Robert Wickens achieved success while climbing through the open-wheel ranks before inspiring others during his comeback from a life-altering injury to compete in sports cars. Wickens started out in karting, winning three Sunoco Ron Fellows Karting championships between 2002 and 2005. He then won championships in Formula BMW USA in 2006 and the Formula Renault 3.5 Series in 2011.

Wickens finished runner-up in Formula 2 in 2009 and GP3 in 2010 before becoming a Formula 1 test driver in 2011. He then spent six seasons in closed-wheel racing, winning multiple events in the DTM German touring cars and making a start in the 2017 24 Hours of Daytona. He returned to open-wheel competition in 2018, joining Schmidt Peterson Motorsports full-time in IndyCar. He started on pole in his debut at St. Petersburg and finished ninth in the Indianapolis 500 to earn the race’s Rookie of the Year. He went on to win the series’ Rookie of the Year, with four podiums and seven top-fives in 13 races before a crash left him paralyzed.

Wickens documented his recovery on social media, inspiring others as he returned to competition in 2022, driving a hand-controlled sports car for Bryan Herta Autosport. He won the 2023 IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge TCR championship, becoming the first paraplegic to win a major motorsport championship. He finished third in the standings in 2024, while recording the class win in his home race at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park. He also became the first disabled driver to test a Formula E car.

Wickens most recently made five GTD class starts in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship in 2025. He’s also kept busy working with Bosch to develop better hand controls for street cars, to help other paraplegics get behind-the-wheel, and is working to improve accessibility for fans at motorsport events.