Formula 1 vs NASCAR: Comparing Two Racing Giants-pagu
- We break down the differences between the two popular racing series.
- Which drivers have run in both F1 and NASCAR?
- Make sure to check our Locker Room for the best F1 betting predictions!
Is NASCAR or F1 more popular? The two are without a doubt the biggest motorsports disciplines worldwide, with each series boasting millions of fans. From the cars, speed, field size, courses, competitions, and fanbases, these two racing giants boast numerous differences that distinguish them from each other.
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F1 vs Nascar: Differences and Similarities
Who Can Compete?
It is far more difficult to start an F1 team than a NASCAR team. In NASCAR, as long as you can pay the entry fee for the respective race, have a car that passes technical inspection, and post a fast enough qualifying time, you can race on the biggest stage in stock car racing. In F1, teams must apply for an FIA License (after paying the hefty application fee), which does not even guarantee an entry. As seen with Andretti Autosport in early 2023, the FIA can grant or deny prospective teams from entering. As for who can drive the cars, F1 drivers must obtain a Super License via a rigorous process. NASCAR drivers must also obtain a license, though the process is not remotely as rigorous.
As for what the teams can spend, F1 teams’ budgets are capped and could face significant penalties if they exceed it. This does not mean teams spend the same amount of money. Depending on funding from team leaders, manufacturers, investors, and sponsorship, the disparity can be great, and often noticeable in performance. NASCAR teams do not have a spending cap, which makes the disparity between the haves and have-nots that much greater. NASCAR teams rely almost exclusively on sponsorship, meaning drivers who bring their own sponsorship or family money are more likely to obtain a ride.
Taking The Green Flag
In F1, there are 10 teams that field two entries for each race. NASCAR teams can have anywhere from one to four teams in a given race, filling up a field of no less than 36 drivers. NASCAR races are broken into three stages, as of 2017, with points being delegated in all three, while F1 features no such thing.
Unsurprisingly with bigger fields, NASCAR boasts far more parity. Of the 34 full-time drivers in the year 2024, 23 of them have won a Cup Series race. One thing working against F1 since the turn of the century is the lack of parity. Drivers like Michael Schumacher, Sebastian Vettel, Lewis Hamilton, and Max Verstappen have dominated nearly full seasons. In 2023, Verstappen won 19 of 22 Grand Prix and followed that up by winning seven of 10 to start 2024. However, the second-generation driver has gone four straight races without a win as of the Belgian Grand Prix.
While in NASCAR, every driver in the field accrues points in each, only the top 10 drivers in an F1 race do, with bonus points available for the fastest lap of the race, which sometimes comes from a driver finishing outside the top 10. These points accrue throughout the season, and the driver with the most when the checkered flag waves at the season finale wins the World Championship. NASCAR has a far more convoluted method of crowning a champion, featuring an elimination-style playoff format, opening the door for the best driver to not win the championship, de-valuing it, compared to F1.
Are Formula 1 Cars Faster Than NASCAR?
Yes, Formula One cars are generally faster than NASCAR cars. Here’s why:
- Top Speed: F1 cars can reach much higher top speeds due to their aerodynamic design and powerful engines.
- Top Speed: F1 cars can reach much higher top speeds due to their aerodynamic design and powerful engines.
- Acceleration: While NASCAR cars have impressive acceleration off the line, F1 cars can match or even exceed them due to their lighter weight and higher power-to-weight ratio.
However, it’s important to note that NASCAR races on oval tracks, which are designed to maximize speed. F1 races on a variety of tracks, including road courses and street circuits, which present different challenges.
Breaking Down the Nuts and Bolts
The main difference between the two series is the cars. The NASCAR NextGen Car, which entered competition in 2022, is a nearly two-ton stock car that can reach nearly 200 miles per hour while drafting, but typically runs around 185 mph.
While NASCAR has a fully closed cockpit, F1 cars have open cockpits, though now equipped with a halo safety system, intended to protect drivers’ heads. Following the death of Jules Bianchi, Henry Surtees in F2, Justin Wilson in IndyCar, and the near-death of Felipe Massa, the series mandated it in 2018. While divisive at the time, it has been credited with saving numerous drivers from serious injury or even death.
Debunking Preconceived Notions
NASCAR is often unfairly boiled down to a series that does not necessitate skill as drivers simply need to turn left. This could not be further from the truth, as NASCAR drivers need to master tracks with both different lengths and different banking. The shortest track in Martinsville clocks in at just over a half-mile, while Talladega is over 2.6 miles. This also excludes the fact that road courses are far more frequently part of the schedule.
While only running on road and street courses, no two courses are the same. F1 drivers must endure courses with different circuit designs, pavement conditions, turns, braking zones, and chicanes, among other things. F1 drivers are, without a doubt, the most skilled road course drivers in the world.
Has an F1 Driver Ever Gone to NASCAR?
While no full-time NASCAR drivers have defected to Formula 1, several top F1 drivers have tried their hand at the most competitive stock racing series in the world. The most notable crossover was when seven-time Grand Prix winner Juan Pablo Montoya shocked NASCAR news by driving full-time for Chip Ganassi Racing in the Cup Series in 2007. Montoya had a successful NASCAR career that saw him win two Cup races. After fizzling out in F1, Scott Speed moved to NASCAR full-time and did not see the success Montoya did, driving for mid-pack teams from 2009 to 2013. 1997 F1 World Champion Jacques Villeneuve ventured into NASCAR following his F1 career with little success, though he was an effective road course ringer in the second division Xfinity Series. 32-time Grand Prix winner Fernando Alonso teased a NASCAR run in the late 2010s, it never came to fruition.
Mario Andretti, one of the most famous drivers in any discipline, won the 1967 Daytona 500, one of just 14 career starts. More recently, F1 World Champions Kimi Raikkonen and Jenson Button have made Cup Series appearances, as has Daniil Kvyat. Descendents of F1 royalty Christian Fittipaldi and Nelson Piquet Jr. also forayed into NASCAR. Fittipaldi had a disastrous 2003 season driving for Richard Petty. Piquet, on the other hand, won a race in both the Xfinity and Truck series.
While NASCAR betting fans have suggested its premiere drivers such as Jeff Gordon, Jimmie Johnson, and most recently, Kyle Larson could contend for wins in F1, a move like that has never happened and likely never will.
While there is a natural rivalry between the two, both series have plenty of merit and fans of one series certainly learn something from the other and admire the different aspects they each bring to the table.
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