"Ayrton Senna maybe used it as publicity" - Josef Newgarden highlights IndyCar's true value with F1 comparison

Two-time defending Indy 500 winner Josef Newgarden used F1 legend Ayrton Senna's IndyCar test as an example to underline how the American racing series has always been on par with F1. Newgarden referenced Senna's move to show how IndyCar was F1's biggest competitor in the 1980s and 90s and how FOX's viral promos are already helping resurrect the American series.

In 1992, Senna was in a tough spot in F1. Honda, which supplied engines to McLaren from 1988 to 1992 and recorded one of F1's most successful partnerships, ended their participation in the series after the final season. McLaren won eight championships consecutively from 1988 to 1991 (both drivers' and constructors'), with Ayrton Senna winning three and his teammate and arch-rival Alain Prost winning one.

In 1993, Prost signed with Williams. Senna, who was pondering his options, took part in an IndyCar test with Team Penske, which Josef Newgarden currently drives for, to gain an edge in his contract negotiations with McLaren.

In the latest episode of the Over Stregen podcast on YouTube, Josef Newgarden was asked how IndyCar's new broadcasting partner, FOX Sports, will help elevate the series. In response, the two-time champ said:

"IndyCar used to rival F1 back in the 80s, the early 90s, and you know, I'm talking high-level hitters like Ayrton Senna even, maybe, he used it as publicity or a bargaining tool, but he even had a test with my team Penske. Nigel Mansell obviously came over and had a lot of success from Formula 1 to IndyCar," he said on the Over Stregen podcast (10:00 onwards).

"My point is that IndyCar used to be a very prominent global series and it was the competitor to Formula 1 and I still think it is. In a lot of ways, it is a drivers' championship. it is an extremely competitive form of open-wheel racing. So having a TV partner like FOX will grow the sport again to what it used to be."

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Josef Newgarden highlights the biggest difference between F1 and IndyCar

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The biggest difference between F1 and IndyCar is the varied role that drivers and teams play. F1 is more of a constructors' championship, where the technical make-up of the car decides a driver's fate. Contrastingly, in IndyCar, a spec series, the cars are more or less the same, bringing the drivers' performance and skills into focus.

Josef Newgarden highlighted this difference in simple words on the aforementioned podcast episode, saying:

"F1 is fantastic, I love it, it's very technically innovative, but it is very much a manufacturer's championship...Of course, the drivers are a component to that, but I think the manufacturer part is bigger than the driver," Newgarden said (12:25 onwards).

"In IndyCar, it is much more about the driver. So there are technical differences between the cars and the teams, there's different engine manufacturers, but it's much closer, the technical side, than F1. So it comes down then to the driver."

In 2022, Josef Newgarden revealed how his interest in driving in F1 faded because of the same reason - it being a constructors' championship. Since then, his foothold in IndyCar has only grown stronger.

In 2023 and 2024, the Team Penske driver won the Indy 500 consecutively and is aiming for a three-peat at the 109th running of the race this year.