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The RACER Mailbag, May 14
Welcome to the RACER Mailbag. Questions for any of RACER’s writers can be sent to mailbag@racer.com. We love hearing your comments and opinions, but letters that include a question are more likely to be published. Questions received after 3pm ET each Monday will be saved for the following week.
Q: Seeing Rahal qualify second at the Indy GP was something special. Power still has speed and Dixon seems to be struggling in qualifying this season. Add in Helio doing the 500, and what do you have? The last of the CART/Champ Car-era drivers. These drivers are the last to compete in Lolas and Reynards. I'm not 40 yet but dang I feel old to have realized that.
Not that Stefan Johansson
MARSHALL PRUETT: I’ll keep holding out for the day where it’s, ‘Yeah, THAT Stefan Johansson.’ Yep, the last links to what were the fiercest IndyCars. The ferocity of the cars added to the best drivers’ mythology. Having worked on and experienced their glory, I can tell you there’s a reason why they’re spoken of with such reverie. I hope the next car is loved by its drivers in the same way the CART/Champ Car drivers rave about those old-timey machines.
Q: Do you think that Roger Penske now having stewardship over both the IndyCar series and IMS and less involvement with the team may have something to do with Team Penske’s performances? Ganassi seems to have some element (besides Alex Palou) that other teams haven’t. Or better said, they seem to have found some advantage that others have not.
Hisham Bate
MP: I do not, because I don’t believe he’s less involved on the IndyCar side. With Tim Cindric stepping back from day-to-day duties, it’s Ron Ruzewski in the daily role Tim formerly held, and as I’m told, it’s Roger now working more directly with each team leader across the three series Team Penske is in.
I wouldn’t underestimate how much Honda has contributed to Ganassi and its other teams’ steep rise this year and how Chevy, at least heading into Indy, has been a touch behind on most road and street courses. That being said, Arrow McLaren has moved ahead of Penske as the best Chevy team through five races, so there is something off there, and I’m ignoring the Ganassi/Honda part and looking straight to the intra-Chevy performances to judge.
Ganassi’s found something, Honda’s found something, and the new tire limitations the field is facing fit Palou’s tidy driving style better than anyone in the series. He’s not a sideways guy, the car can no longer take being sideways with all of the new weight and (road/street tires) that die if they’re overheated, and by chance, Palou’s natural driving style is a perfect match for the hybrid car in 2025 specification. Will that continue for 500 miles next week? Can’t wait to find out.
Q: I realize it's early, but I think everyone needs to just stop and marvel at what we are witnessing with Palou this season -- totally dominant, with Scott Dixon (who Father Time may have finally caught up with?) being mid-packish for the most part and Kyffin Simpson being a complete non-factor. But Alex... holy cow, man. Just unbelievable using the same equipment.
Jeremy, Tulsa, OK
MP: Agreed. We also need to acknowledge how many of the younger drivers like Palou, Lundgaard, Kirkwood, and so on, who’ve only known the DW12 in its heaviest state with the aeroscreen, and now the hybrid, haven’t had to try and forget decades of data and driving preferences to suit the car on its new tires. They’re the closest thing to being "chassis blind" in ways that a Dixon and other major veterans aren’t. Will Power’s still a rocket, and Rahal was just flying at the GP, so it’s not as if the ones who’ve been around since the CART/Champ Car days can’t adapt to the new hybrid car, but it’s a process for them. For the younger drivers, this is all they’ve known, there’s nothing to compare it to, and they make the most out of what they have beneath them without feelings of how the car doesn’t quite perform the way they loved 10 or 15 years ago.
Look at the top five in the championship and you have Palou who started full-time in IndyCar in 2020, Kirkwood (2022), Lundgaard (2022), Pato O’Ward (2019), and Scott McLaughlin (2021). I’ve got to believe there’s a commonality here.
So yes, on Palou, he’s the blindest of them all. He adapts to the car and all of its weight and whatever the tires might or might not withstand, and climbs out of the car smiling while so many of his rivals hate every lap they turn in the thing. It’s just remarkable. Imagine what it’ll be like if he starts winning on ovals…
Dixie’s working with a new race engineer, and they can’t seem to get out of qualifying in a decent spot, but he’s ripped through the field to correct the situation in two consecutive races. And yes on Kyffin with results, but he is making significant gains. He started racing later than anyone in the series and reached IndyCar with the least amount of open-wheel mileage. To qualify 10th, with a new race engineer as well, as a sophomore, is encouraging.
Q: What happened to the post race interviews and lack of champagne showers? Did FOX drop the ball or was the Speedway responsible for that bush league finale to the broadcast?
Joe B, Eau Claire, Wisconsin
MP: I was wondering the same thing, Joe. Bizarre to see the winner pulled behind the podium, but followed with a live network camera, with nobody interviewing him and the others gathered out back.
Q: I just finished watching the FOX broadcast of the Sonsio Grand Prix as well as qualifying and I’m worried that FOX isn’t progressing as fast as I expected. IndyCar and FOX still have a ton to improve with regards to the production of a race. How do we not have pit stop times yet? Our only real indication of a bad stop is guessing while watching live and the broadcasters reaction. Where is the data we used to have and should expect to see every race? When Graham Rahal had a bad pit stop, we had no idea how much time he lost.
I also don’t like how disorganized the live shots felt before and after the race. At the beginning, Jack Harvey was running around interviewing people at random. He’d approach a driver, only to find them putting on their helmets and unavailable to chat. Why was there no driver interview as soon as Palou was out of the car? They were posing for pictures instead of interviewing him on live TV. Then when they were supposed to pop some champagne, they didn’t have any! I mean, come on, what was that?
It all just feels so amateur. Watching an F1 broadcast where everything is so regimented and structured really shows how much IndyCar still needs to step up its game. I know we’re talking about a different level of production budget but the things I mention seem like table stakes.
I’m worried about the Indy 500. Do you see the same issues, and what do you think is going on behind the scenes?
Rob
MP: Consistent inconsistency is what comes to mind. There’s some great folks behind the scenes -- some I once worked with when I was at FOX/SPEED on ALMS, Grand Am, and 24 Hours of Le Mans broadcasts -- so I know it’s not due to a lack of talent or experience.
While the NBC broadcasts felt a bit stiff, you knew what you’d get every time. I figured FOX’s IndyCar product would be a near copy of its polished NASCAR production format, but it has felt like there’s a lot of improvisation at each race. I’m not saying they are improvising, but to your point, consistency isn’t there. Yet. And it seems strange for such a big and experienced outfit like FOX Sports.
We’ll need to see a day or two of 500 practice to form an educated opinion of what lies ahead.
Q: Graham Rahal has taken a lot of flack over the years. I loved his performance on Saturday. It was awesome. From the comfort of my couch, I found myself cheering him to hold off the inevitable takeover from Palou. My question boils down to this: Does this confidence at RLL transfer over to the next two weeks and produce results at the 500?
Eric, Wisconsin
MP: I’d hope so, but this isn’t like a guard who’s gone 1-for-10 and is gun shy on shooting. Pro drivers are inherently confident; they need to be to do what they do. And their counterparts on the engineering side aren’t fueled by confidence; they’re driven by results born in simulation, and then with the data and results delivered on track.
I wish it was a case of a team being down, having a great game, and everybody riding a high into the big game where those soaring emotions will have an effect on their play. It’s just a different animal in pro racing. Confidence and momentum are never bad, but a great run at the Indy GP won’t help the team to find the 1mph it might be missing in 500 race trim, etc.
All of that stuff aside, RLL looks like it’s in a much better place entering Indy, and that’s good for everyone. Let a different team sweat bullets on Bump Day for a change.
Q: I will admit from the start that I am a huge Andretti Global fan. Have been for years. Having said that, in my opinion, we are way past the point of the cartoon anvil falling on this team and its lack of performance. This is not just a 2025 thing, it's been going on for years. If it is not the pit stop team messing up, it’s the driver. If it’s not the driver, it is the strategist.
It is terribly disappointing for a team with that much driver talent and the financial resources behind it. I don’t know how to put my finger on what is wrong, but it just seems they are always behind a step Ganassi and Penske in preparation and execution. Is it that they don’t hire the right people, leadership, attention to detail, or all of it?
As we head to the 500, on race day you have to execute usually around six perfect pit stops. Hard to imagine they have the ability to do this. And with Cadillac F1 on the horizon, they seem destined become the new Ferrari in execution and strategy.
I hate to be a Debbie Downer, and I realize that other than Alex Palou, Kyle Kirkwood is the only driver to win a race. But they just seem like a massive underachiever.
Jeff Smith, State College, PA
MP: Among top teams, it’s hard to argue against anything you’ve said. They’re said to have the biggest budget in all of IndyCar and the highest combined driver salaries, which should equate to being an every-race threat, but you never know what to expect from the team. Pole? Sure. It’s always possible. Win? Possible but infrequent. Something silly ruining the race for at least one, if not two of its entries? Possible, and seemingly frequent.
Kirkwood has been the most consistent/the luckiest of the trio and sits second in the championship. Herta's amazing form and results from 2024 seem to have disappeared as those anvils rain down, and then there’s Ericsson, whose forgettable first season with the team is starting to look like the good old days. It’s been mostly misery for him, and if things don’t start to turn around, let’s not forget how this team, with its deep pockets, hasn’t been afraid to pay people to leave early.
The team’s had a real performance spark to start the season; its engineering group found some good things. All of its cars should be fast at the 500. And all of its drivers can win the race. If they can get through 200 laps without slow stops, stalls, crashes, and ACME products falling from the sky.
Q: Great weekend for the Rahal team. Is this a one-off for them, or do you think they will be a factor the rest of the season?
David Tucker
MP: Should have some similar runs this year. Graham and new race engineer Olivier Boisson have immense potential. Louis Foster has been a single-lap revelation in qualifying, and Devlin is always capable of being quick. Ganassi, McLaren, Penske, and Andretti don’t need to worry about being displaced by RLL, but this team is gradually improving after years of falling short of expectations.
Q: I read Derek Daly's open letter to Mr. Penske, and although I don't think garnering younger fans is IndyCar's biggest problem, I do believe it is a high priority for the sport.
Today I am at an IMSA race at Laguna Seca, and on the fan grid walk, the AO Racing "Roxy" race car was mobbed with young boys and girls wanting stickers, and pictures next to the pink race car. Many of the kids are holding a stuffed toy Rexy dinosaur or wearing a Roxy t-shirt.
This is one way AO Racing and IMSA are attracting new, young fans, and it is working! It's not rocket science, it's marketing.
In business, imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. If your competitors are beating you, benchmark what they are doing and improve (or at least copy) what they are doing.
I've never seen the IndyCar Firestone Firehawk mobbed by youngsters looking for a photo or a sticker at an IndyCar race. So what is Penske Entertainment doing to close the gap? They have been running the series for five years. What has improved in those five years? It's always one-step forward, one step back with Penske Entertainment.
Who is the real dinosaur, Roxy or Roger Penske?
Kevin P., Los Angeles, CA
MP: I was talking with one of the AO Racing leaders at Long Beach and they mentioned the need to place a large order to replenish their supply of those Rexy/Roxy/Spike stuffed animals. The order wasn’t too far from what I made in a year. For little plush toys for kids! That’s how popular the team/cars/dinosaurs have become, and yes, the only scenario that likely comes close is Pato O'Ward with his Pato Shop.
A number of things have improved since Roger bought everything, as we’ve covered to death here. And a number of things haven’t improved, as we’ve also documented to death. The series seems to be in a fairly decent place at the moment.
channel
Q: I have heard there is a good chance that the IXO IndyCar diecasts will be coming to Target and possibly even Walmart. Some Target stores carried the Greenlight IndyCar line, so it wouldn't be too much of a jump for them, but it would be a pretty big thing for Walmart. Unfortunately it sounds like it’s only the 1/64s that are coming if this is true, but that's still a pretty big deal.
Here's hoping this isn't a big steaming pile of nothing.
PS: Several small online diecast retailers have already gotten some stock of the Ixo IndyCars on hand, so hopefully all of you out there making it to the 500 can get your hands on them!
FormulaFox
MP: Thanks for the update. I stopped actively collecting 1:43rds and 1:18ths towards the end of the 2010s, but hope to spy the IXOs and see what they’ve come up with.
Q: I was watching practice for the Indy GP and a picture of A.J. Foyt in his Indy roadster was shown. Many people lament the fact that the roadsters are gone. Would a support series featuring a modernized version of the Indy Roadster work?
Tim Davis, Detroit, MI
MP: I don’t see why it wouldn’t, Tim. Formula Indy Drift would be blast to watch on those skinny tires.
Q: Mr. Daly penned a great letter to Mr. Penske. I’m a veteran IndyCar fan and while attending the Barber race I was struggling with four or five drivers/teams as to their identity, as I have been all season. It was a little frustrating. I can’t imagine new fans’ frustration. After the Indy GP I might be dialed in, finally. Why don’t teams have team colors, maybe nose and front and rear wings, and the sponsors use the rest of car? McLaren is something of an example.
Fans complain of boring races. Am I the only fan that sees the teams/drivers battling it out throughout the field? FOX did good coverage of this at Indy GP, I thought. There is a lot of racing beyond Palou and his own domain. My team (out of embarrassment I will keep this confidential) may not be the top dog or even at the time battling for top dog, but I’m not turning away from the battles within, and definitely not the Palou domination. Why is that not good for IndyCar considering it is a spec series he performing in?\
Timothy S, Nashville, TN
MP: Following IndyCar takes some effort. The days where teams had fixed sponsors or colors has changed for about half of the entrants.
FOX did a solid job on finding the battles behind Graham Rahal and Alex Palou, as you noted. I’m always searching for those because yes, it’s the secondary stories that add color to the races.
What Palou’s been doing could easily become a major promotional campaign for IndyCar and FOX in the same way Geoff Brabham and Nissan took off on a hot IMSA GTP streak in 1988 that eventually stretched out to eight straight wins. Palou’s at three in a row, and since nobody outside of IndyCar diehards know that Alex exists, the series and its TV partner have been gifted a chance to promote the hell out of him for legitimate reasons centered on sporting excellence.
Can he make it four in a row and get his first oval win at the world’s biggest race? How far can he extend his championship lead? Who can stop him? Palou takedown ads from O'Ward, Newgarden, etc. Most fans of sport appreciate streaks and runaway stars. Use that to bring Palou out of obscurity and try to get people interested in tuning in to see if he can carry the streak/lead into summer.
Q: Since Newgarden had car trouble at the start of the Indy GP and didn’t join the field when the pace laps started and missed two laps, he started the race from the rear. However he also had two less laps of running, which would give him extra fuel. Wouldn’t that be an unfair advantage over the cars that did the four pace laps?
Paul, Indianapolis
MP: He completed the same number of laps as everyone else. It just wasn’t all on the racing surface; he pulled onto pit lane when the issue was experienced and kept on driving and rejoined the field.
Q: At this rate it looks like Palou is going to have the championship won before August, which is impressive. Has IndyCar ever considered awarding bonus points to teams for best pit performances during a race? Example: Fastest pit stop, one point; fastest average pit stops, two points.
It could add another variable to the championship, and even the leaders circle standings, to make things more interesting.
Don
MP: I don’t know. But if Palou continues doing what he’s doing, you’d need to award 50 points for the fastest non-Ganassi pit stop to give other teams a chance of catching the 10 car.
Q: Can you better explain what happened with Newgarden? TV said it was the MGU. Apparently they had an issue with the unit at Practice 1 as well. I think you once had an article about the MGU, but can you provide a quick refresher on what it does and what impact it had to him? Also, if he got back on track before the green, and with a delayed start, why he didn’t get his sixth-place start?
Chris, Michigan
MP: General approach to issues on the first pace lap is the drivers can get back to their starting spot. But Josef pitted at the end of that lap to seek assistance from his team, so this extended into the second lap. I’m told he kept going as the issue seemed to resolve itself, and drove through and out of the pits. As I understand it, that’s where the move to the back of the field became necessary.
The MGU is an electro-mechanical drum that spins and generates a charge that’s sent and stored in the battery and takes back that energy and spins the drum to help accelerate the car. If you’ve seen or own an electric bicycle and are familiar with the round motor driving the rear wheel, that’s the MGU that does the energy harvesting and deploying.
There were multiple temperature warnings for the MGU and the Chevy internal combustion engine was stuttering as a result, which is what led Josef to enter pit lane. They thought it was going to be a terminal issue, but the problem went away so he didn’t stop the car.
Q: Kudos to FOX on the coverage of the last two races. The way they have covered the action throughout the field when one driver is making everyone else look like chumps has been entertaining and kept me and gthe kids engaged. The Drivers Eye shots inside the car also remind me of racing sims I've played and helps create that link with my kids. (IndyCar, please hook Forza Motorsport up with licensing again.)
Tire rule creating three-stop races with larger pit windows: Please keep this going, I think this adds variety to the show and varies strategy options that make the racing more entertaining.
Push to Pass: I'm all for making this similar to the F1 DRS rule, starting now. Understand it might take some time and investment to update code, but I believe it is needed. When I hear "push to pass" marketed, that should be its purpose (and easy to explain). No more P2P spraying to stay on the lead lap, no more using it to defend a pass from being made, and no reserving for in/out laps when no one is around you on track. Still keep 150-200 seconds per race, only allow when a car is 0.75-1.0s in front, still can be used anywhere of a driver's choosing, and maybe add to ovals (it would help when the rules/tire selection is missed). I don't think fans want to see a faster car stuck or a train where everyone is on the button to keep action from happening. This needs to evolve.
Ben, TX
MP: You aren’t the only one who wants a no-reply P2P solution, Ben.
Q: Last year I wrote about how the Indy GP is a great bargain and a fun event. This year I am writing to reinforce that statement. You cannot beat sitting in Penthouse B for $65. Also, there is constant on track activity. The best part is the Speedway once again let the fans walk the track after the event. Another good sign is the crowd seems to be getting younger each year, and I see a lot more IndyCar gear being worn. It’s fair to criticize a lot about IndyCar, but one thing is for certain, Penske is doing a great job with the Speedway.
Brian, Joliet, IL
MP: The thing I’ve liked about the Indy GP since its debut is the intimate setting. Unlike the 500, it isn’t overly burdened with fans, so you get to enjoy the facility, for a motor race instead of 500 practice, and walk around and see all kinds of cool vantage points. And I like the late afternoon start time, which is a nice setting instead of the sun blasting down overhead at noon. Makes me think of a private concert instead of a packed stadium show.
Q: I know you hate talking about BoP, so sorry. Porsche Penske has won four straight IMSA races, and has double podiums in all four races. Its worst finish is third. Every other manufacturer in IMSA has collectively managed to finish ahead of a PPM car once in four races. Porsche even received a weight reduction ahead of the Long Beach race.
Is Porsche this good, or is the BoP that bad? It seems hard to believe that WTR, AXR, MSR and RLL all turned into bumbling messes of incompetence over the winter.
Kyle
MP: IMSA did a great job with BoP in GTP to start the season, but oof, it’s been a bad time to be an Acura or Cadillac after Sebring, for sure. The Penske Porsches have been absolutely excellent, no question. But the Acuras and Cadillacs could also be absolutely excellent, which is what BoP is meant to ensure. Up next is Detroit, which is a wonky track, so I don’t know if we’re going to see any huge swings in brand performance, but after Motown, it’s Watkins Glen and IMSA must get the balance right. Otherwise, the GTP season is over. Whether it’s pulling the Porsches back or lifting the other models up, fixes are a must.
Q: In 2015 I got a job in TV and was attending a bunch of races. I remember being in Texas during practice, and I closed my eyes and started to call out if a Chevy or Honda passed by strictly by engine note. The guy I was with basically said I really needed to find a hobby. Is this still possible, or has the development over the years caused them to sound the same? Could it had been that the Manufacturer Aero Kits caused some of the exhaust systems to be routed differently?
Aside from that, am I correct in thinking that Honda ran a single turbo for some time, maybe just a year? What was their thought process around that/did they see a benefit in a single turbo for Superspeedway racing?
Where is Dallara anticipating the weight savings to come from in the next chassis? I’d imagine saying that you want to build a lighter car is one thing, and actually finding areas to save weight is another…
Tim
MP: I used to do that as a kid in high school sitting on the bench while waiting for the bus. Got to be pretty good at naming the makes and models passing by. You can tell a Chevy from a Honda, for sure. Just not when they’re in a pack.
Honda ran a single turbo located inside the top of the bellhousing -- where the hybrid battery lives today -- from 2012-13. Single turbos dominated decades of CART racing and Indy 500s. IndyCar failed to adequately and consistently create parity between single and double turbo layouts, and Chevy kicked everyone’s butt in 2012-13, so the winning twin arrangement became the new spec for all.
Trimming weight from the next chassis…that quest is going about as well as finding Noah’s Ark and the Holy Grail.
Q: There is a great YouTube video of a Pato O’Ward interview with reporters after the IndyGP. He is truthful, candid and constructive about what needs to be done. He said, to paraphrase, the “racing sucks.”
The product is degraded, to be sure, and the fragile growth that we have seen is about to be lost unless IndyCar gets its business act together now. The races are painful to watch. Pato should not be censured by the powers that be, as he speaks the truth and the paddock quietly supports his thoughts. The 500 could be a snoozefest as the cars are not “racy” as currently configured. I pray I am wrong.
I watched one of the Cleveland race highlights from the '90s recently and that was the real deal product.
What are your thoughts as to Pato’s comments, and will he face any disciplinary action?
Emmett, Dallas, TX
MP: Disciplined by who and for what? Speaking the truth? He drives for Penske Entertainment’s biggest antagonist in Zak Brown, and also showed Penske he’s not one to be messed with after its CEO Mark Miles put his foot in it. I giggled last month while driving into Speedway for the Open Test and saw the Pato Who? billboard was still up.
The Indy GP was entertaining, thanks to Rahal flipping the script at the start and giving folks a compelling reason to follow along and see if he could topple Palou. Alas, he didn’t, and it was the first race of the season that didn’t suck, but Pato didn’t say anything new or revelatory. And if Penske wants to go after him, he’s got Zak to provide air cover.
Q: Watching the Indy GP last weekend, my wife and I remarked that it was nice to have sports to watch on a Saturday (we're not big college sports fans). Later that day it hit me: Why doesn't IndyCar run all its races on Saturday? That would eliminate the conflict with other major sports traditionally aired on Sunday (NFL, golf) so the season could run longer, and it would give IndyCar a marketing differentiator.
I'm sure I'm missing something obvious, right?
Ben, Buffalo Grove, IL
MP: Just the part where IndyCar has a television partner who brings the stuff and people to broadcast the races, and it doesn’t show up where and when it’s told by the series. It tells IndyCar which days do and don’t work in and around the other sports it airs each weekend. But if they found a way to do more one- or two-day shows that culminated in a Saturday race, I’d be all for it. Saturday night racing, in particular.
Q: My son is treating me to the Indy 500 this year -- all expenses paid! We will try to take in as many sights and sounds as we can, but I have one question: I’m sure there will be a big traffic jam getting into the Speedway. What time would you recommend getting in line in the morning? I don’t want to miss a single second!
I've been an IndyCar fan through USAC, CART, Champ Cars… all iterations of the series. Saw my first Indy 500 on closed circuit TV in 1968, but never at the Speedway.
Sean Raymond
MP: Congrats on raising your son the right way! I believe the gates open at 6am, so I’d guess somewhere between 5-5:30. Hope to see you two there.
Q: In my opinion Marcus Ericsson and Colton Herta are equally sharing the cartoon anvil this season, and Ericsson had it all of last season. How do they get it off their backs? Does it have to be passed onto someone else?
Atilla Veyssal
MP: Years ago when Andretti’s Ryan Hunter-Reay was its favorite target, I gave him a Cartoon Anvil Protection sticker and he put it on his car. Must have been a faulty sticker, though, because it didn’t work. There’s no known cure, and I wish I was kidding, but those suckers are permanently locked on that team. I’m convinced of it. This has been going on for at least five or six years.
Q: With many of the current car’s components rumored to be carrying over to the new IndyCar, is there much opportunity for weight savings in the 27/28 Icarus? Will the tub be new with a better integrated aeroscreen?
Bob
MP: Opportunity, yes. Likely? If so, not by much. Yes on the aeroscreen integration.
Q: Do you have any indication when IndyCar plans on finalizing the next engine regulations? Have you heard any rumblings of what alternative OEMs like Toyota/Porsche or the current OEMs want out of the next rule set?
Marc
MP: No, but last I was told, it’s coming together after inaction all year.
Q: I was in an online discussion about Alex Palou and where he stood among IndyCar’s legends, and it got me thinking about stats in racing.
Obviously, some sports do this better than others, with baseball being the stats champ, both with a bunch of traditional statistics, and also modern ones that tried to dive deeper into what makes a difference on the field. But in racing, we haven’t done this as much. We’ve got basic counting stats, like wins and championships, but outside of a little bit of work on F1, we’ve never really scratched the surface of digging deeper into what data could tell us about drivers across time.
It's really hard to go back in history and work out some of this, but it would be fascinating if someone could look at IndyCar or IMSA historically and get all the data together to properly evaluate the drivers. I’d love to be able to see who had the best average finishing position, both for a single season, and for a career. Some people have done it for the post-split era, but I’d like to see it since WW2, at least.
Also, what about percentage of average pace? By that I mean, what was the average base of a driver, relative to the race leader, for their career and for a single season? That would be a great way of seeing which drivers were able to most consistently match the pace of the fastest drivers, and we could also see who did better compared to their teammates. It would be a great way to look at which drivers made the most of bad equipment as well, since a driver that was much closer to the leader’s pace, especially compared to their teammate, probably was getting more out of their equipment than warranted.
Imagine for example, Dixon would really stand out for his average pace, but are there some drivers from the classic CART era who we don’t talk about enough because they only drove for minnows, so didn’t have race winning cars, but were really hustling?
Maybe I’m the only one who’d love to nerd out over this kind of stuff, but I’d love to hear your thoughts on what your engineering brain would want in the way of data to properly compare drivers when you can’t just overlap telemetry between teammates.
Duncan, Ottawa
MP: I love stats and they can be helpful in shaping opinions and proving (or disproving) points, but racing is just too complex of a sport to rely on stats to form authoritative driver comparisons.
It’s easier in stick-and-ball sports where it tends to be player against player in a fixed situation. The ball or bat isn’t a variable. That’s where being there or knowing the variables is so critical.
Goodyear was the dominant IndyCar tire for decades, but then Firestone returned in the mid-1990s and by 1996, it was the tire to beat. So the Michael Andrettis and Paul Tracys and Gil de Ferrans who were with Goodyear-shod teams didn’t do a lot of winning, or earning of poles, or keeping up with the best drivers on Firestones. How would that be quantified in an analysis of individual performances?
Or the chassis they used when there were three or four to choose from, and four or five engine suppliers? If Driver X had the right chassis and tire, but was saddled with an engine that was down 50hp to the others, or blew up more often, how would that be applied to accurately color the comparative results of Driver X against their contemporaries, or in measuring them against Driver Y from 20 years before or after? And we haven’t touched on car personnel, pit stop performances, etc. Dixon has a new race engineer this year, and they haven’t hit their stride as they learn to work with each other. How would this be represented in a data-driven analysis?
Today, it looks like it might be a Honda year. We’ll see what the Indy 500 says, but if that’s the case, the Palous in the paddock have an advantage that will give an impression that Chevy-powered drivers are slower. In terms of stats, yes, the fewer wins and bigger gaps to Honda-powered winners will be accurate, but if their engines are missing a fraction of acceleration out of the slow corners and in top speed, is a Newgarden or Power competing with less talent or driving at a lower state of excellence than Palou?
And what if Chevy owns 2026 and Palou’s watching the poles and wins go to Newgardens and Powers? It’s just so hard to use numbers and formulas to derive incontrovertible answers when our sport is facilitated with complex machines and so many mechanical and human variables from one season to the next.
Q: I've been an IndyCar fan for over 50 years. Now, not so much. IMSA is my go-to now. I eagerly tune in to all practices and qualifying. Why? There is more action and strategy displayed. Now, I still haven't watched the Long Beach or Barber races. In both, while watching, I became bored, and with Barber I fell asleep. I don't know why I no longer care. So I've been thinking about this a lot lately.
First is the drivers. Can't say I'm really a fan of any of them. No personalities, no fight in them. Seems though we have a "top" five, but the rest are really interchangeable. They could swap teams and still be where they are. The grid is filled with drivers that seem to come out of nowhere. And the Indy ladder system is so unknown, what's the point? Remember USAC?
Then there’s the teams. We’ve got Penske and Ganassi. Andretti somewhat, McLaren somewhat. The rest are just trying to make the grid. Bless them. Hell, there's more excitement in Silly Season than the races themselves.
The cars? What can I say, I still feel like I'm watching races from five or more years ago. Same paint schemes, virtually the same lap times and too many regulations.
The TV? It seems a bit like FOX is trying to ramp up excitement that really isn't there. Announcers are caught in a situation where their tech talk is limited to tires and fuel mileage to keep the new watcher involved, while somewhat alienating us tech nerds.
So Marshall, here's the challenge to you. What can you say to me to see the light again? I'm afraid that after Indy, I might just say goodbye and maybe catch it again next year.
Allan
MP: Brother, I’ve got my own life to live and my own motivations to find. If you aren’t feeling IndyCar, give it a break. I loved MMA for about 20 years. Now, I barely follow it. I never missed an episode of Impractical Jokers. Now, I keep scrolling when I see new episodes pop up (it’s not the same without Joe.) I might rediscover my interests in one or the other, and they’ll be there waiting if I do, but one thing I can’t get with the dismissive takes on today’s drivers because that’s both wrong and unfair.
In the glory days of yesteryear, every driver was a fearless hero, had personality for days, and so on. And that simply isn’t the case. Time and romanticism turns the things we loved -- the sports, people, music, movies, etc. -- into the best-ever things that today’s things could never match. I have to fight this tendency within myself.
Pick the year, and about half the drivers are boring as hell and have/had nothing to say and nothing to contribute in the races. And the other half are/were amazing, and funny, or poignant, or inspiring, and did/do things that make them otherworldly. I think you could apply that to just about any sport in any year. Half will fade into obscurity and the other half will be celebrated after they retire. And a select few will be revered as all-timers. Today’s crop of IndyCar drivers are no different.
Q: I’m probably in the minority here, but I’ve really enjoyed the racing in IndyCar this year. There’s nothing wrong with watching a race that runs green with strategy games and battles throughout. When did racing need chaos to be entertaining? I was at Barber and while Palou dominated there, were some good battles throughout the field. Shouldn’t passing be something that takes skill and planning? I was disappointed last year when most of the road and street races turned into demolition derbies with yellow after yellow after yellow mid-race.
If F1 can teach us anything, it’s that not every race needs to be madness for people to be interested.
Side note: I’m blown away by FOX this year. The level of investment, as well as the quality of their promotion, might seriously be the best I’ve seen in sports. Could you see FOX leaving NASCAR behind and making IndyCar its racing star?
Ian
MP: I’ve found compelling aspects of every race as well. I just wouldn’t portray most of the races as being in the same league of entertainment as those I’ve seen over the last four or five season.
Many of the latest NBA playoff games have been blowouts. In those games, some incredible individual performances have occurred. But since I watch to see battles and competition for victory more than I do runaway wins, or scrappy play in garbage time from the second stringers that won’t affect the final outcome, I tend to tune out and find something else (unless it’s my Warriors dominating).
If what you’ve seen makes you happy, that’s all that matters.
FOX makes too much money off NASCAR to walk away. Hopefully, it will be able to say the same about IndyCar when it’s time to renew.
Q: IndyCar and Parkside collectibles launch latest line of trading cards? "Incredible and highly engaging."
Let's see if you print this: In one article you call out Penske for only wanting to pretend everything is great, and now this! I'm 68 years old and when I was 10 I had an amazing collection of baseball cards. Mickey Mantle, Willie Mays, Joe DiMaggio... get the idea? Actual heroes and icons!
Another weekend with another boring race. I recorded it and fast forwarded through it. Same with F1. The best part of last weekend was Verstappen getting passed by both of the McLarens.
Who in their right mind would want to buy IndyCar trading cards? Please enlighten me!
Tom Patrick, Baja California
MP: Just being honest here when I say that while I was reading this one, it was done with the voice of Dana Carvey’s character playing in my head.
What does the state of IndyCar and the problems it has, and the basic joy an increasing number of people have in collecting trading cards, have to do with each other?
Since you haven’t collected sports cards since you were 10 in the 1960s, when men were real men and real heroes and all of that crap, a 10-year-old fan of today’s IndyCar shouldn’t be able to have cards to collect? Or fans of any age?
Is it that hard to grasp that for a kid today, or a younger fan in general, or hell, even an older fan, that a Pato O’Ward or Josef Newgarden is their Ted Williams or Sandy Koufax?
And when did the quality of a game or race have any bearing on wanting to collect cards of your favorite team, player, or driver? People buy cards or jerseys of their favorite players from the Jets, Browns, and Cowboys, and they’re all trash. So why would a boring race at Barber stop someone from wanting to buy a pack of IndyCar trading cards find an autographed Conor Daly card or whoever they root for?
I think I’m the one who needs enlightening on why a harmless hobby that makes people happy deserves this sort of take.
Q: In the May 7 Mailbag you said: "Circle back to the weight again, and how the cars just won’t tolerate the same kind of over-aggressive passing attempts – like they did before the 100 pounds of hybrid – without losing control, and you have a newly flawed recipe."
So didn't the hybrid (weight) simply expose a problem that already existed? That type of driving is what makes embarrassing races like Detroit 2024 happen once a year. If the hybrid is making IndyCar drivers behave like actual professionals, then it's a plus.
Part of the problem is the car. The other part (the bigger one) is the tracks. But fixing U.S. tracks would take lot of money and effort, so that's not happening.
The immediate fix for the lack of passing is simple: Add a 100 seconds cooldown time to the push to pass. Super Formula does it and it helps a lot to create passing. It makes things interesting, and sometimes hilarious, when the driver can't find a good moment to shut down their P2P and end up spending one whole minute of it at once.
As for the lack of passing in the front, well, nothing could be done. Palou has no challenge this year. Just give him the trophy already.
And with engines, does IndyCar really need a new engine formula? F1 is still sticking to the V6 and adding even more standard parts, and I doubt they’ll be gone after 2030. That V10 talk was just PR. Those V6 engines will stay for 20+ years total there (counting from ’14).
If IndyCar adds max fuel flow and torque limits (sensors) like IMSA/WEC it can keep the V6 just fine. New manufacturers will know exactly what they need to build and how much it costs. As development is cut with those limits, Honda and Chevy won't have any advantage if those limits are set bellow what is currently used, will they?
William Mazeo
MP: So the weight, which has been a huge contributor to boring road and street course racing, is good because it should prevent a repeat of one really bad race at Detroit? And let’s stick with the engine formula that no manufacturers beyond Chevy and Honda are willing to use, but make some changes to how it’s used and believe other manufacturers will tell themselves the 15-plus years of experience Chevy and Honda have with the formula will be erased? I really need to start drinking before I do the Mailbag.
Q: Besides Kyle Larson, what drivers who are in the 2025 Indianapolis 500 have been in a NASCAR race? Chris Fiegler, Latham, NY
MP: Of those on the entry list, since nobody is in the race, yet, there’s Conor Daly, Helio Castroneves and Santino Ferrucci.
Q: During the Barber Indy NXT broadcast, Tim Cindric mentioned that it might be time for a push-to-pass rethink. Would you happen to know if there’s appetite among the teams or aeries leadership to alter P2P thresholds? I think the spirit of the comment was more along the lines of increasing the amount of available seconds, but would an increase in HP be feasible, as well?
Zach Mickler, Muncie, IN
MP: I haven’t heard anyone mention adjusting P2P thresholds in the IndyCar paddock. In the name of reliability, manufacturers would likely push back against a meaningful P2P power increase.
Q: I'd like to again state my desire for the return of traditional qualifying for Indianapolis: Pole Day, filling the field, then Bump Day. I would even settle for the two-day 1998-2000 format. No more of this Fast Nine and last row shootout (snoozers in my book). Penske Entertainment, Doug Boles, Indy-powers-that-be, exaudi orationem meam! (ED: According to Google, that translates as "Oh Lord, hear my prayer, and let my cry come unto thee")
With available engine leases appearing to be the major limiting factor to entries at the Speedway, and without a third supplier, will there ever be a time when teams own their power plants outright again? If the series moved to a spec engine formula, there would be less reason for the supplier to hide away proprietary elements from competitors, as there would be no competitors, and the engines could be sold rather than leased and retained.
The spec engine has been talked about seriously by Honda at least, and seems a real possibility. I say make it open-source with a public drawing package so anyone can make it, sell it, and buy it perhaps with a small royalty to the initial design team. I know I'm in fantasy land, but please indulge.
Pete, Rochester, NY
MP: Since my crystal ball and time machine are in the shop, I can’t predict the future at the moment, but I do suppose there could be a time when teams own their engines as they last did in the Indy Racing League with the naturally aspirated formula prior to full factory efforts arriving. But I don’t think that time will arrive anytime soon.
If Honda splits and Chevy’s left holding the bag, Penske will have a wide-open chance to move away from the lease-only policy. But the easiest plan would be to have Chevy/Ilmor supply a spec engine, and that would work best as a lease. Catch-22.
Q: In last week's Mailbag you mentioned Dario Franchitti wants to drive his Team KOOL Green Reynard again but can't because no manufacturer will make an engine available. What? That's just crazy to hear. How many other ex-CART drivers want to do the same? I don't have to tell you how popular CART was but if more of these monsters were running/racing in vintage series this would be a huge boon for racing overall, like witnessing a living T-Rex!
Rob, Rochester, NY
MP: Cosworth continues to service and support a number of its CART motors, and yes, it’s a treat when I get to see a CART car in action at historic events.
Doesn’t happen very often, and sadly, most that do appear are driven poorly, and slowly. But when you do get to see one wound up and pushed a bit, the sights and sounds are such a gift.
Q: Re: FormulaFox's letter (May 7 Mailbag) about the starts at Long Beach, you said we risked stalls before the start of the race, but with the hybrid restart, isn't that a moot point?
Personally, I would prefer a standing start, but moving the start/finish line further down the straight would allow all cars to exit the hairpin before the green flag waves. Surely that would be a better way of starting at Long Beach than having just the first eight-10 cars in line?
Graeme, Hull, UK
MP: A stalled car is a stalled car. The fact that drivers can restart the car is awesome, but it isn’t instantaneous, so no, a car that’s sitting dead on the front straight until it’s refired is a problem if you’re trying to start a race. Standing IndyCar starts have been done at Long Beach.
We’ve done an Indy 500 test and two IndyCar races since Long Beach, but if we’re lucky, we can keep talking about Long Beach starts into summer.
Q: I’ve been a loyal follower of F1 and IndyCar (Champ Car, CART, USAC) for longer than I care to say. My question involves Alex Palou’s potential future in F1. While I understand the desire to put an American rookie in the second Cadillac, if there are none yet qualified, wouldn’t be of equal value to select a driver clearly associated with the top American open-wheel series? Isn’t the value to the American series’ credibility the same?
Seems talent and qualifications are of more value than nationality. I believe Palou has the required FIA Super License but I’m not certain of an F1 opportunity escape clause in his current CGR contract.
Peter K, Mequon, WI
MP: F1 teams are there to compete at the highest level, so I don’t know if the series where a driver comes from would be a decision-making component in any way. It’s like the NFL draft. Teams pick the best available player who fits their specific needs. Where they went to college isn’t the deciding factor.
Q: I've been thinking about the low attrition throughout the season so far, and although it's not necessarily a bad thing, I was curious about what could bring some extra flair to the races. Many drivers have thrown it away in practice and quals trying to get the best lap time, and it makes me wonder if there would be any sort of extra incentive (and risk) if IndyCar implemented a fastest lap reward? Maybe even extra points to the car with the fastest pit stop.
Do you think IndyCar would ever implement this? What do you think IndyCar could do other than the common themes we see all the time to make racing more interesting?
Jack, New York
MP: Love the idea of adding more pieces of flair to a race. Just can’t think how giving a point for the fastest lap would achieve this goal since we see it in F1 and it does nothing to improve the show. Pit crews are already doing their best, so giving points for the fastest stop would be cool, but the only way I can think of it bringing new spice is if the pursuit of those points create mistakes. Otherwise, we already have pit crews going at whatever their individual top speeds might be.
Or maybe we make pit stops like a relay race where they get a single wheel gun and the left-front changer does their tire and then sprints to hand it to the left-rear changer, and so on, until all four tires are changed. Instead of four individuals working along, let’s make it a true teamwork-based process where the speed of a stop is linked to all four changers acting as one.
That’s probably a stupid idea, but the good thing is I have an endless supply…
Q: Derek Daly's recent request of Mr. Penske was spot on! I had never considered the fact until reading his letter. As a die-hard fan watching every session available on a weekend, by race time it is pretty easy to know who is who for the weekend. However, for the casual fans who might just watch the race or are new to the sport, this has to be massively confusing.
I had previously wondered why IndyCar teams do not have preseason launch parties in the same way that F1 teams do, and this is the exact reason. They would only be launching a livery that might show up in 20% of the races for the season.
If the new IndyCar charters will ever be valuable to the owners, it is 100% dependent on them being able to build the team into an identifiable brand. Otherwise IndyCar teams and their charters are only as valuable as the equipment and cars that come with them regardless of guaranteed starting spots.
As Mr. Daly pointed out, McLaren is miles ahead of the competition in this respect by choosing their colors and molding their sponsors logos and brand into an existing scheme. If IndyCar truly wants their teams and drivers to become recognizable brands, it sounds like Derek Daly has the right idea. Not only would this benefit younger fans but all fans.
IndyCar's most popular driver has driven the black and orange No.5 Arrow McLaren at almost every race for the last six years. Maybe they are onto something.
Kaleb Hartman
MP: Loved seeing Derek take an impassioned position on this, and while I agree the basic premise of it being good to make racing easier to follow, it’s a wasted plea to Roger Penske because it completely ignores the reality of today’s IndyCar economics.
Back when Pennzoil sponsored Rick Mears for the entire season, or Marlboro paid all the bills, it was easy to run one livery because one company covered the operating budget. And we haven’t lived in those times for decades. A rotating cast of sponsors has been the standard in NASCAR for even longer, and started when the price of a season of racing went so high that a single sponsor couldn’t afford to pay for the year on their own.
So multiple primaries were required to satisfy the annual budgets and Company A, B, and C took turns as the featured names and liveries across 30-plus events. There were exceptions, of course, with some full-season single sponsors, but the "It takes a nation to raise a budget" routine is now the standard. It’s also customary for major single-sponsors to do custom liveries each season, which sells a lot of t-shirts and models.
The same dynamic took hold in IndyCar, but for a different reason. Where NASCAR teams sought multiple primaries to add up to the $25 million or more they needed per car, an increasing number of IndyCar teams struggled to find single sponsors who wanted to pay the $5-10 million for a season (depending on the year) because they didn’t see the value.
Anecdotally, a big sponsor that was willing to commit $15 million to a multi-primary NASCAR sponsorship would pass on the $5 million ask in IndyCar, but might come in at $3 million based on the smaller audience it would reach. In time, the Targets and ABC Supplys, both which sponsored as primaries for decades, left IndyCar, and now, it’s a rarity when a PNC Bank or Arrow Electronics or Verizon or Splenda is featured on a car from the first to the last race with no livery changes.
So with that part known, how would a team like Ganassi, which won the championship with Alex Palou, but couldn’t find one big sponsor to pay for the entire year, do with its liveries? DHL is on for most of the races, but not all, so would a different sponsor need to use DHL’s red and yellow livery -- even if it’s not their colors -- under Derek’s plan?
HRC US sponsored the car at Barber, and its colors are red, white and blue. So if it pays for the car to race, it shouldn’t get to use its colors and branding? Again, it’s an easy plea to make, but it has no roots in reality. Derek’s son Conor was hoping to have a big cryptocurrency sponsor to bring to Juncos Hollinger Racing, but it fell through. So he raced at St. Petersburg with the team’s base colors of green and gray. Then a new deal came together and a number change happened at the event.
Then the new Cyclum Nextgen Travel Centers sponsorship came in for Thermal, and the green and grey was replaced by the new sponsor’s white, green, and blue. Then Mannkind returned and the car was magenta and white. Then Cyclum returned at Barber… so three different liveries in four races for Conor, all done to keep the money coming in to support his place on the grid.
If a team is unable to land a full-season primary, it’s in no position to tell the array of smaller, race-by-race sponsors what colors they can use. The teams needing multiples are not in a position of power or strength to dictate such things, which is and has been obvious for a long time.
Even Arrow McLaren, which was lauded for its base livery design and consistency, rotates through sponsors and special colors; the cars of Lundgaard and Siegel are a perfect example at the Indy GP where they almost look like twins, but at Barber, they were distinctly different. And then they’ll change again for the Indy 500.
PREMA has gone with a standardized livery, which is great, but they’re funded by a zillionaire and run with no primary sponsors at most races to date.
If there’s a plea to send Roger, it’s to help fix the paddock’s economics so the entire field is capable of finding one big sponsor for their entries. This plea focuses on curing the symptom rather than the underlying problem that creates the symptom.
Q: I'm afraid I don't share the same concerns as Derek Daly when it comes to IndyCar's modern liveries. I think younger fans are far more adaptable than he realizes, and it's the older fans who can't let go of the multi-season consistency.
The biggest example that comes to mind for me is Kyle Busch's long-time sponsorship by Mars Inc. While the yellow Peanut M&Ms were his primary paint scheme, they would often have other colors for their other products like Skittles, Snickers, Ethel M, and Pedigree. Even then, he had other companies to fill out the season like Interstate Batteries and DeWalt. None of that stopped him from being the most popular driver among young kids.
Mr. Daly has also missed that the top American sports leagues have in fact expanded the use of alternative uniform colors throughout the season, most notably for me with the MLB's "City Connect" uniforms. The first time I saw the Red Sox wearing their yellow-and-blue jerseys I was confused, but I quickly adapted, and it's become a fan-favorite.
I think the biggest problem with the liveries in IndyCar is their not being visually distinct from each other, which Daly brings up briefly when talking about the red-and-black liveries of Newgarden and Power at one race. But this is a stronger problem with intentional team colors. In prior years it was difficult to tell the papaya-and-cyan of Rosenqvist from the papaya-and-cerulean of Rossi, and this year it's difficult to remember which of Rossi and Rasmussen has yellow-over-black or black-over-yellow for the rear halves of their cars. In those cases I need to look for the (tiny) car numbers in order to remember which is which.
Even all that said, I don't think this is a major problem preventing viewer retention. The commentators do a good job of telling us which car is on screen, the director is taking feedback on showing more on-track battles, in-person attendance is healthy at most events, and next year IndyCar will have more time to work closely with FOX to make a schedule that's better for everyone's interests. There's obviously more that can be done, but I'm optimistic about the series' direction.
Mike, California
MP: Agreed on all fronts, Mike.
Q: How are the pit assignments chosen for the 500? Is it the same as the rest of the season? Is it based on the qualifying results of the GP? Or is there something different for the 500?
Craig
MP: Traditionally, the picks are done after qualifying with the top qualifiers getting first choices.
Q: Question to everybody: What was the strangest thing you have ever seen in all of your years covering racing?
Kurt Perleberg
MP: My first response was going to be "getting paid on time by a team," but that’s only 75-percent accurate, and you didn’t ask about my time working for teams. There’s a really sweet guy in Indiana who dressed up as me for Halloween. RACER hat. Laptop. Camera. Took me a week or two to stop being worried. I’m the biggest nobody you’ll ever meet. The concept of someone -- anyone -- coming up with their own costume of me… my brain said NOPE and shut off. Made no sense. Met him, and his wife a year later, and I felt like an ass for being unable to instantly recognize his gesture with the kindness it was born from.
Another one that comes to mind is the owner of a prominent racing series going into the fan forums on a rival’s official series site and talk a lot of crap about that series’ cars. And not under a burner account that was later revealed, but as himself. This was years ago, but it was wild.
CHRIS MEDLAND: Great question! There’s been some very unusual bits, such as a fire truck driving along the track when there wasn’t even a safety car deployed during the Korean Grand Prix a few years ago, and the sight of drivers heading out for qualifying at the crack of dawn on Sunday morning in Interlagos last year!
For off-track ones, though, two stand out. One is Giedo van der Garde taking Sauber to court in Australia when he was meant to be one of the team’s drivers that year but it had actually signed three race drivers. And the other is Finbarr O’Connell living his best life in Abu Dhabi when he was dealing with Caterham entering administration.
O’Connell was obviously trying to help find the team a buyer at the end of 2014, but he fulfilled team principal duties for the weekend too after a successful crowdfunding round, appearing in the official FIA press conference and sitting on the pit wall. He was a lovely guy and it was a really tough time for the team, but it was a hilarious development looking back on it.
Q: Given the driving style of today's F1 driver (it's my corner so I have the right to drive you off the track), when will the powers that be give the pole winner the inside line into Turn 1 on certain tracks? Maybe having the preferred driving line is okay for a sweeping turn, but for tracks with hard braking, the preferred line seems to be a disadvantage.
Mark, San Diego, CA
CM : There are some places this happens, Mark. In fact, the next two races -- Imola and Monaco -- have pole position on the inside for the first braking point. But the reason pole is usually on the outside is because it’s on the racing line, and therefore a grippier surface that is more likely to lead to a better launch for the pole-sitter.
You can’t drive someone off the track if you aren’t far enough alongside either (check out Verstappen vs Leclerc in Las Vegas in 2023 for that one), so the though process is that if you get equal launches then the car on pole will have more grip and be further ahead by Turn 1. Even if they are slightly worse off the line, they still have a good chance of being far enough ahead to deserve racing room, and can carry more speed from the racing line.
As you mention, pole at Imola is because it’s a sweeping right-hander first so it’s on the racing line and the first corner isn’t a braking zone, but it’s further along that you brake for a left-hander. At Monaco it’s purely due to how short the run to Turn 1 is, and it’s seen as a benefit to have the inside covered off as the car on pole, due to the danger of being pushed into a barrier on the outside. It’s not actually been a point of discussion raised by the drivers, but I think historical data is used to highlight any venues it would be a disadvantage to start on the racing line / outside of the first corner. There just seem to have been quite a few sub-par starts from pole this year!
Q: You know things are bad when even fans are booing the FIA president. Mohammed Ben Sulayem’s supreme unpopularity among the paddock and fans alike would make it seem that his defeat is all but certain when the General Assembly votes in December. But of course things are never that easy. Who are the serious players to stand for election, and do any of them have a chance of wooing enough voters to win?
Brad
Q: Is there any chance Mohammed Ben Sulayem gets voted out as FIA president? Could Carlos Sainz Sr. convince people to vote for him? Given the controversy around Ben Sulayem and his leadership, I hope Sainz can pull it off
David Tucker
CM: I’m going to take these two together as David’s question provides the main answer to Brad’s, which is that Carlos Sainz Sr. is the main serious player in the mix at the moment. That’s not to say more won’t come forward -- there’s been a general feeling that a few opponents will run -- but none have been willing to put their hats into the ring yet.
To Brad’s point, Ben Sulayem has not proven massively popular with fans or with some in the F1 paddock, but the FIA’s remit is far bigger than just F1 and fans don’t get a say on who is president, so in many ways that has little impact.
It’s about the member clubs -- or national federations -- who vote for the president, but given the number of senior personnel who have left the FIA (many citing concerns over the standards of governance), and the heads of member clubs who have publicly voiced concerns, there’s clear room for a challenger to gain significant support.
They will need to be someone extremely experienced in the world of motorsport at multiple levels, and that’s where Sainz Sr. does fit the bill. His rallying background is obviously incredible, but he’s also seen what it takes to go right through from karting to F1 courtesy of his son, so he has a good level of understanding of the ladder.
What Sainz Sr., or any other candidate, will have to do is convince enough member clubs that they will improve things for them more than Ben Sulayem has so far. That’s not the work of a moment, so there will be plenty of campaigning ahead if Sainz does formally announce his intention to run (which I’m told is 90% likely).
Q: Antonelli has about half of Russell's points, Bearman has less than half of Ocon's, Bortoleto has no points compared to Hulkenberg's six, and Lawson got demoted. There also aren't any experienced drivers who are new to a team this year that are beating the teammate that was already at the team.
I guess what I'm getting at is, Jack Doohan's performance compared to Pierre Gasly isn't really much of an anomaly for this season. What is a realistic expectation for a rookie or driver that is new to a team compared to an established veteran?
Will, Indy
CM: Very well highlighted Will, because I maintain Doohan didn’t get a fair chance at proving himself in the short timeframe given. And you’ve provided a statistical way of backing that up.
That’s not to say Franco Colapinto isn’t a very strong replacement who might excel, but Doohan showed flashes of rapid pace and potential, and hasn’t been allowed to build on that.
And that’s what I would call the realistic expectation for rookies or new drivers in teams -- to show potential. Look at Carlos Sainz -- nobody’s questioning his ability because he’s shown what he can do on occasion, just hasn’t been able to replicate it consistently yet. It’s the same with Lewis Hamilton at Ferrari, where his Sprint pole and win in China prove what he’s capable of when he gets the car to his liking, or adapts further.
For rookies, I’d say by the end of the season they should be getting closer to their teammate than they were at the start, and there should be a few occasions where they beat them to show they can handle the pressure of taking those chances, too. But as they learn tracks and navigate a full F1 season for the first time, it’s fair for those small deficits to add up in such a close field, and create a bit of a margin.
Oscar Piastri is the perfect example in recent years. He was comfortably beaten by Lando Norris in year one as team-mates (205 points to 97) but had a Sprint victory later in the year at a Qatar track he’d tested on and that many drivers had just one weekend’s experience of, and a few times he beat Norris.
Year two, that gap closed (374 to 292) as Piastri used the experience gained in his rookie season, and now he’s a match for Norris and has had the better of a close battle so far.
That’s year three, for a hugely impressive talent. The signs were there earlier on, but he has been given time to build on them and develop.
THE FINAL WORD
From Robin Miller's Mailbag, May 14, 2014
Q: I've heard you make reference to getting punched by A.J. Foyt back in the day. I never heard the full story, but I was just reading through an Indy Star paper from race day '82 and you call him out for having lost his desire to win. Is that what did it
John
ROBIN MILLER: Well, it was a smack in the back of the head, not a punch, and it was because of a line in my story that said, “A.J.’s straightaway speeds were raising eyebrows up and down pit lane.” We were mad at each other for about a year but buried the hatchet and I think he considers me a friend. He still answers my phone calls and lets me in his garage. And I love talking to Tex about the good old days, on the phone or at the track.
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Marshall Pruett
The 2025 season marks Marshall Pruett's 39th year working in the sport. In his role today for RACER, Pruett covers open-wheel and sports car racing as a writer, reporter, photographer, and filmmaker. In his previous career, he served as a mechanic, engineer, and team manager in a variety of series, including IndyCar, IMSA, and World Challenge.
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