According to F1 commentator and analyst Peter Windsor, Liberty Media, the owner of Formula One, is considering purchasing the IndyCar Series, the leading single-seater category in America, and turning it into an American feeder series for F1. This comes as F1 has targeted the United States as a key area for expansion since Liberty’s takeover in 2017, with three races scheduled to take place in Miami, Texas and Las Vegas across the 2023 season.
With marketing initiatives such as Netflix’s Drive to Survive docuseries boosting F1’s popularity in America, it seems Liberty Media is exploring new avenues to conquer the US market. McLaren, the second-most successful team in F1 history, already has a presence in IndyCar, and this potential move could see the IndyCar calendar move away from oval circuits in favour of more purpose-built and street-based venues, with cars designed to be more in line with F1 machinery.
Speaking via his YouTube channel, Peter Windsor explained the potential benefits of turning IndyCar into an American feeder series for F1. He said: “It’s a place where you could put a lot of good, talented drivers who can’t make it into Formula 1, and then they go and do this American series. It makes sense to me to do that.”
In recent years, there has been an increased crossover between IndyCar and Formula 1, with Alex Palou and Colton Herta, two of the most exciting talents in IndyCar, both driving McLaren F1 machinery within the last year. Additionally, two-time F1 World Champion Fernando Alonso decided to miss the Monaco Grand Prix in 2017 to participate in the Indy 500 with the aim of winning motorsport’s so-called triple crown.
Of the 29 drivers to have participated in the 2023 IndyCar season so far, four have previously competed in F1, including Championship leader Marcus Ericsson, Romain Grosjean, Alexander Rossi and Takuma Sato. The potential purchase of IndyCar by Liberty Media could signal a new era of motorsport in America, with the possibility of more talented drivers from across the world being given a chance to shine in F1.
