IndyCar vs F1: The Big Differences

I started following F1 during my sophomore year at FSU. I had no idea that it would lead to me watching other motorsport series. In almost a natural progression I started watching F2 and F3 right after I started F1. I then learned about some of the crossover with IndyCar so I watched a few races. I even watched bits of NASCAR including an entire TV show about it.

F1 is still the primary racing for me but IndyCar is starting to become a close second. I’ve been to a race now so that encourages me to watch more races because I’m invested now. I have also started to learn about a lot of the drivers because of their connections to F1 so I feel the need to watch and support them.

There are a lot of differences between the two series and hopefully, I can explain them in a way that makes sense.

The Grid

The grid size is one of the biggest differences. F1 currently has 10 teams and 20 drivers. IndyCar has 14 teams and 34 drivers. In F1, all 20 drivers race all the time, which is not the case in Indy. The number of drivers in each race can vary from 25 to as many as 33 for races like the Indy500. Some drivers only drive on certain circuits like Chip Ganassi’s Marcus Armstrong who doesn’t drive oval courses. In F1, each team has two drivers. Each IndyCar team can have anywhere from one to six drivers competing for them.

Location

Race location is another big difference between the two series. IndyCar races exclusively in America aside from one race in Toronto, Canada. F1, on the other hand, races around the world. The current calendar takes place across 20 countries and five continents. The F1 calendar is made up of 23 races and the IndyCar calendar consists of 17 races.

Tracks

F1 races on a mix of road courses and street courses. IndyCar races on oval, road, and street courses.

Street circuits, like Long Beach and Monaco, are made up of closed public streets and roads in a city or town. Indy street circuits sometimes incorporate airport runways like in St. Petersburg.

Road courses, like Monza and Silverstone, take place at a dedicated racing facility. The track itself is usually very similar to a street circuit in shape; it just doesn’t use existing streets.

Oval courses are what comes to mind for many when they think about racing. These circuits feature banked turns and feature some of the highest speeds in IndyCar due to their wide-open nature. Texas Motor Speedway and Indianapolis Motor Speedway are two of the ovals IndyCar visits.

Points

Both series feature a sliding scale of points but that’s pretty much where the similarities end.

F1 awards points to the top 10 finishers. It starts with 25 points for first and then slides down to one point for 10th. An additional point can be earned by one of these finishers if they complete the fastest lap of the race.

The only other way to earn championship points is during race weekends that feature a Sprint Race. These races award points to the top eight finishers.

In IndyCar, points are awarded to everyone that finishes the race. It starts with 50 points for first place and goes down to 5 points for those finishing 25th or lower. An additional point can be added to the total of the driver on pole and any driver that leads a lap.

Additional points can be earned during the Indy500. The fastest 12 in qualifying receive points based on their positions. Starting with 12 points for 1st and falling to one point for 12th.

Qualifying

F1 Qualifying is made up of three sessions. At the end of the first two sessions, the bottom five drivers are dropped. The top 10 then compete to fill out the remaining grid places in the third session.

IndyCar has different qualifying procedures when it comes to track type. At oval tracks, each car is allowed two warm-up laps followed by two consecutive timed laps. The total time taken for those laps is recorded as the qualifying time.

For road and street courses, qualifying is broken into three segments. For the first segment, the grid is split into two groups. Each group gets 10 minutes to complete laps. The six fastest from each group move on while the others fill in the places for 13th and lower. One group of drivers is ranked evenly while the other is ranked oddly relying on the fastest lap in each segment. The second segment consists of the fastest 12 cars racing for the fastest time for another 10 minutes. Six cars move on to the third 10-minute segment, the Firestone Fast Six. Cars are then ranked 1-6 based on lap time.

Additional Differences

There are many other differences that can be discussed in terms of these two racing series.

IndyCar uses spec cars meaning the teams don’t have a lot of say in the design. This allows for closer racing. In F1, each team controls their car design which often leads to big gaps in the field. F1 also features power steering in their cars while Indy doesn’t.

IndyCar pit stops are slower because there is a limit on how many team members can work on the car at once. Indy also allows for refueling which slows the pit stop down dramatically.

F1 tires are made by Pirelli while IndyCar tires are made by Firestone. F1 tires have five main tire compounds with three being used on a race weekend. In addition to the three allotted compounds for each weekend, rain and intermediate tires are available should weather permit. IndyCar uses three types of tires primary, alternate, and rain.

Usually, there is some crossover on race days, and watching cars race around tracks all day might be a little excessive but F1 is currently on a break so it’s a great time to get into IndyCar. Indy is racing on the streets of Long Beach on April 16th. Race time is set for 3 pm EST with coverage on NBC.