F1 cars (past and present) vs Indy cars. | FerrariChat
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F1 cars (past and present) vs Indy cars.

Discussion in 'F1' started by johnireland, Oct 11, 2025 at 1:59 PM.

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  1. johnireland

    johnireland F1 Veteran
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    #1 johnireland, Oct 11, 2025 at 1:59 PM
    There are several YouTube videos on this...and in the ones I have seen recently, I'm surprised at how much better the Indy cars are than I expected. Here are some samples for your reactions.

    The MOST POWERFUL F1 CAR in History VS INDYCAR On The INDIANAPOLIS OVAL

    Can an INDYCAR OVAL beat a Current F1 CAR at Monza Combined ?

    Oval INDYCAR vs F1 At Le Mans WITHOUT CHICANES

    NASCAR Fan Reacts to F1 VS IndyCar Direct Lap Comparison At CoTA

    F1 vs IndyCar | Max Verstappen vs Álex Palou | Indianapolis Motor Speedway Road Course - 2025 Season

    I'm sure a lot of this is computer generated, but it still can be made from real data. The last one showing Max vs Alex Palou is the best...though the Monza one is very interesting.
     
  2. jgonzalesm6

    jgonzalesm6 Two Time F1 World Champ
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    #2 jgonzalesm6, Oct 11, 2025 at 2:33 PM
    Depends on the era. At one time not too long ago, F1 spent anywhere from $400 million to $450 million(depending on the team) per year on their cars and upgrades.

    An IndyCar team spends less than $20 million per year.

    It's literally apples vs oranges.
     
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  3. johnireland

    johnireland F1 Veteran
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    #3 johnireland, Oct 11, 2025 at 5:10 PM
    All that matters is who is in front at the finish line. Depending on the track, F1 is hot and on it from lap one...Indy cars can take two or more laps to get up to top speed.
     
  4. jgonzalesm6

    jgonzalesm6 Two Time F1 World Champ
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    #4 jgonzalesm6, Oct 11, 2025 at 5:30 PM
    F1 is hot from lap 1 to probably lap 8, then it becomes a tire management issue (track dependent) and hopefully it goes smoothly from there unless there's a Red Flag, Yellow Flag, or a SC. You gotta have a backup tire compound for those inconsistencies.

    The corners is where F1 excels, more so than IndyCar because of the batteries coexisting with the suspension geometry and tire compound(F1 tires take more than a ton of lateral and centrifugal load happening at the same time). Then you have DRS for the DRS zones.


    Wait till 2026, when F1 cars have active aero on the front wings and rear wings and floor extends a little more outward from the rear wheels which gives more downforce loading. So many aero bits on an F1 car....its crazy.
     
  5. william

    william Two Time F1 World Champ

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    #5 william, Oct 11, 2025 at 6:24 PM
    F1 teams design and build their own new cars every year.
    Then, they constantly develop them during the season, and travel to 24 different locations all over the world.

    Indycar teams buy turn-key specs car from Dallara, and aren't allowed to develop them.
    The same design can last several years. The teams travel to 17 events in the US only .

    The engineering, operating and logistic costs are on different scales,
     
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  6. 375+

    375+ F1 World Champ
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    #6 375+, Oct 11, 2025 at 7:47 PM
    And really what is the purpose?

    Somewhere in between might work?
     
  7. GuyIncognito

    GuyIncognito Ten Time F1 World Champ
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    #7 GuyIncognito, Oct 11, 2025 at 8:49 PM
    pole qualifying times from COTA, the only track F1, WEC, Indy and NASCAR have all raced on in recent(ish) times:

    F1: 1:32.029, Valteri Bottas, Mercedes W10, 2019
    LMP1: 1:44.741, Neel Jani, Porsche 919, 2017
    Indycar: 1:46.017, Will Power, Dallara DW12/Chevy, 2019
    Hypercar: 1:57.655, Robert Kubica, Ferrari 499P, 2025
    Nascar: 2:09.636, William Byron, Chevy, 2024

    I'm a big IndyCar fan, but the cars aren't even close. and NASCAR...lol.
     
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  8. johnireland

    johnireland F1 Veteran
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    #8 johnireland, Oct 12, 2025 at 1:04 AM
    I'm just looking at the videos and saying that I'm surprised Indy cars do so well in these demonstrations...whether real or simulated based on data. Basically, as pointed out, Indy car is spec car racing with only two engine options. F1 is going to end up the same way through its own path of bad management and overcomplicated technology. Bottom line, I'm just not as impressed with today's cars, drivers, and races, as I was in the past. In all honesty, the think the modern safety features have hurt the quality of the sport and of the drivers. The risk of death and serious injury put the sport of auto racing on a different...on a highter level. Now, making a mistake costs you some free practice time and/or it cost the team money to rebuild the car. But hey, its just money. There is no more real 10/10ths racing...flat out, yes, but not 10/10ths. The history of auto racing, going back to the early 1900s, was about how much did you really love speed, how much were you willing to risk to be the fastest one on the track. I don't think there is a driver on the F1 grid today, with the exception of Alonzo, who has the real balls of a race driver.
     

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