Which form of auto racing demands more highly developed driving skills; Formula One or NASCAR?

Answer 1

please tell me this is a rhetorical question. F1 demands way more driving skills than mbaye 1 or 2 more sports, and one of them is NOT NASCAR!!

Answer 2

Both forms (or any other form of motorsport) are fairly demanding on driver ability. Which is moreso will be somewhat subjective because while there is certainly some overlap, the skills that make a driver successful in one will not translate to the other.

That said, Formula 1 will demand a broader set of skills, and place more emphisis on physical fitness than NASCAR. And while NASCAR is extremely popular in the US, an F1 driver will still be attended to more intensely and constantly by the media.

Does that stress and driving requirements equal "more highly developed skills?" For those specific skils, yes. To be successful in NASCAR you need other skills to be highly developed, meaning either answer could be completely correct.

Answer 3

You're going to get different answers depending on where you ask this . . .

It requires a ton of skill to be competitive in any motorsport -- open-wheel, stock cars, sprint cars, drag racing. The required skills are different though, which is why champions in one series don't necessarily do well in another.

Formula One is more technical. The driver who can drive a perfect line, hitting every shift point and braking point with perfect timing, is unbeatable. (If he's in one of the top teams, anyway.) Generally speaking there is only one perfect line around a road course, which is why an F1 race is often a procession.

NASCAR racing is more intuitive. With twice the weight and half the tires, stock cars are on the ragged edge of spinning out in every turn. There are multiple 'grooves' in most oval tracks, and where a given car performs best will usually change over the course of a race. There is also the heavy traffic to contend with; just because you've found a great line doesn't mean you can stay there. Drivers must work with crew chiefs to adjust and readjust the car during the race, which may last several times as long as a F1 race.

Drivers are drivers, though. It used to be commonplace for guys like Andretti, Foyt, Gurney to jump from one racing series to another, with some success. The open-wheel drivers who've recently come to NASCAR have spent their first five races running into everything but the hot dog truck -- just like every other rookie. They'll learn.

Answer 4

clearly different set of skills. Holding an undertired car in a 30 sec drift while going 4 cars abreast lap after lap is no easier than driving in procession for 20 laps in a row. Driving the preferred line in a car that is faster than other competitors and passing on straights -- way easier than driving in a broad field of drivers approximately of the same speed.

Formula1 has been getting very boring, with both drivers from each team placing right next to each other in points, it's much more about the team than the driver. At least NASCAR is more about driving than mechanics.

Answer 5

not being 100% up on the rules of Nascar I can only offer my impressions. I would have to say F1, as the drivers have to cope with left and right cornering, hills (ie spa is a very hilly track) and they also drive in all weather conditions. I know if it rains Nascar drivers stop.

Answer 6

What's with all the comparisons of nascar and F1, it's like comparing ice hockey and speed skating....completely different. If you want to see some excellent car control tune into WRC.

Answer 7

I would say F1 requires more refined technique, but NASCAR requires more strategic and tactical depth. Obviously if NASCAR drivers were vastly inferior in some way, JPM and JV would be driving circles around them.

Answer 8

formula 1

Answer 9

I think it's too different to compare. In terms of vehicle operating skills, driving an F1 car is akin to flying an F-18, while driving a NEXTEL Cup car is akin to driving an 18-wheeler. Each is different and challenging in its own way.

Answer 10

Even though each discipline is a differnt set of skills. the driver requirments of training and fitness level required to just hold a seat not counting to be a top notch driver in F1 is unquestionable.