“In some ways it absolutely is” - When Josef Newgarden acknowledged F1’s image as "the pinnacle"

Two-time IndyCar champion Josef Newgarden once delved into why F1 is considered the "pinnacle of motorsport." In 2023, Newgarden sat down for an interview with Jason Stein of "Cars and Culture."

After talking briefly about the F1 dream he harbored for a large part of his life, the Team Penske driver addressed F1's global image. He said:

"Formula 1 has done a tremendous job at marketing itself as the pinnacle. And in some ways, it absolutely is. If we're talking about the pinnacle of car technology and engineering, that is what Formula 1 represents. There's hundreds, sometimes thousands, of people on a team with unbelievable budgets, you know, half a billion dollars on some of these groups, that are building the most impressive cars on the planet" [0:14].

Though Newgarden gave F1 the edge in technological matters, he didn't consider it the best racing spectacle.

"But is it [F1] the most impressive racing product on the planet? You know, now having been a part of it [motorsport] for so long and growing up, I know it's (F1) not. I'm positive on that, you know, having first-hand knowledge of it."

Before switching to American open-wheel racing, Newgarden competed in the junior categories in Europe - Formula Ford, Formula Palmer Audi Championship, and the GP3 (now F3) series.

Josef Newgarden: F1 is "not as appealing" as IndyCar for racing drivers

Josef Newgarden at the Rolex 24 at Daytona - Source: Getty

In 2017, over a month after winning his maiden championship with Team Penske, Josef Newgarden revealed he'd "love to try" F1. The No. 2 Chevrolet driver likened himself to 2x F1 champ Fernando Alonso in exploring different racing categories to be a holistic racer.

However, half a decade down the line, his desire to compete in F1 faded. In 2022, he opined that F1 wasn't a "driver's championship." Newgarden said (via Autoweek),

"The older I've gotten, the more I've been in racing and watched Formula 1, I don't know (if) it's somewhere I really want to race. It doesn't look as much of a driver's championship to me."

"I think IndyCar is really where you're going to get the most competitive product as a racing driver. When you're a driver at the top level, you want to have an opportunity to compete, to win the championship, to win big races regardless of your situation. I think unfortunately that's not present in Formula 1. So from that standpoint, it's not as appealing."

Despite this changed view, Josef Newgarden didn't rule out a potential F1 move. But for now, the Tennessee native is on a roll in IndyCar. He became the first driver since Helio Castroneves in 2002 to win back-to-back Indy 500s. In 2025, he is eyeing an unprecedented three-peat at the "Greatest Spectacle of Racing" despite this season recording his worst championship standings finish since 2014, eight in the standings.