19/07/2015
NEWS STORY
Following his maiden Indy Lights victory, Max Chilton dedicated the win to his former Marussia teammate.
Just hours after hearing that his former Marussia teammate had succumbed to injuries sustained at Suzuka last October, Max Chilton took his maiden victory in the Indy Lights series with Carlin.
Chilton, who headed across the Atlantic after losing his F1 drive following Marussia's demise last season, led a Carlin 1-2 with teammate, and fellow Briton, Ed Jones, taking second.
"It was simply perfect," said Chilton. "The team gave me the car to do it. I had a tricky ten laps or so in the middle of the race when I got frustrated by traffic, but I know Ed experienced the same. I managed to take the lead again and the car was just great.
"I'd like to thank the team for all their work and once again this is dedicated to Jules as I know he would have driven the perfect race.
"I probably thought of Jules every five or ten laps," he later admitted, the former F1 teammates having known one another since they raced in karts aged ten.
"It's been a difficult nine months, to be brutally honest with you,'' he added. "I've learned a lot from him, and he was part of that win. He was a driver destined to probably be a world champion."
Ahead of the race, having taken pole, taking to Twitter, where he posted the accompanying picture, Chilton wrote: "Pedal didn't lift from pit exit to pit entry for you buddy! There was stuff you taught me which was in that lap."