By now, everyone knows F1 cars are significantly quicker around the same track, but hopefully everyone also realizes they are two totally different open wheel race cars and should not be compared based on lap times.
This one lap is a perfect illustration of what an F1 car (2018 pole lap by Lewis Hamilton) can do around a circuit like COTA, in comparison to the typical 2019 IndyCar, who just raced at COTA for the first time since the track opened. Take a look at how planted and smooth the F1 car is in comparison to the IndyCar. Lewis is able to be smooth with the power steering, while Graham has to really fight the heavy wheel since there is no power steering assistance in IndyCar.
This is what happens when you have an F1 team with a 10X budget, insane technological advances and the benefit of things IndyCar teams/drivers can only wish for.
IndyCars have less power, far less downforce, they're heavier, have no power steering (as evident in the video!), run a spec chassis/aero kits, use steel brakes, etc., etc., etc...
The bottom line is, they are both open wheel racing series, but they should not be compared based on laps times. Like Fernando said when he first drove the IndyCar at the Indy 500, he felt the IndyCar was more "raw", "more fun to . It's you and the car, nothing sophisticated like you see in F1. With a spec chassis, aero kit and very similarly powered engines, IndyCar is a lot more dependent on the skill of the driver and their ability to squeeze out every tenth they can. To me, that is what makes the NTT IndyCar Series so fun to watch. You can very easily have 15 drivers within a second of each other and the top 10 sometimes within tenths. When was the last time you saw that with F1? It doesn't happen and unless it were a spec series as well (which wouldn't make it F1), it never will. But that is also why we love F1 so much. It's the absolute pinnacle of open wheel racing technology and in a class of its own.
- From a fan who appreciates and enjoys each series just as much as the other.
