Asked if he felt sorry for Daniil Kvyat, who was demoted from Red Bull Racing to Scuderia Toro Rosso at the Spanish Grand Prix earlier this month, Aleshin told Motorsport.com: “Definitely, yes. I know him well, from when he started racing, and I wasn’t very pleased with what happened with him.

“But on the other hand, he is still in F1. Sometimes things with Red Bull are different and you can just be out of the program completely. There are a lot of political things going on there in the teams and it’s pretty obvious to everybody.

“So I’m not surprised what happened, but I’m not happy about it, because I think that Daniil is a good driver and he can show some good skills.”

Not longing for Formula 1

Aleshin, who beat current Red Bull star Daniel Ricciardo to the Formula Renault 3.5 title in 2010, said: “Everyone has his own way, and Ricciardo was a bit more lucky to get to F1, but at the same time, looking at what’s happening there now compared with what I have here, I would not change.”

The Russian, who scored a second place at Houston in his rookie year of 2014, said the satisfaction of racing wheel-to-wheel and his happiness on ovals are what endeared him most to the Verizon IndyCar Series since he first tested for Schmidt Peterson Motorsport at Sebring in 2013.

“I remember my first test was for them to see how I worked and for me to see how they work and how the car is,” recalled Aleshin, “and the test went very well. They said I was fast, and after that we started working on the contract.

“At this point I didn’t even know if I’d be good on ovals, or if I would like racing ovals. I’d never tried them. It’s funny that we signed the contract first and then I tried the oval!

“But I think the racing is more pure here. The cars are closer; you have much more possibility of being at the top. Also, you can be much more aggressive here compared to what you’re allowed in Europe. In Europe I was always in trouble with the stewards, too aggressive. But in just a few laps of my first race here, I realized I’m like a kitten, when you see how the other guys fight on the track!

“So I liked that – and I love racing ovals.”

Another mixed-up race at Indy

Aleshin predicts this year’s Indy 500 will again feature multiple order changes but with fewer caused by drafting and more down to tire degradation.

Comparing his experience at Indianapolis Motor Speedway so far this year, with his only previous Indy 500 two years ago, Aleshin said there was a very noticeable difference in the behavior of the tires.

He said: “I’m not sure if it’s because of the aerokits and how the cars work in the draft, or if maybe the tire compound has changed a bit. But I think there is definitely more tire degradation.

“That’s the big difference from 2014; the car is definitely harder to drive, and it moves a lot more.”