IndyCar “should slipstream on the back of Formula 1’s success”

Zak Brown has a vested interest in both F1 and IndyCar, running a competitive operation in both racing leagues, giving him a unique perspective as someone heavily involved in both open-wheel divisions. With hands in both series, he firmly believes there is much more the top American single-seater racing series is capable of doing. It just needs to look to its global counterpart, and start taking notes.

During the Autosport Business Exchange: London event, Brown praised IndyCar’s new broadcast deal with FOX Sports, believing it will be ‘awesome’ for the sport. “Eric Shanks, the CEO of FOX Sports is a huge IndyCar fan so I think you got some real passion from the CEO which will always help bleed through the organization,” explained Brown. “He worked very closely with David Hill when they were both at DirecTV. Obviously David Hill had a huge role in what today’s Formula 1 broadcast looks like. So I think Eric will look at Formula 1 and not be afraid to learn from it.

“I don’t think it [IndyCar] slipstreams Formula 1 as much as it could,” continued Brown. “They kind of want to be their own thing, which I think is great but when you see how popular Formula 1 is — I don’t see Formula 1 and IndyCar competitive with each other. I think they [IndyCar] should slipstream on the back of Formula 1’s success. I think they need to do more of that.”

Per Brown, other places where IndyCar can and should improve are in the digital sphere and revamping its schedule. He expressed excitement for the new partnership with Jerry Jones [Dallas Cowboys owner] for the planned race in Arlington, Texas, saying: “I think that will be much like the Miami Grand Prix, so that’s a step in the right direction.”

Brown also criticized the current chassis, saying the series could use a new car after 12 years — something IMSA, WEC, F1 and NASCAR have all made advancements in recently. Thankfully, that issue is likely to be solved with a new chassis arrival in 2027.