Reigning Indy Lights champion Oliver Askew says he will focus on his career as opposed to his long-time rival Rinus Veekay, ahead of his debut IndyCar campaign.
Askew, now driving for Arrow McLaren SP, narrowly beat Veekay to the Indy Lights title last year and both have made the jump to the IndyCar Series for 2020.
Both drivers have found themselves deep in competition throughout their junior careers, even fighting for championships into the Road to Indy ladder in the USF2000 and Pro Mazda series in 2017 and ’18.
Askew was complimentary towards the Dutchman, acknowledging that their fierce rivalry has helped to get them to where they are now.
“I’ve been racing Rinus [VeeKay] since 2014, every time I show up to a track he’s always there. He’s always that guy who I’m fighting the win for,” said Askew.
“It’s kind of cool to have someone like that, looking back at it. In the moment it’s not cool at all. But looking back at it? He has made me better and I’ve made him better because we’re always competing against each other and using each other as a benchmark I guess you could say, because we’re at the same level, similar experience.
“Our driving styles are completely different, but I think we’re taking the good from each other, he’s been a great rival to have over the years, thankfully we’ve only had one or two collisions which is pretty small for how many we’ve had together.
When asked if he would look for VeeKay on the timesheets, Askew added: “I’ve thought about this before, but it’s like having 20 other Rinus’ out there now.
“I’m not worried about him AT ALL anymore, there’s way more drivers to worry about than Rinus.”