IndyCar: Today’s IndyCar slower than 30-Year-Old F1 relics

In this article, we compare the lap time of today’s IndyCar around Laguna Seca with 30-year-old F1 relics.

Given the F1 relics were just show cars, and they lap as fast as today’s IndyCars, is a sad commentary on just how slow IndyCar’s overweight antiquated cars are.

Yet, the series bosses keep saying that IndyCar does not need to replace its 12-year-old antiquated cars.

That’s because the teams are so financially poor they cannot afford new cars, so the series bosses are forced to string along the current ones.

A better question to ask is why are IndyCar teams so financially poor?

  1. Is it because the series was not sold to Liberty Media, who understands how to grow a motorsports series and make all the team owners filthy rich?
  2. Is it because IndyCar was on NBCSN all those years, making it largely invisible to the American public?
  3. Is it because the series bosses only really care about the Indy 500 and everything is kept alive to ensure they can get 33 cars for the Indy 500?
  4. Is it because the series bosses want to keep it as a small domestic-only race series, i.e. think small and stay small?
  5. Is it because the cars are 12-year-old relics and slower than 30-year-old F1 relics?
  6. Is it because the series attracts F1 and NASCAR drivers that are past their prime?
  7. Is it because IndyCar drivers aspire to be F1 drivers someday?
  8. Is it because the IndyCar fan base is aging out, with just 20% of TV viewers in the all-important 18-49 year old age group?
  9. Or is it all of the above?