Formula One and Indycar are strange bedfellows as the premier single seater racing series in North America eyes the competition across the pond. Whilst the F1 is now a truly global sport with 1.6 billion eyeballs annually, Indycar has struggled in recent years.
Yet the future appears positive for the spec car North American series given the TV audience has grown 344,000 viewers per race since 2018, a rise of 37%. Yet with an annual TV audience of just over 16 million, the sport is clearly dominated by its European based rival.
Yet race attendance last year increased by 20% and with merchandise sales are up 89 percent since 2021, together with 20 new brands have been added as partners, corporate sponsorship has now increased 40 percent since the pandemic.
Palou learns trade in Europe
Yet the allure of single seater racing remains to be in F1, regarded by many as the pinnacle of motorsport. Indycar’s latest star, Alex Palou, who is already considered along with the greats having won three of the last four drivers’ titles since his debut in 2020, in fact began life in European racing.
The Spaniard made his way through the traditional karting series and into the FIA GP3 series for 2015/16, yet he was never considered one of the elite drivers good enough to race in F1. Palou’s best results came in Japan when he came third in the Japanese Formula series which he followed up two years later by again coming third in their Super Formula series.
Palou’s talent attracted the attention of McLaren who attempted to prise him from his Chip Ganassi Racing (CGR)home for the Indycar Arrow McLaren team. The Spaniard was McLaren’s F1 reserve drive in 2023, but following a lengthy legal dispute with GGR, McLaren dropped Palou for last season instead favouring Mexican Indycar star, Pato O’ward.
O’ward is a talent of almost Palou’s equal. For two seasons in a row he just failed to win the blue ribband event of the Indy500 held annually at the iconic Indiana International Speedway. Each time he was leading into the last lap, but was passed by Joseph Newgarden.
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O’ward was too a product of junior racing in Europe, having competed in Renault 1.6 NEC, Formula 2000 and the French F4 championship. Yet his big break came like Palou’s in North America, when he won the the Weathertech American sports car championship together with the North America cup of endurance in 2017.
Having been signed by Indylights (feeder series to Indycar) team, Pato O’ward went on to claim the championship in his second year with the Andretti Racing organisation. Now with 89 Indycar starts under his belt, O’ward is the sport’s biggest attraction with him having to open several merchandise outlets at each race weekend to satisfy the demand for his products.
Yet McLaren aer not considered a top ten yet in Indycar, ranking fourth last year behind Ganassi, Andretti and Penske. O’Ward’s results to date would be better were he in one of the other front running outfits, but his loyalty to McLaren so far has been admirable.
Most Indycar drivers would jump at the opportunity to compete in F1 and the most likely candidates from the current crop of drivers would be Palou and O’ward. Alpine’s new team boss Oliver Oakes worked with Palou back in 2018, when his F3 European Hitech team employed the Spaniard, who came seventh in the drivers’ title race the year Mick Schumacher came out on top.
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Oakes believes Palou will “be quick [in F1]”
Speaking to Beyond the Grid podcast, Oakes reveals his opinion of Palou sating, “he’d be quick [in F1], yeah. Was he three-time IndyCar champion? I think he’d be very good, yeah,” he added.
Oakes had a single seater racing varied himself before hanging up his gloves to start Hitech in 2015 and he admitted he was “very close to going over to Indy Lights in the US” and admitted failing to do so was “a big regret”. Oakes and Hitech made a bid to be the eleventh F1 team at the time of the Andretti application and are believed to have received a secret settlement from the FIA for their less than impartial view of the process.
Having almost joined the North American racing series, Oakes admits, “Obviously I follow a lot of IndyCar stuff now. Some drivers who’ve been in my team, Palou and [Marcus] Armstrong, who are over there now racing, and [Marcus] Ericsson’s a good mate of mine as well,” he concluded.
Oakes and Alpine have a growing roster of junior talent and have promo0ted alongside Pierre Gasly this year the young Australian Jack Doohan. Yet Doohan was announced before Oakes took control of the team following the summer break, and rumours abound he would not have made the same decision over the Australian driver.
Doohan on borrowed time
Paul Aron has also signed to the French owned companies books after a race winning rookie season in F2 last year with Oakes Hitech team. Yet the big news last week was the announcement that Alpine have done a deal reported to be $10m, to acquire the superstar youngster that is Franco Colapinto for now as a reserve driver.
Multiple sources in F1 have reported Doohan has just a four or five race contract to prove himself and now with Colapinto standing by the pressure is on. Whether Oakes could ever persuade an Indycar driver of the calibre of Palou to join his F1 team though, is another question entirely.
In an attempt to be more efficient with their resources, Renault have decided to ditch making their own F1 powertrains ad from next year a Mercedes will be in the back of the Alpine. The team’s goal is to join those at the front of the F1 grid, although its been 20 years since the Grove based team won their last titles with Fernando Alonso.
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As the long winter months drag on and on, there is frenzied activity back at the teams’ HQ’s as the 2025 Formula One racing prototypes are readied for testing in the desert of the middle east. This time last year, the teams for the first time in F1 history had retained their lineups from the final race of the previous season but for 2025 its all change.
Six new full time drivers will take to the grid in Melbourne for the first time with Liam Lawson given the toughest task of all in becoming Max Verstappen’s team mate. Last year two drivers were sacked mid-season with Daniel Ricciardo finishing his F1 career in less than style and Logan Sargeant being unceremoniously dumped by James Vowles on the eve of the Italian Grand Prix in Monza.
Of the six new drivers, Liam Lawson has the most experience having completed eleven Grand Prix for V-CARB in 2023/24. There was a certain amount of surprise from senior paddock observers when the Red Bull post season enclave in Milton Keynes sent up the white smoke. Liam Lawson not Yuki Tsunoda was the preferred option to challenge Verstappen and the New Zealander has already been publicly tasked with his performance targets…. READ MORE
The Judge, a nom de plume of an experienced F1 journalist and site founder with long-standing sources across the paddock. With over 30 years of experience in Formula 1 as an insider journalist, I have built trusted connections across the paddock, from race engineers and mechanics to senior team figures. At The Judge 13, I and a handful of trusted colleagues share exclusive Formula 1 news, expert analysis and behind-the-scenes stories you will not find in mainstream motorsport media.
Maybe IndyCar would be received better if media members such as yourself could at least get the name of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway correct. This track was here long before F1. Maybe an attitude that doesn’t find ways to quietly slight IndyCar would help their international image. Just a little food for thought.