On paper the answer is twofold, and that is exactly what makes it interesting. On ovals the IndyCar is faster: at Indianapolis, in qualifying, it averages more than 370 kilometres per hour over a lap, and the track record, set by Arie Luyendyk in 1996, stands at 237.498 miles per hour, over 382 km/h. On a road course Formula 1 is faster, and by a lot: on the same Austin circuit in 2019, the F1 pole was almost 14 seconds quicker than the IndyCar one.
So the question “IndyCar vs F1, which is faster?” only makes sense once you say where. And the reasons for the difference say a great deal about how the two categories are built, and what they cost.
On ovals, IndyCar wins
IndyCar was born for ovals, and there no single-seater laps faster. In May 2026 Álex Palou took pole for the Indianapolis 500 at an average of 232.248 miles per hour over the four qualifying laps, about 373.8 km/h. Luyendyk’s 1996 record, on both the single lap and the four-lap run, has stood for thirty years.
Formula 1 does not race on ovals today. Yet there was a time when the two paths crossed: from 1950 to 1960 the Indianapolis 500 was part of the Formula 1 World Drivers’ Championship, even though it was run to American rules with American cars, and very few European drivers took it on.
On road courses, Formula 1 wins
The cleanest comparison is the Circuit of the Americas in Austin, where both series raced in 2019. On 23 March Will Power took IndyCar pole in 1:46.018; on 2 November Valtteri Bottas took Formula 1 pole in 1:32.029. Almost 14 seconds apart on the same tarmac: the seasons and conditions were different, but the gap is too large to be down to that.
Top speed on the straight, on a road course, is also Formula 1 territory: in races F1 cars have gone beyond 372 km/h, with Juan Pablo Montoya’s 372.6 at Monza in 2005, the figure recognised by Guinness, and Valtteri Bottas’s 372.5 with Williams in Mexico in 2016, where the altitude of Mexico City reduces air resistance.
Why F1 is faster in the corners
The difference comes mostly from the corners, and it is down to three factors. The first is downforce: a Formula 1 car is designed to generate far more of it, and from this year it also manages it with active aerodynamics. The second is weight: under the 2026 rules the minimum weight of an F1 car is about 770 kilograms, driver included and fuel excluded, while a road-course IndyCar, calculated the same way, is around 894, as we explain in our article on how much an IndyCar weighs. The third is power: the 2026 F1 power unit combines about 400 kW from the combustion engine and 350 kW of electrical power, around 1,000 horsepower at theoretical peak, while an IndyCar only goes beyond 800 by adding the hybrid and Push to Pass.
Behind these numbers lies a difference in philosophy. In Formula 1 every team designs and builds its own car; in IndyCar they all race the same Dallara DW12 chassis, with leased Chevrolet or Honda engines. The first is a contest between engineering departments, the second above all between drivers and teams working on the same equipment.
Two spending models
The same difference shows up in the accounts. In 2026 the cost cap for an F1 team, which runs two cars, is $215 million, and driver salaries and several other items are left out of it; in IndyCar the average budget per car was already estimated in 2024 at between $8 million and $10 million a season, as we worked out in our article on the cost of an IndyCar. Even dividing the F1 cap by two, the gap remains more than tenfold. For a brand that means two different ways of being on track: Formula 1 offers the global visibility of a true world championship, IndyCar an audience concentrated on the North American market and a grid in which a sponsor carries more weight.
If you have to choose where to invest, you can start here: our pages on how to sponsor in Formula 1 and on IndyCar sponsorship. And if you want to widen the view to American racing, you will find the comparison with the other great stars-and-stripes series in NASCAR versus IndyCar.
Those who crossed from one to the other
The most fascinating comparison, though, comes from the drivers. In recent years several former Formula 1 drivers have crossed the ocean, from Marcus Ericsson, who won the 500 in 2022, to Romain Grosjean. Pure cornering speed is at home in F1, but to win at Indianapolis, with fast race laps above 360 km/h and wheels a few centimetres from those of your rivals, takes a kind of courage that numbers cannot measure.
Frequently asked questions about IndyCar and Formula 1
Is IndyCar or Formula 1 faster?
It depends on the track. On ovals IndyCar is faster: at Indianapolis, in qualifying, it averages more than 370 km/h over a lap. On road courses Formula 1 is faster: in Austin in 2019 the F1 pole (1:32.029) was almost 14 seconds quicker than the IndyCar one (1:46.018) on the same circuit.
What is the top speed of an IndyCar?
The highest lap average ever at Indianapolis belongs to Arie Luyendyk, who lapped at 237.498 miles per hour in qualifying in 1996, over 382 km/h; top speed on the straight is higher still. In 2026 the Indianapolis 500 pole went to Álex Palou at an average of 232.248 miles per hour over four laps, about 373.8 km/h.
What is the top speed of a Formula 1 car?
In races Formula 1 has gone beyond 372 km/h: 372.6 by Juan Pablo Montoya with McLaren at Monza in 2005, the figure recognised by Guinness, and 372.5 by Valtteri Bottas with Williams at the 2016 Mexican Grand Prix, where altitude reduces air resistance. Formula 1 does not race on ovals, where IndyCar reaches higher average lap speeds.
Why is Formula 1 faster in the corners?
For three reasons: more downforce, a lower minimum weight (about 770 kg with driver and without fuel under the 2026 rules, against about 894 for a road-course IndyCar) and more power, with a power unit of around 1,000 horsepower at theoretical peak. On top of that every F1 team designs its own car, whereas in IndyCar they all use the same Dallara chassis.
Has Formula 1 ever raced at Indianapolis?
Yes, in two ways. From 1950 to 1960 the Indianapolis 500 counted towards the Formula 1 World Drivers’ Championship, even though it was run to American rules with American cars. From 2000 to 2007 the F1 United States Grand Prix was held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, on a layout that combined an infield section with part of the oval, including the main straight.
Which costs more, an IndyCar team or a Formula 1 team?
Formula 1, by a long way. In 2026 the cost cap for an F1 team, covering two cars, is $215 million, with driver salaries and other items excluded, while in IndyCar the average budget per car was estimated in 2024 at between $8 million and $10 million a season: even on a per-car basis the F1 cap is more than ten times higher. A large part of the difference comes from the fact that in F1 every team designs its own car.
