Formula 1 Live Ticker: IndyCar drivers in Formula 1?

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That’s it for today! Thank you for your attention and have a nice Thursday evening, everyone.

Kevin Scheuren thanks you for your feedback, opinions, and questions, which you can submit at any time via Twitter, Instagram, or our contact form.

We’ll see you back here tomorrow, fresh as ever. Until then, here’s a video recommendation. Our data expert Kevin Hermann has asked whether Sebastian Vettel would beat Fernando Alonso in the team duel at Aston Martin. More on that tomorrow.

Take care! 🙂

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Thanks to Barbara, who brought up a very important topic: the Super License.

As is well known, you need 40 Super License points for Formula 1, but these expire after three seasons. A driver therefore has exactly this time to reach the required total. This is achieved through performance in the respective racing series. However, additional Super License points can also be collected in Formula 1 through free practice sessions. The driver must then complete at least 100 kilometers and remain without penalty. This earns one point.

Barbara’s personal point, however, was that the Super License points earned through IndyCar might need to be upgraded to enable drivers like Colton Herta to get a Super License. In fact, of all the series that award Super License points, the IndyCar series is now in second place, directly behind Formula 2.

For IndyCar, the champion gets 40 points, the second-place driver 30, and the third-place driver 20 points. In Formula 2, the top three drivers all get 40 points and are eligible for promotion. In Formula 3 and Formula E, there are 30, 25, and 20 points respectively.

From this perspective, the IndyCar series is doing quite well, and the champion could also enter Formula 1 within three years, if a team is found!

In the American linguistic area, the term “Dark Horse” is used when someone is given outsider chances to achieve something special. We’ll do the same now with IndyCar drivers who could theoretically also make it into Formula 1.

Kyle Kirkwood: The winner of Long Beach impresses with outstanding talent. He was very successful in American junior series, winning, among others, the US Formula 4 Championship, the Formula Regional Americas Championship, the US F2000 National Championship, and Indy Lights. Kirkwood is a tough competitor in direct duels, and if he wins the IndyCar Championship this year, he will certainly be on Formula 1’s radar.

Callum Illot: Now you might ask why Callum Ilott is only listed among the outsiders, but unfortunately, luck has been somewhat against the Briton. First, Mick Schumacher was preferred over him in the Ferrari juniors, then the Italians opted for Robert Shwartzman as a reserve driver, and now Ilott is not even involved with Alfa Romeo anymore. Nevertheless, I see chances for him. He has developed splendidly in IndyCar, learned a lot, and that can only help him in Formula 1. The lack of factory support could be problematic, but he definitely has the talent.

Rinus VeeKay: A complete outsider, but yes, I would love to see Rinus van Kalmthout, known only as Rinus VeeKay, in Formula 1. VeeKay is talented, fast, and very entertaining. His spins during the Indy 500 intros are now legendary. As a Dutchman, he could also fit very well into the fans’ preferences. I like him, and with the right team behind him, I could imagine him developing well in Formula 1.

Do you have any other names on the list? Feel free to write them to me on Twitter, Instagram, or here via the contact form!

Today, McLaren presented its new Driver Development Program. Under the leadership of former Formula 1 driver and Le Mans winner Emanuele Pirro, there will be a broadly based youth development program.

McLaren CEO Zak Brown says: “McLaren has a long tradition of developing aspiring talents into top racing drivers, and I am proud that this will continue in the future. We have an experienced team here at McLaren, skillfully led by Emanuele, which is able to provide the necessary support and resources to develop young talents into competitive professional racing drivers.

With McLaren’s broad motorsport portfolio in Formula 1, IndyCar, and Formula E, we are well-positioned to nurture young talents from the beginning of their careers through to full-time racing or test and development roles. With Pato, Alex, and Ugo, we already have a number of exciting talents, and I look forward to continuing to support their development as we begin to build the McLaren Driver Development Program.”

Brown is referring to the aforementioned Pato O’Ward and Alex Palou from the IndyCar series, as well as Ugo Ugochukwu, a McLaren Young Driver who is competing in the Italian Formula 4 and the UAE Formula 4 Championship this year.

At the beginning of today’s ticker, I wrote that we would also look at potential candidates for a Formula 1 cockpit. The following names came to mind.

Colton Herta: Herta is considered a favorite of Andretti. Mario has held the 23-year-old in high regard for many years. Herta is fast, aggressive, but occasionally makes some mistakes. Last year, there were rumors that Red Bull had him in their sights for AlphaTauri, but nothing came of it due to a lack of Super License points. In general, I only rate his chances of a cockpit highly if Andretti were to enter Formula 1. But ties with McLaren are also close; Herta was allowed to test in Portimao last year.

Pato O’Ward: The Mexican is a protégé of Zak Brown at McLaren. O’Ward is young but has already gained extensive experience in motorsport. Among other things, he was active in the IMSA series, competed in three racing series simultaneously in 2019 (Super Formula in Japan, Formula 2, and IndyCar), and achieved his breakthrough in the IndyCar series in 2020 with fourth place in the overall standings. In 2021, he even finished third. O’Ward has an important man behind him in Brown, who could even help him into cockpits other than McLaren if O’Ward wants to make the move to Formula 1.

Alex Palou: The 2021 IndyCar champion is another promising talent for Formula 1. The Spaniard certainly has ambitions to race in the premier class, having already driven a Friday test for McLaren in Austin last year and performed so well that he was signed as a reserve driver for 2023. Palou is lightning fast, very consistent, and impresses with strong race intelligence. I would also trust him to make the move, as he is not averse to returning to Europe.

These are the names that have already been heard in the context of Formula 1. Soon there will be a few insider tips that may not be obviously on the list but certainly have potential.

Can it really be 20 years already? Yes! In our new photo gallery, we take a look at what the Formula 1 cars looked like in the 2003 season. There are some really cool things among them, aren’t there?

Photo Gallery: The Formula 1 Cars of the 2003 Season

Today’s #OnThisDay content is a bit sadder. On 20.04.2003, the San Marino Grand Prix took place in Imola. Michael Schumacher secured his 65th victory, but that was rather in the background on this day.

The day before, Michael and his brother Ralf had qualified on the front row. It seemed like it would be an absolute Schumacher spectacle. However, tragedy unfolded at home. Immediately after qualifying, both Schumachers flew to Cologne. Their mother Elisabeth was in a coma there. On Sunday night, the two racing drivers returned, and in the early hours of Sunday morning, their mother passed away at only 55 years old.

Both decided to compete in the Grand Prix. Michael won the race, Ralf finished only fourth after a difficult race. We remember this day today.

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But before we continue talking about potential IndyCar drivers, let’s talk about Günther Steiner.

The long-awaited book by the Haas team principal is available in stores today. It’s called “Surviving to Drive: An exhilarating account of a year inside Formula 1, from the breakout star of Netflix’s Drive to Survive” and you can order it directly via this SPONSORED LINK.

In this book, you can expect a diary-like account of the crazy 2022 Haas season, with the early departure of main sponsor Uralkali due to the Russian war of aggression, the separation from Nikita Mazepin, and why this was inevitable, and many more stories.

Of course, it also covers Mick Schumacher, whose accidents in Saudi Arabia and Monaco caused very high costs. It was inevitable that Steiner would also comment on this matter. My colleague Ruben Zimmermann has summarized this in a recent video:

Unfortunately, there were also drivers who couldn’t really transfer what they had from IndyCar to Formula 1.

Michael Andretti, for example. The son of Formula 1 world champion Mario Andretti came to Formula 1 in 1993 and had a difficult year at McLaren. The car was not good, there were several technical failures, and with Ayrton Senna, he had arguably the toughest teammate imaginable. To make matters worse, the next talent, Mika Häkkinen, was already knocking on the door. For Andretti, the best result was only a third place in Monza, which was, after all, the place where his father’s Formula 1 passion began in the stands. In 1994, Andretti returned to the USA; now he would like to try again in Formula 1 as a team principal, but that also looks rather bleak at the moment.

Another talent of his time was Sébastien Bourdais. The Frenchman, born in the motorsport stronghold of Le Mans, went to the USA after winning titles in French Formula 3 and Formula 3000. Between 2004 and 2007, he became series champion of the ChampCar series. In 2008, Red Bull finally called him to Formula 1. He was supposed to transfer his skills to Formula 1 at Toro Rosso, but he did not succeed. There was not much to see of his speed, consistency, and racecraft as there had been in the USA. The man with glasses under his helmet achieved seventh place in Belgium in 2008, which was his best result. In 2009, after the German Grand Prix, it was already over for him at Toro Rosso. He was replaced by Jaime Alguersuari because, according to Franz Tost, Bourdais “did not meet expectations.”

You see, it’s already difficult for IndyCar drivers, and since then there hasn’t been another serious attempt at a switch. But that could change soon, as there are some promising candidates who are also keen on Formula 1. We’ll talk about them later today!

Let’s start with the successful transitions from the IndyCar series to Formula 1.

First and foremost, Mario Andretti comes to mind. Born in Italy, he emigrated to America with his family and got into motorsport there. His passion for Formula 1 was always present, but he earned his stripes in IndyCar. He won the championship in 1965, ’66, and ’69, and the legendary Indy 500 in 1969. Then followed his move to Formula 1, where he started 128 races, won 12 of them, and became world champion in 1978.

Then it took quite a long time until the next successful IndyCar-to-Formula 1 story. Jacques Villeneuve won the Indy 500 in 1995 and became champion. In 1996, he moved to Formula 1 with Williams. Jacques’ father Gilles was a Formula 1 legend during his lifetime. The footsteps were big, but he was able to fill them. In 1997, he became world champion after a controversial finale against Michael Schumacher. Afterwards, his career in the premier class was sometimes curious, but no one can take away his world title.

I would also count Juan Pablo Montoya among the more successful transitions overall. The Colombian became champion in the USA in 1999 and won the Indy 500 in 2000. He came to Formula 1 with Williams with great expectations. His speed, aggression, and will to win distinguished him. His certain charisma also came directly with him to Williams. Montoya started 94 times in Formula 1 and collected seven victories; later he also drove for McLaren. He finished third in the championship in 2002 and 2003.

So, a move to Formula 1 can work. As I said, can…

As we will notice in the course of today’s ticker, the path from IndyCar to Formula 1 is somewhat rocky.

Conversely, however, it seems that Formula 1 drivers actually feel quite comfortable in IndyCar. Why could that be? Perhaps IndyCar cars are less complex for Formula 1 drivers? Driving without power steering certainly doesn’t bother some.

Romain Grosjean once described it this way on the Formula 1 podcast “Beyond the Grid”:

“IndyCar is more like a Formula 2 car, I would say it’s simpler, but less aerodynamically sensitive.” He further said, “you can also set up the car to your own liking by adjusting the roll bars, roll centers, dampers, springs, etc., which is great.”

And something else that distinguishes it from Formula 1 is the tactical approach, which is somewhat simpler in IndyCar:

“There’s no management. No tire management, not so much fuel. Sometimes we try a different strategy, but it’s just an absolute sprint race. In that regard, it’s very different, but very physical and very entertaining.”

In our photo gallery, we have summarized some of the most successful Formula 1-IndyCar starters.

Photo Gallery: Top 10: Formula 1 Transfers to the IndyCar Series

Yesterday, I clicked around a bit in various forums and groups and came across a topic for this morning.

IndyCar currently delivers really good action on its race weekends. There are several drivers who are qualitatively really good, fast, and consistent. In my small fan research, there was also eager discussion about why IndyCar drivers wouldn’t come to Formula 1.

Let’s talk today about a few candidates of the present and future, but also look back at some drivers who tried and were more or less successful! We can also talk a bit about why it might not even be desirable for some IndyCar drivers to make the move to Formula 1.

Good morning, dear Formula 1 fans,

The Formula 1 live ticker opens its doors and Kevin Scheuren warmly welcomes you.

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