Mikhail Aleshin will continue to compete for Schmidt Peterson Motorsports in IndyCar this year, alongside James Hinchcliffe, the team confirmed on Wednesday.
Aleshin made his bow in the championship with the team in 2014 and returned to a full-time drive last year after missing the bulk of the 2015 campaign.
Aleshin matched his career-best result by finishing second at Pocono, having taken his maiden pole position at the same event, and placed 15th overall in the standings.
“Thanks to both the SMP Racing program and our American team, Schmidt Peterson Motorsports, I am to keep fighting for even better results this season in IndyCar,” he said.
“With the Russian flag on my car, and with James and the Schmidt Peterson Motorsports crew, I will push hard to bring more poles and hopefully victories in 2017.”
"We are thrilled to have Mikhail back for 2017," said co-owner Sam Schmidt said.
“We know he is capable of winning races and competing for the championship. This also means we have maintained continuity across drivers, engineering and team member staffing, which is critical for success."
