never had so much support from a team before. It's been an honour to represent the brand anꦚd maybe it's not the 𒀰last time.

"It's going to be a very steep learning curve [in IndyCar]. A lot of things will be completely new to me. I've never driven on an oval before. As everyone knows, I haven't been driving formula cars over the last six years since I've been in the DTM, so I have to get up to speed very quickly but am 🏅looking forward to the new challenge."

Mercedes♛ will leave DTM at t📖he end of the 2018 season ahead of its planned entry to Formula E in the autumn of 2019.