Scott Dixon stands by "no regrets" F1 decision

Scott Dixon is standing by his decision to reject a potential F1 career to stay and flourish in IndyCar. In April 2004, the New Zealand driver, who was fresh off the first of his six IndyCar championships, tested a Williams F1 car, the FW26. It was his first time in an F1 car, and the lap times weren't impressive.

Dixon was three seconds off the pace. However, Patrick Head, then-co-owner of Williams who was looking for a driver for the 2005 F1 season, did not doubt Dixon's capabilities. He believed the IndyCar champ could easily be on the money once he got accustomed to the lighter F1 cars and grooved tires.

In a 2021 interview with RN365, Scott Dixon's manager, Stefan Johannson, revealed how even Ferrari was interested in giving Dixon an F1 test. However, Chip Ganassi Racing gave him a new offer, which trumped the interest of both Williams and Ferrari.

Dixon recently opened up about how he felt testing the FW26 and why he chose not to join the pinnacle of motorsport.

"(The FW26 was) definitely a fun car to drive. The option was maybe to be a test driver. (I’d) just won my first championship in IndyCar… (so) definitely no regrets. Did I make the wrong decision? No ... in F1, you know, it’s still a crazy sport, man, with some crazy cars, but I enjoy the racing I got right now," he said via the NZ Herald.

The Chip Ganassi Racing driver's decision seemed to backfire immediately as he finished a lowly 10th in the 2004 IndyCar championship, and further down in 13th in 2005. However, he made a stellar comeback in 2006 with a fourth-place finish in the standings and has since never finished outside the top 6 in 19 years. He is only one championship away from tying AJ Foyt's record of seven titles.

When Scott Dixon said he prefers IndyCar despite admitting F1 is the "pinnacle"

Scott Dixon sprays champagne INDYCAR Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg - Source: Getty

In 2022, Scott Dixon admitted that F1 justified its branding as the 'pinnacle of motorsport'. The open-wheel series was truly global with races in five of seven continents. It continues to sell out venues during race weekends. Despite this allure of F1, Dixon preferred IndyCar for the pure, hyper-competitive racing it offered.

"You know, F1 is still the pinnacle man. You look at the sheer size of it, the sheer revenue, the TV numbers, you know, it's the prize," he said via Autoweek. "As far as a purist and loving IndyCar for what it is and how competitive is and how fun the cars are and the cool tracks we get to go to, I personally prefer IndyCar."

F1 is more of a constructors' championship, while IndyCar puts the drivers on a relatively equal footing, facilitating more intense wheel-to-wheel racing. Team Penske's Josef Newgarden has seconded this stance in the past.

Scott Dixon has had a bittersweet start to the 2025 IndyCar season. The No. 9 Honda driver missed a victory at the Grand Prix of St. Petersburg as a result of losing full radio communication with his team. He fared worse at the second race at the Thermal Club and just managed to finish within the top 10. He stands third in the championship standings.