IndyCar: The FIA ranks IndyCar lower than F2

A Formula 2 driver earns more points toward a F1 superlicense than an IndyCar driver.

IndyCar driver Colton Herta does not have enough Superlicense points to race in F1.  The FIA looks down their nose at IndyCar drivers and ranks them right down there with Formula 3.

Although the IndyCar champion earns the required 40 points and second place gets 30, from third down the points are awarded on the same level as the FIA’s Formula 3 championship.

Fernando Alonso, who has raced in both F1 and IndyCar, disagrees with the points the FIA credits an IndyCar driver with and addressed this in Thursday’s F1 press conference at COTA.

“It’s difficult to comment on regs and things, more a question for the FIA and whoever is dealing with the license thing,” Alonso said. “But if you ask me my opinion, definitely there are categories like IndyCar that has the level high enough that you should get the necessary points like you do in other categories in Europe. It’s a good debate for sure.”

“I think he is a very good driver — very talented, very young, I think the youngest IndyCar race winner, and I think has a very good organization with Andretti. Yeah, it will be a good fit for Formula 1 for sure, but each of us has a different plan in his career and I don’t know what Colton has in his head at the moment, I’m sure he is happy with IndyCar.

“Same as Alex Palou, who won the championship this year, and he’s really committed to the U.S. racing, and enjoys racing here in the States. Sometimes there is not only one target, Formula 1. Motorsport is much more than Formula 1, even if inside this bubble some people feel this is the top-top-top — which is probably the top, but there are other super categories.”