F1 & IndyCar Are Not Enemies
F1 and IndyCar can help each other, here's how...
For many years open wheel racing in the USA was and to some degree still is classed as inferior to Formula 1. For many years that may have been the case with the whole IndyCar and CART/Champ Car mess diluting the talent pool and dividing the enormous fan base it had. This mess caused much damage to all aspects of US open wheel racing. However, since the merging of these series in 2008 the series into the IndyCar we know today, there has been a steady recovery both in the US and around the world. The recovery can be seen everywhere from sponsor involvement, full time team and driver entry numbers, increased crowds, increased TV audience and driver talent. In the past IndyCar and F1 almost viewed each other as enemies, but now both series have learnt that there is room for both. Here we’ll take a look at some key areas where F1 and IndyCar can help each other going forwards.
DRIVER DEVELOPMENT
Driver DevelopmentWith IndyCar on the rise in all aspects it is once again becoming a desired destination for drivers around the world. This is clear in the the eld of drivers this year as it is one of the most diverse ever. This is also ltering down through to the lower ranks on the Road To Indy as more and more international drivers are entering each year. This path to IndyCar also has a great track record as many of the current drivers have come through the Road To Indy system. With such strong talent owing through to the IndyCar series it is constantly evolving and moving forwards.
In Formula 1 there is far less driver movement which means not as many opportunities for young drivers to come through. Whilst F1 has its own ladder system it does not provide prize money to the champions to progress to the next stage like the Road To Indy. In fact it almost punishes good results as the F2 champion cannot remain in the series. As there isn’t always an open seat in F1 it means that this driver has seemingly few options available to them. This is why it seems ba ing to me that more of these drivers and the driver programs they are usually part of aren’t considering IndyCar as an option. Some end up in other forms of racing like the DTM series, but the skills required to drive “tin-top” cars are not as relevant as IndyCar.
In the future it would be great to see some of F1's reserve drivers and F2s top performers move to IndyCar whilst waiting for an F1 opportunity. If this were to happen it would be to no one's detriment at all. IndyCar would bene t through the increased interest in the series having some top European talent involved. Drivers would bene t as they would have an opportunity to keep their skills sharp in a top-level single-seater. The fans would also bene t as they will nally have the age-old question of “Is the US talent as good as F1?” answered. Also, another point is that travel between Europe and the USA isn’t too hard so these drivers won’t have to take themselves away from their lives in Europe. Romain Grosjean and Max Chilton are two current examples of this.
SHARING IDEAS FOR VEHICLE DEVELOPMENT
For quite a few years IndyCar has understood that its place in the future is as entertainment, and so far it is delivering a great product. F1 has done a fantastic job at clinging to its roots of technological innovation but with more and more push towards alternative power sources, it will need to choose what path it wants to take for the future. There is de nitely an opportunity for F1 to remain as a series of technical innovation, and its choices over the next few years will be pivotal in making sure this is the case. There is an announcement coming from F1 about the future in the next day or so. It will be very interesting to see what they share in this announcement.
IndyCar, including its various incarnations, beat F1 to many di erent advancements. These include driver-controlled overtaking aids, high-degradation tyres, bioethanol fuels (used since the late-2000s), safety advancements such as SAFER barriers, and full course yellows. F1’s new regulations for the 2022 car will also sound very familiar to IndyCar fans, as these are similar to what IndyCar adopted three years ago. Innovations also go the other way too as IndyCar adopted the aero-screen, which was Red Bull Advanced Technologies answer to cockpit head protection in F1.
With all this in mind and F1 fans wish for closer racing it seems that both of these series would bene t from a more collaborative approach to the development of the vehicles in each series. It seems we have reached a point where both series no longer see each other as a threat. These series have many commonalities which could bene t from a collaborative approach to vehicle development. If more teams followed McLaren’s path by competing in IndyCar then this would go towards making that happen.
EXPOSURE TO MORE FANS
Both of these series reach millions around the world. Due to the global nature of F1, it currently has both a wider appeal and larger audience than IndyCar. IndyCar at the moment is quite content with where it is at, as most of the money behind it comes from US-based companies. That hasn’t stopped them trying as in the past IndyCar has ventured to a handful of locations outside North America. The most notable of these being its annual trip to the Surfers Paradise Street Circuit in Australia from 1991-2008. This focus on North America makes sense but has meant the majority of its audience is mainly limited to North America.
On the ip side, North America is a market that F1 has struggled to gain a strong foothold in. It's not through a lack of trying either as the US has held a total of 70 F1 races at a wide variety of venues. These range from the iconic Laguna Seca and Watkins Glen to places such as the Caesars Palace car park. The USA trails only Italy (101 races), Germany (79 races), and the UK (75 races) in the number of races held. If more crossover of drivers was allowed, or if F1 reserve drivers were sent to IndyCar to keep their skills sharp then this would surely generate more interest in F1 in the USA. Fans of motorsport are always interested in a driver's story, or their path to get here. With more people crossing over from F1 or F1 reserve driver roles then it may prompt more Americans to consider checking out F1.
EXPANDING F1 IN THE US WITH JOINT RACE WEEKENDS
For many many years, F1 and IndyCar did not even utilise the same venues. This was until just a few years ago when IndyCar staged its event at COTA in Texas, the track that stages the US F1 Grand Prix annually. F1 has also made no secret of wanting more US races in the future, and they seem to be making progress towards this with Miami coming to the calendar in 2022. With this big hurdle now cleared the next logical step would be to have IndyCar on the support package at races in North America.
Whilst F1 has the power and the pull to hold its own events it may be worth considering partnering with IndyCar for future events in North America. Whilst F1's asking price for an event is huge, the potential exposure on o er is priceless. With a proportionally smaller audience in the US, teaming up with IndyCar for some US events may help make them an even more attractive proposition for some regions of the country. Another point is that F1 and IndyCar have deals with di erent TV networks, so this would massively increase domestic exposure for the region the event takes place in. F1 only races on FIA Grade 1 facilities and with a lack of these in the USA, an entirely new event would need to be created. Whilst this is a huge undertaking, the excitement of this happening in a new location would give it even more of a boost in interest.
Both F1 and IndyCar have a history of teaming up with local categories. F1 regularly teams up with the Porsche Supercup in Europe and Supercars in Australia. Meanwhile, IndyCar teamed up with the Supercars series on many of its adventures to Australia’s Gold Coast, so this is not a foreign idea to either series. The likelihood of this combined event happening may be a bit far-fetched, but hopefully one day it comes to fruition.
