James Hinchcliffe Is Doing F1… Sorta!

Canadian driver James Hinchcliffe had had a very good IndyCar career. He has 6 wins and 18 career podiums. That earned him three top 10 finishes in points and even an Indy 500 pole. He has given fans plenty of moments to look back on. That is why his fans are probably shocked to learn that he is doing an F1 test.

Hinchcliffe’s F1 Test

The F1 return of Romain Grosjean has gotten way more press due to him being an ex-F1 driver who earned respect and support after surviving his near-fatal crash in Bahrain. At the same Mugello test, Hinchcliffe was also turning laps with Haas. Turning laps in an F1 was not what Hinchcliffe was expecting to be doing in 2025. So how did he end up in a Haas F1 car to begin with?

Hinchcliffe’s Journey To Haas

After his IndyCar stint, Hinchcliffe went into broadcasting, becoming an addition to the NBC and now the FOX IndyCar booth. Even during this time, he was looking to join the racing world overseas. Hinchcliffe has been an occasional presenter during Formula 1’s TV broadcasts. It might have been viewed as minuscule, but he is going from the broadcast booth to the track.

And it’s a proper test too, as he said, confirming to GPBlog that he and the team intend to complete “a run plan” and “not just ten laps,” unlike the last time he was in an F1 car. As part of a feature for the United States GP, the Canadian would get his chance. He has also gotten advice from both of Haas’s drivers, Ollie Bearman and Esteban Ocon, for his Mugello run.

“Kind of speechless, to be honest,” said Hinchcliffe. “For a guy who talks for a living, that’s really saying something. An incredible experience and an incredible machine; I can’t thank Haas Racing enough. ” It’s a day I am going to remember for a long time! Hopefully, I will find a way to get to do this again sometime because I really enjoyed it.”

Say Yes More Often

This unique opportunity could only come about because of Hinchcliffe’s unique attitude to life and how much he says yes to any opportunity that comes his way. His broadcasting career began when he was invited into the international radio broadcast booth for the Champ Car Series. One segment turned into another segment, which turned into staying for the entire race. That led to providing commentary for Eurosport coverage of the series for two years.

“That experience gave me access to a different aspect of the sport,” Hinchcliffe said. “And, since I really enjoyed it and realized it was something I might be able to do after my driving career, it was a low-stakes way to get a lot of broadcasting reps.” It’s the kind of mentality that has seen Hinchcliffe places where IndyCar drivers rarely go, which made him 1 of the most well-known IndyCar drivers of his generation. Like appearing on “Dancing With the Stars,” which he only got because he seized the chance to be on “Celebrity Family Feud.”

“It’s a cliche, but you’re more likely to someday regret the things you didn’t do,” Hinchcliffe said. “Even if some turn out, in hindsight, to be a mistake, you learn from everything you do. So in that sense they really aren’t mistakes, because you can’t learn from things you don’t do.”