As a five-time IndyCar Series champ, Scott Dixon has little to prove these days. But, nevertheless, most that have followed his career remain curious as to how well he would have gone had he taken on the competitive world of Formula 1.
Dixon did have one taste of the world's most illustrious series, in the form of a two tests with Williams in 2004. As we all know Formula 1 is a cut-throat game, and the team instead went with Mark Webber and Nick Heidfeld for the following season.
Formula 1's own journalist and broadcaster Will Buxton recently ranked his 20 best drivers to have never graced the F1 grid. Atop the list was Le Mans legend Tom Kristensen, followed by another IndyCar legend in Dario Franchitti, NASCAR royalty Jeff Gordon (who was offered a deal to run with BAR Honda in the late '90s), and the most successful driver in World Rally Championship history; Sebastian Loeb.
And in fifth was Dixon.
"One of the most versatile and consistently competitive drivers of his generation, Scott Dixon is a great lost talent of modern F1," said Buxton.
"As a five-time IndyCar champion, it isn’t just his raw pace that has marked him out as the target man of the championship, it’s the fact he’s a threat no matter what he’s up against.
"He’ll drive just about anything, too: A multiple champion at Daytona, he’ll just as happily tackle Le Mans as the Indy 500. And he’s respected by everyone who ever sat in a race car."
Other notable names include Valentino Rossi, the late Greg Moore and Colin McRae, and former Supercars driver Simona de Silvestro.
Dixon wasn't the only face from the colonies to make the list, either. Buxton also tipped his hat Red Bull Holden Racing Team driver Jamie Whincup; likening his seven championships in Supercars to the success of Michael Schumacher.
"He's Australian Supercars' Michael Schumacher, [...] the thought of Whincup in Formula 1 gets the blood pumping," he said, ranking Whincup 19th.
"Fast, consistent and dependable, Whincup has only finished outside the top-three in the championship once since 2007. Even at 37, retirement supposedly looming, he's winning races and has a contract through 2021.
"The mind boggles at what Whincup, who started in single-seaters, might have achieved in open-wheel racing."