By alley - Feb 1, 2017, 9:43 AM ET

Aleshin returns with Schmidt

Mikhail Aleshin will return to Schmidt Peterson Motorsport for the 2017 IndyCar season, the team has confirmed.

The Russian had been widely expected to retain his seat alongside James Hinchcliffe, but that was

thrown into doubt

when sponsorship problems arose during the winter. With those apparently having been resolved, the 29-year-old is ready to take his place in the No.7 Honda.

"Thanks to both the SMP Racing program and our American team, Schmidt Peterson Motorsports, I am to keep fighting for even better results this season in IndyCar," Aleshin said in a team release. "With the Russian flag on my car, and with James (Hinchcliffe) and the Schmidt Peterson Motorsports crew, I will push hard to bring more poles and hopefully victories in 2017."

Team owner Sam Schmidt said that the return of Aleshin is a boost for SPM from both a performance and continuity standpoint.

"We are thrilled to have Mikhail back for 2017," Schmidt Peterson Motorsports co-owner Sam Schmidt stated. "We know he is capable of winning races and competing for the Championship. This also means we have maintained continuity across drivers, engineering and team member staffing which is critical for success."

"It goes without saying that we are all so happy to have Mikhail back with Schmidt Peterson Motorsports for the 2017 season," agreed team co-owner Ric Peterson. "I have no doubt in my mind that he will find much success this year, and I can't wait to watch this team continue seeing their hard work translating into great results."

Aleshin and Hinchcliffe are scheduled to return to the track for a private test at Sonoma on February 7, after which they will move on to Phoenix for the first series test on February 10-11.