Rumor: Liberty Media Looking to Buy IndyCar.
Liberty Media, who owns F1, wants to turn IndyCar into an American-based feeder category for Formula 1; IndyCar will move away from ovals, and race more on street circuits.
According to Peter Windsor, the North American mass media corporation, Liberty Media, will further expand its strategic operations in the United States by acquiring the IndyCar Series. Ever since the corporation got Formula One Management under their wing, the land of the free has received more and more attention.
The United Stated only had 1 race, prior to the Liberty Media takeover. Today we have 3 races: one in Miami, one in Texas, and another one in Las Vegas. F1 could add a fourth race in New York in the future. The street-circuit layout is already established, and just some minor details need ironing before it is a reality.
Races are not the only benefit from the Liberty Media takeover; series like Drive to Survive in Netflix has helped F1 gain a lot of popularity in the United States and put the category on the map. F1 has also improved its social media exposure and attracted new fans.
American takeover
F1 has 6 races in Asia: Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Japan, Singapore, Qatar, and Abu Dhabi's season closer. The American continent, has the same number of races as well: Miami, Texas, Las Vegas, Canada, Mexico, and Brazil.
With a potential New York race, America (the continent) will surpass the number of races in Asia; it will become F1's second-biggest market, behind Europe, which has 9 races. Imagine if the United States can secure a couple of more venues, like a return to Indianapolis and Watkins Glen; maybe a street race in Chicago? What if Argentina makes a return? Moto GP currently runs at a world-class venue like 'Termas de Río Hondo'.
The American continent is set become the biggest market for Formula 1, surpassing Europe's 9 races. With venues like Spa, or Silverstone hanging on a thread, Europe will start losing venues and nothing guarantees those Grand Prix will be replaced by another European circuit. Only circuits like Portimão and Imola can, and have replaced other European F1 races in the past.
There are no ongoing projects for new race tracks in Europe at the moment, and with an aging population suffering from inflation, multi-million-dollar mega projects are not even at the bottom of their list of priorities.
IndyCar will become more global
McLaren-Arrow has been one of the teams that has expanded to IndyCar, they currently have 'Pato' O'Ward, Felix Rosenqvist, and Indianapolis 500 winner in 2016, Alexander Rossi, who also raced in Formula 1. These young drivers are massively talented, and will probably have a great performance in an F1 car.
If Liberty Media ends up buying IndyCar, they will do everything they can to homologate the FIA super-license with the American equivalent. Keep in mind that Colton Herta
could not make his F1 move because he could not secure his FIA Super-License.
It is unfathomable that a professional race driver in America struggles to get a license to race in Formula 1, but a European racer can drive in IndyCar with no problem, like Romain Grosjean, and Marcus Ericsson.
With those details sorted out, IndyCar will become more global, perfectly homologated with FIA's standards. This will set IndyCar as a sister series for Formula 1. Perhaps a few things will change, like shifting away from ovals into more street-circuits, or other venues like Utah Motorsport Campus, or Canadian Tire Motorsport Park in Ontario.
Maybe IndyCar can have a few races in Europe, like in Austria, Jerez (Spain), Caldwell Park, and Oulton Park (Britain); these venues have the perfect circuit length for great IndyCar races.
American-based feeder series
Global exposure and homologation will result in a natural 'come-and-go' for IndyCar and F1 drivers. It will be natural to see young IndyCar talent move to F1, and established F1 drivers move to IndyCar, like Romain Grosjean.
Maybe F1 drivers can be featured in historic venues like Indianapolis, just like Fernando Alonso did a few times. This can also work the other way around. Perhaps Formula 1 can host special, invitational races, like the Emilia Romagna GP or the Silverstone GP featuring IndyCar drivers.
F1 will be forced to become more flexible and fun. Dropping their rigid structure will attract new fans and keep them engaged in the sport. F1 and IndyCar will adapt their schedules to allow these special Grand Prix to happen without conflict.
The geopolitical scenario will force this change
Considering their geographical proximity and the closeness of its time zones, America and Europe will be at the top of global motorsport. F1 and IndyCar will be the biggest open-wheel series in the world.
The geopolitical landscape is polarizing the world into two big zones: NATO (America and Western Europe), and Eurasia (Russia, and Asia). A symbiotc relationship between Formula 1 and IndyCar will help secure its sustainability strategy, economically, and environmentally-wise.
I would not be surprised if Formula 1 starts shifting away from Asian races, especially in countries like China, Qatar or Saudi Arabia, favoring venues in the United States like New York, or potentially returning to Indianapolis. F1 dropped the Sochi Grand Prix in Russia due to the ongoing conflict in Ukraine.
If countries like China, start positioning themselves strongly against the NATO agenda, we might see their races being dropped. The 2023 Chinese GP was dropped from the calendar due to COVID-related issues. The FIA does not hesitate when it comes to dropping a venue, replacing it with another one.
What are your thoughts on the rumor? Should F1 shift towards a more Euro-American centric calendar? Let me know in the comments below.
Happy racing.
[Source: Peter Windsor]
