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[EwanM]

Well no not really. She's not a championship contender

[Gaz]

fair enough she's sligtly average for an indy car driver but you send Alonso, LH, Kimi Masa or practicly any F1 driver off to Indy car and they'd win it in one Season.

Look at an Middle Aged Mansell winning it as a rookie

[cap-dude]

Well no not really. She's not a championship contender

Hmm, well I consider Indycar a series very much determined by car over driver, where races are won or lost during pit stops. And by that reckoning, considering that she's doing the best job of the drivers racing for Andretti green racing. I'd say she's not doing to bad.

Also, nascar drivers in F1 is no no. So really, if you wanted an american F1 driver, you'd be looking at Indycar, and Dancia is currently the top american racer in Indycar. So in my opinion, it makes a fair bit of sense.



But, I don't believe in choosing drivers based on their nationality or sponsorship backing. But if USF1 were looking an american talent, J.R. Hildebrand would sure be an interesting guy to try out. Apart from dominating the the indy lights series at the moment, he raced for one weekend for A1GP at Brands Hatch. Let me first say, that Brands Hatch is one of the most difficult circuits out there to learn. Many people have highlighted that getting a great lap there is harder than any other circuit. So to come out on your debut, at a new track and qualify 4th, and finish there in the race as well. Just one place away from a podium, is darn right impressive.

USF1 have mentioned J.R. Hildebrand as a candidate for a race seat, and it would be shame not to see such an exciting talent in F1.

[digitaleye]

fair enough she's sligtly average for an indy car driver but you send Alonso, LH, Kimi Masa or practicly any F1 driver off to Indy car and they'd win it in one Season.

Look at an Middle Aged Mansell winning it as a rookie

Admitting of course that the F1 drivers at the top end of the field are superior to any of those in IndyCar, I'd bet you that even Alonso , Hamilton etc wouldn't win the IndyCar championship right away or even ever. The reason is the stupid oval tracks they race on. This year there are 10 ovals out of what, 16 races? Most of the F1 guys have never been on an oval and its so completely different than racing on a circuit that skills on one don't really correlate to the other. Yes , of course Mansell did it back in 93, but that was Nige and I think its fair to say he was a different kind of driver than we have today. Also back then the CART series was mostly about street and road racing and they ran only a few (4-5) ovals, not to mention that even Nige put it straight into the wall his first time out on an oval at Phoenix that year.

As a side note, back-of-the-pack F1 guys that ventured over to CART/IndyCar/Champcar were generally back-of-the-pack guys in those series as well: Doorbos, Baumgartner, Wirdheim, Yoong etc. although Wilson is doing OK
Point being is that if you're great in F1 , sure you'll be great in America too but just because you're good enough to get into F1 at one point donesn't mean you'll do anything in IndyCar.

[Gaz]

Lewis and Alonso did a 1-2 at Indy belive me i think they'd piss all over the current indy car drivers.

Completely diffrent level of skill

[Denthúl]

Lewis and Alonso did a 1-2 at Indy belive me i think they'd piss all over the current indy car drivers.

Completely diffrent level of skill

The Formula One configuration of Indianapolis has a single banked section. It is not enough to base your assumption on.

[kerc]

fair enough she's sligtly average for an indy car driver but you send Alonso, LH, Kimi Masa or practicly any F1 driver off to Indy car and they'd win it in one Season.

Look at an Middle Aged Mansell winning it as a rookie

Don't underestimate the skill needed to drive in a track like Indianapolis. One twitch, and you're plastered on the wall.

[Gaz]

fair enough she's sligtly average for an indy car driver but you send Alonso, LH, Kimi Masa or practicly any F1 driver off to Indy car and they'd win it in one Season.

Look at an Middle Aged Mansell winning it as a rookie

Don't underestimate the skill needed to drive in a track like Indianapolis. One twitch, and you're plastered on the wall.

Monaco

[digitaleye]

Lewis and Alonso did a 1-2 at Indy belive me i think they'd piss all over the current indy car drivers.

Completely diffrent level of skill

Don't get me wrong, I'm no fan of open-wheel oval racing, I think its a bit like having an airplane race inside a building, the slightest touch of anything and ka-boom.
Point here is though its a totally different skill-set used to dive on an oval, especially an older one that was designed for cars that went under 100mph. Fred and Lew probably couldn' even qualify for Indy without a ton of serious testing beforehand. Again I think Alonso and Hamilton are the two best drivers on the F1 grid today and could handily win any other open wheel road course series but thats not what were talking about here.

[kerc]

fair enough she's sligtly average for an indy car driver but you send Alonso, LH, Kimi Masa or practicly any F1 driver off to Indy car and they'd win it in one Season.

Look at an Middle Aged Mansell winning it as a rookie

Don't underestimate the skill needed to drive in a track like Indianapolis. One twitch, and you're plastered on the wall.

Monaco

You're comparing two completely different circuits. For example, Monaco is nowhere as fast as Indianapolis. It doesn't necessarily require more skill to be successful at Monaco than at Indy.

[EwanM]

fair enough she's sligtly average for an indy car driver but you send Alonso, LH, Kimi Masa or practicly any F1 driver off to Indy car and they'd win it in one Season.

Look at an Middle Aged Mansell winning it as a rookie

Don't underestimate the skill needed to drive in a track like Indianapolis. One twitch, and you're plastered on the wall.

Monaco

You're comparing two completely different circuits. For example, Monaco is nowhere as fast as Indianapolis. It doesn't necessarily require more skill to be successful at Monaco than at Indy.

You just said exactly what I was about to type Kerc.

[Gaz]

fair enough she's sligtly average for an indy car driver but you send Alonso, LH, Kimi Masa or practicly any F1 driver off to Indy car and they'd win it in one Season.

Look at an Middle Aged Mansell winning it as a rookie

Don't underestimate the skill needed to drive in a track like Indianapolis. One twitch, and you're plastered on the wall.

Monaco

You're comparing two completely different circuits. For example, Monaco is nowhere as fast as Indianapolis. It doesn't necessarily require more skill to be successful at Monaco than at Indy.

Yeh but its the same princible you in the wall and your making more changes in direction more chances to make mistakes.

Oval racing is about being smoth and consistant i don't think a F1 driver would have a problem with that.

Sorry man i just don't rate Indy or Nascar drivers.

If one came over to F1 and was actualy decent i'd rate them

[EwanM]

What's Danica's record on road and street courses?

[Denthúl]

What's Danica's record on road and street courses?

Not so great, to be honest.

[EwanM]

What's Danica's record on road and street courses?

Not so great, to be honest.

So why would people assume she'd amazingly be great on them in F1?

I mean guys like Franchitti and Tracy are very good circuit racers, you seen that in Toronto, I realise Danica made a decent finish, but that was aided by the accidents, cautions and as Cap-dude said pitwork.