F1 | Jean Todt on Indianapolis: "it would be very good for F1"
FIA President and Scuderia Ferrari legend Jean Todt has shared his thoughts on why F1 should return to Indianapolis.
It is hardly surprising to hear discussion of Formula One returning to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in the future seeing how for many the pinnacle of motorsport should certainly race at the famous venue. Nor is it surprising to hear such news stories on the weekend of the Indy 500. However, what may be a surprise for many is the fact that the latest promoter for the cause is none other than FIA President and Scuderia Ferrari legend Jean Todt.
Jean Todt’s comments were aired whilst he was in the company of Roger Penske. Seeing how Penske is the owner of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and the IndyCar Series, having bought it back in November 2019, one could certainly expect the FIA President to lavish praise on the surroundings he found himself in.
The Indy 500 is a famous motorsport event the world over and Fernando Alonso’s interest in recent years has certainly shone a spotlight on it. However, for an event that displayed its 104th running this past weekend – Fernando Alonso needs the Indy 500 a lot more than the Indy 500 needs Fernando Alonso.
Formula One had a mixed series of years whilst running at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway between 2000 and 2007 and the event never met the acclaim seen when F1 navigates the Circuit of the Americas (COTA). No doubt this in part was due to the farcical scenes the crowd and viewing public endured in 2005 when due to Michelin’s tyre problems only six Bridgestone runners (Ferrari, Jordan and Minardi) made it to lights out.
Nevertheless, this past weekend the FIA President Jean Todt spoke of a potential F1 return when asked by motorsport.com about such a possibility:
“Well you know the responsibility of the calendar is with the commercial rights holder, but clearly Indianapolis has all the ingredients of a Formula 1 venue, all the facilities."
“Roger Penske and his group have taken the lead, and I was very impressed with what I saw this morning. All the improvements have been done in a very short time; Roger has already achieved quite a lot with facilities that were already very impressive.
“Indianapolis is a kind of Silicon Valley of motor racing in the U.S. so of course if the Formula 1 commission proposed to have a race at Indianapolis it would be very good for Formula 1.”
Jean Todt is clearly extremely impressed by the way motorsport events have returned during a global pandemic as he later told the media:
“I think it’s remarkable and commendable to see all the efforts that have been done in different championships – in Formula 1, in Formula E, in endurance, in IndyCar and all motorsport categories – to make motor racing alive again at this time.
“The easy solution would be to wait until life is back to normal, but we don’t know when it will be. So, it’s essential to restart and I commend all the work that has been done, including of course at Indianapolis.”
Even though the 2020 F1 Calendar seems to be somewhat of a moveable feast do not expect a return this year.
As a result of COTA being off the list during this unique season and F1’s announcement it will not be racing in The Americas, it seems pretty clear the Indianapolis Motor Speedway is not in the running for 2020.
However, in the future and with none other than Fernando Alonso back in the racing colours of Renault, I would certainly expect to see a return to this legendary venue.
The history books show that Formula 1 bowed out of Indianapolis in 2007 with a whimper unbefitting the pinnacle of motorsport and the legendary venue itself, now is the time for another chapter to be written.
