Why do drivers from Indy-car/cart series in the US do so badly in Formula 1?

Question

The only driver that I can think of who did well was Jaques Villeneuve, who was great for a while even winning the championship.

Answer 1

Formula 1 is a different level altogether. A F1 driver will tend to do will in the US but rarely does it happen the other way around. Even if you go back to the 60s, drivers like Jim Clark, Graham Hill etc tended to dominate immediately. More recently the likes of Nigel Mansell found it too easy.

It may be big money, but Indy Cars and CART have nowhere near the level of competition that F1 has. Occasionally a Villeneuve or Montoya pops up, but if you go back you find they competed in carts or other 'Formula' racing (F3000 for Montoya for instance).

One other point, F1 drivers are quite happy to go round corners. It requires great skill to do it on the limit. By comparison, ovals are not a good training ground for F1 precisely because they tend not to have 'corners'.

Answer 2

Since IRL and Cart are considered the top level in the US for open wheel, when thrown into F1, they're going off the deep end.

IRL drivers primarily drive ovals so not much experience with road racing courses. Cart drivers, are a little more prepared (Jaques Villeneuve and Juan Pablo Montoya).

Another part of it is the tracks that they run. Most F1 drivers came up through GP2 or F3000. They already have some familiarity with the tracks.

If a Cart or IRL driver were to go to GP2 for a season and are successful, they would probably find some level of success at the F1 level.

Answer 3

the cars have completely different styles, indycars are heavier, races start with tyre warmers and rolling starts so no cold tyres, refuelling is different, for a while there they were getting similar but now that formula 1 is restricting engines and indycar has a 1 make formula again, indycar is far faster and tougher on breaks, they have also got rid of nearly all the street circuits in america

jacques villeneuve signed well in advance and had 1000s of miles of testing, i think most of the drivers underestimate how long it will take to get the hang of formula 1 - with michael andretti and mclaren that was certainly teh car and bcos it was such a high profile disaster indycar has never really recovered in formula 1 circles

recent performances would lead us to believe that alex zanardis poor performance could have been more down to his engineer and williams failing to unlock his potential, williams in particular seems to have a problem these days possibly bcos both drivers are pulling in different directions in testing due to different driving styles, so teh running two different cars style may not work anymore as much as the team leader adopted by michael and ferrari unless your lead driver is also dominant tester (like when damon hill was driving for them)

Answer 4

I think Juan Pablo Montoya's done pretty well. The only one that has not done well that I can think of was Michael Andretti. In fact, if you look at the drivers that have come to Indy Cars FROM F1, the success rate is not good (Roberto Moreno, Eddie Cheever, Nelson Piquet, Eliseo Salazar, Roberto Guererro, Raul Boesel, Derek Daly, Teo Fabi, Theirry Boutsen, Christian Fittipaldi).

Nigel Mansell did well in both but he was with a top team in both. I think that is more of a determinant. In F1 only 2 of 20 drivers every really have a chance at success. If Michael Schumacher comes to America and drives for A.J. Foyt (forgive me A.J.), he will finish 15th or worse in every race.

Answer 5

An Indy racing circuit is basically just a freakin' oval. F1 tracks on the other hand have curves and twists and all that. You need a lot more skill and a whole lot more of physical stamina and endurance to do well in an F1 car. It's really not for sissies. :) Not to mention the G-forces acting on you. Indy is a very, very toned down version of F1. That's why they don't do as well in F1 as they would do in an Indy car.

Answer 6

i'm undecided yet would wager that it is as a results of fact she did no longer unquestionably qualify for the Daytona 500 yet, somewhat, have been given in on driving force or motor vehicle proprietor factors. that's what the super challenge is for Tony Stewart with the sprint Cup races she is working this 12 months. the guy utilising her motor vehicle for all of the sprint races she does not run has to maintain ending extreme adequate to get her into her races with out having to qualify on velocity. She hasn't been waiting to try this throughout hardy any sprint Cup races so some distance. possibly none of them. do no longer supply up on her working the All famous individual Race yet. If she desires to run in the race, NASCAR will discover the thank you to make it happen, notwithstanding in the event that they might desire to alter the regulations to do it.

Answer 7

F1 has more features on every aspect of the car like, tires, wings, air wing, weight, engine, and all of that involves more interaction for the driver. Is not just going and driving. You need to get more involve on the car. That is why Schumi is so great, because I stays after each race to analyze the car and understand what is going on so he can work it out with his mechanic group. That is why other drivers do so dadly. because they are not use to the same involving.

Answer 8

Personally I think it's all about the money. If you bring a huge sponsor, you'll be able to stay in it for a while then get the good ride.

Money is everything in F1.

And for the person above....Indy cars and F1 are different!

Answer 9

They are different cars with different dynamics. That's the main reason. regular indy cars have looser steering than the F1 type cars. Along with that, the arodynamics of F1's have greater downforces and are also lighter than indy car's. It's difficult to switch cars on the fly and drive the same way. Your also more lower to the ground on F1 cars too.

Answer 10

THE BEST DRIVERS IN THE WORLD AND FAR MORE SUPERIOR IN MORE ADVANCED CARS IN F-1.HOW MANY F-1 DRIVERS COME TO RACING OVER HERE ,BECAUSE THAT THERE NOT GOOD ENOUGH FOR F-1 ANYMORE.THE OTHER WAY AROUND THE ODD ONE.THIS IS BUSH LEAGUE AND REDNECK RACING OVER HERE,ITS LIKE DRIVING A KIA TO A FERRARI ,CAN'T COMPARE.ALSO THE REST OF THE WORLD DOES NOT NEED CRAPPY AMERICAN RACING,THE RICHEST RACING IN THE WORLD F-1 AND NOBODY SHOULD EVER FORGET IT!!!!!!