Chilton: 'Dixon could give anyone in F1 a run for their money'

Former Marussia driver Max Chilton says four-time IndyCar champion and Indy 500 winner Scott Dixon is a perfect example of a great talent overlooked by F1.

Last week, Haas boss Guenther Steiner said the US outfit would like nothing more than to include an American driver in its line-up, but that no one currently fits the bill.

The comments sparked a massive storm on the other side of the Atlantic with several prominent members of the IndyCar community ripping Steiner apart.

Among them, motorsport legend Mario Andretti reacted vehemently on Twitter, saying the Austrian team manager's attitude  was 'wrong and arrogant'.

Max Chilton, who raced with the now defunct Marussia team in 2013 and 2014 before heading east to the US in search of greener pastures, believes the problem stems from Europe and from F1's very narrow mentality.

• Andretti joins attack on 'wrong and arrogant' Steiner

"F1 personnel are quite single-minded in the way they look for their drivers," Chilton told ESPN.

"They either already have to be on their way up to Formula 1 or already be on their team programme or something.

"They rarely look at other drivers away from who's racing in Europe. That's wrong, I don't think there's [another] reason why they don't [look to IndyCar]."

One great talent which Chilton believes has been overlooked by F1 is his former Ganassi team mate Scott Dixon. While he's not American, the Kiwi and 2008 Indy 500 winner would have certainly fitted the bill according to the Brit.

"Scott Dixon, who was my teammate last year, I think he's one of the best drivers in the world and he could give anyone a run for their money in a Formula One car -- but no one has ever given him a look-in, like when there was a seat going at Mercedes," says Chilton.

"It needs a culture change for them to look at IndyCar drivers as a possibility.

"And I hope there is because there are world-class drivers that are being wasted and could be doing even bigger things in the public eye in Formula One and doing better than some of the people already there."

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