So stupid question

SpeedPagan

SpeedPagan

The iRacing Guru
Joined
Sep 29, 2009
Messages
19,354
Points
1,033
So I have a stupid question, but what is the difference between Formula 1 and IndyCar?
 
Lots of people all over the world watch F-1 -------------- Its the pinnacle of auto racing
Indy car has a very small audience from what I can tell
 
SpeedPagan said:
So I have a stupid question, but what is the difference between Formula 1 and IndyCar?
Click to expand...
Very simple question, complicated answer.

Without getting into the technical/economic differences between the two series:

F1 is an international sport with races around the world.
IndyCar is mostly American. In the past, they've had quite a few international events, but this upcoming year, a single race in Canada is their only non-American event.

F1 races on road courses only.
IndyCar races on ovals as well as road courses.

Technologically, the cars are very different, although they may look similar to a layman.
 
It's easy to see why the two might be hard to distinguish from each other; actually, not too long ago, it was possible to bring a modified F1 car to the Indy 500, and even win (see Jim Clark). Here's a good introduction, from another mostly NASCAR related site:

"Formula One and IZOD IndyCar series have one main thing in common: open-wheel automobiles that might look similar to those who do not follow racing closely. But from the auto itself, to the circuits they race on, the differences are vast."

Oh yeah, and raise your hand if you've never fallen asleep watching a moonshine delivery contest.
That's what I thought.
Ir1YRAy.jpg
 
SuperTex14 said:
It's easy to see why the two might be hard to distinguish from each other; actually, not too long ago, it was possible to bring a modified F1 car to the Indy 500, and even win (see Jim Clark). Here's a good introduction, from another mostly NASCAR related site:

"Formula One and IZOD IndyCar series have one main thing in common: open-wheel automobiles that might look similar to those who do not follow racing closely. But from the auto itself, to the circuits they race on, the differences are vast."

Oh yeah, and raise your hand if you've never fallen asleep watching a moonshine delivery contest.
That's what I thought.
Ir1YRAy.jpg
Click to expand...


LOL! Guilty.... Loved the chart btw.
 
Just for reference, qualifying lap times at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve in Montreal provides a good example of speed differences since a lot of series race there under the same configuration.

Typical Top Qualifying Lap Times
Modern F1 = 1:13
Early 2000s CART = 1:19
2012 Nationwide = 1:40
Modern Indy = ?? Probably low 1:20s
 
F1, good first corner then follow the leader - from a distance - and wait for the announcer to scream when a car gets within 20 feet of another car.

Indy, good racing but plan on getting very drunk if you take a drink each and every time you hear 'Marco'
 
F1 races are scheduled for 2 hours so cautions can affect the number of laps completed. Indycar races are scheduled for a number of laps so Indycar races can go long like NASCAR.

The F1 chassis is built by the team and Indycar chassis' are purchased form a vender.

F1 teams tend to have unlimited budgets which supports state of the art R&D in spite of rules the sanctioning body imposes (although several F1 teams can no longer find the money to support old spending habits). Indycar does less R&D and purchases more parts from outside companies than F1.

F1 cars are quicker, faster braking, faster acceleration, better cornering. Indy cars are faster, higher top speed and maintain high speed longer. For example, Indycars can run 500 miles at speed, F1 runs much shorter distances but stress the engine more.

Both F1 and Indycar must run the same engine for more than one race (I'm not sure how many). If they change the engine they must start further back in the starting grid.
 
A few more things...

F1 doesn't refuel during the race. For 2014, they are limited to a maximum of 100kg at race start.
For 2014, F1 limits a maximum of 5 engine changes or major power component changes during the season.
For 2014, F1 is utilizing both kinetic and heat energy recovery systems that can add up to ~160 additional hp.
 
Why does F1 and IndyCar both limit how many engines you can use in a season?
 
SpeedPagan said:
Why does F1 and IndyCar both limit how many engines you can use in a season?
Click to expand...

Money... For F1, it's not because of the cost to replace the engines, but because if they allowed teams to bring a new engine to each race, the R&D costs would skyrocket as each team continued to find more hp after each race. Now, since they can only use 5 engines, that ability to experiment decreases significantly.
 
shark77 said:
Money... For F1, it's not because of the cost to replace the engines, but because if they allowed teams to bring a new engine to each race, the R&D costs would skyrocket as each team continued to find more hp after each race. Now, since they can only use 5 engines, that ability to experiment decreases significantly.
Click to expand...

F1 engines cost well over $300,000 each. Running them in multiple races saves money, and was made possible by throttling them back by rule.

The engine spec was locked to control R&D costs for new designs.
 
Replacing 2 $300,000 engines after each race is peanuts compared to what some of the rumored engine budgets were in the past. In the early 2000s, Ferrari reportedly had an engine budget of nearly $500 million each season almost all of it going to R&D.
 
The difference between the two is that they are two different circuits. Like NASCAR vesus Drag Racing. Motorcycle versus KoCart. The cars are similar, but they race in different parts of the world. Formula 1 travels more around the world. Whereas Indycar races more in the US. Although they have raced in a few other countries like Japan and Brazil. And as someone else said, Formula 1 is probably the pinnacle of all racing.
 
I'm trying to learn a little bit more about F1. Do any of you have a good website you use to read and talk about F1?

Thanks.
 
I've only really ever been a casual fan of F1, sprint cars, IRL, sports car racing, etc......I think it would be impossible to follow all the series as closely as I do NASCAR. But I'm American, what can I say. But I really miss the SPEED Channel and Dave DeSpain's show - that would be a very easy way to stay on top of the entire world of motorsports. That was a real shame.

The question of why Indy Cars and F1 cars look similar is an interesting question......technically the "Indy" cars in the U.S. date back further than F1 since the Indy 500 has been run since what, 1908 or something.....F1 started after WWII. But of course, Indy cars in the 20s, 30, 40s don't resemble the style we are familiar with today.

They're purpose-built race cars designed to go as fast as possible, but these two series must have shared technologies from each other? I don't know the history.
 
Gran Prix racing was going on in Europe in the 20s & 30s, F1 came from those roots. I remember reading about the rear engined Cooper from Europe changing everything at Indy in the early 60s. It was the CanAm Chaparral road race cars in the 60s that introduced wings two year before F1 added them. Somewhere along the line F1 got crazy expensive and somehow they've managed so spend large fortunes on racing for a long time.

I don't know all the differences, I'm a casual F1 fan. I think the biggest differences between F1 and Indycar is that F1 are quicker (better handling, acceleration) and have more exodic technology. Indycars evolved from oval racing, I think they have a higher top speed (but F1 never get a chance to run a long straight) and run longer distances (I doubt an F1 car could make it 500 miles).
 
AndyMarquisLive said:
One is an elite racing series with the best open wheel racers in the world and the other is a racing series for European rejects who couldn't hack it in Europe and Asia.
Click to expand...

Well, to be fair, only about 12 of the drivers on the F1 grid are elite. A lot of guys in the back are pay drivers or drivers willing to take a ride in an unfit car just to be in Formula 1. This year's IndyCar lineup is very deep, at least compared to all of the years since the IRL/CART split.
 
SpeedPagan said:
So I have a stupid question, but what is the difference between Formula 1 and IndyCar?
Click to expand...

F1 is an international racing league that each manufacture builds their own chassis. Indycar is an American racing league with one race in Canada and are the COT of open wheeled race cars.

Indycars can refuel as much as they need to, F1 races on one tank of gas. Both have two different rated tires they have to change during the race.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom