Strategy

F1 vs IndyCar: what's the difference?

Answer

F1 and IndyCar are both top single-seater series, but they differ sharply. IndyCars reach a higher top speed on oval tracks, around 240 miles per hour, while an F1 car is far faster around a road course thanks to its downforce. F1 teams design their own cars under huge budgets; IndyCar uses a shared chassis to keep costs down and the racing close. IndyCar allows refuelling and races on ovals; F1 does neither.

Formula 1 and IndyCar are the two biggest single-seater series in the world, but they are built on opposite ideas. In F1 every team designs and builds its own car around a hybrid power unit and spends close to the budget cap; IndyCar is largely a spec series where everyone runs the same Dallara chassis to keep the racing tight and costs down. IndyCar reaches a higher top speed on its ovals and still refuels during a race, while an F1 car is far faster around a road or street circuit and has not refuelled since 2010.^[1]^[2]^[4]

F1 vs IndyCar at a glance

	Formula 1	IndyCar
Car	Each team designs and builds its own	Spec Dallara chassis, the same for everyone
Engine	Team-designed hybrid power unit	Honda or Chevrolet, spec formula
Fastest on	Road and street circuits	Oval superspeedways (around 235 to 240 mph)
Tracks	Road and street only, never ovals	Ovals, road courses and street circuits
Refuelling	Banned since 2010	Allowed during pit stops
Budget	Near the cost cap, very high	Far lower, controlled by the spec

Which is faster?

It depends on the track. On the big oval superspeedways an IndyCar is the faster machine in a straight line, lapping at around 235 to 240 miles per hour.^[1] But on a road or street circuit the F1 car is in a different class: when both series visited the Circuit of the Americas, the F1 pole lap was roughly fourteen seconds a lap quicker, all of it found in downforce, braking and cornering.^[1]

The cars

The biggest difference is philosophy. F1 is a constructors' championship, where each team designs and builds its own car around a hybrid power unit, with vast budgets reined in by the cost cap.^[3] IndyCar is largely a spec series, where every team runs the same Dallara chassis with a choice of Honda or Chevrolet engines, which keeps costs far lower and the racing closer and harder to predict.^[2]

The tracks and refuelling

IndyCar races on a mix of ovals, road courses and street circuits, with the Indianapolis 500 its crown jewel, while F1 races worldwide on road and street circuits only, never ovals.^[2] The two also differ on fuel: IndyCar cars refuel during pit stops, whereas F1 banned in-race refuelling in 2010 on cost and safety grounds.^[4]

Drivers who did both

A few greats have conquered both worlds. Nigel Mansell won the F1 title in 1992 and the IndyCar title in 1993, the only driver to hold both at the same time.^[5] Juan Pablo Montoya and Jacques Villeneuve also won on both sides of the divide, and Fernando Alonso has chased motorsport's Triple Crown, the Indianapolis 500, the Le Mans 24 Hours and the Monaco Grand Prix, a feat only Graham Hill has ever completed.^[5]