The cars look the same but they are a lot different in numerous aspects
Formula One is a famous motorsport in the world which is recognized by nearly everybody. However, there’s another motorsport that looks like Formula One, but in reality, it is not. We are speaking about IndyCar or the Indianapolis 500, which is not as famous as Formula One and is chiefly watched and identified in North America. However, people often mix-up Formula One and the Indy 500 because the cars used in the two motorsports are akin to an enormous extent. For this infer, we’ve penned down this feature to educate you about the contrasts between Formula One and the Indy 500.
Engine manufacturers- In Formula One, racing teams may purchase engines from Honda, Renault, Ferrari and Mercedes. However, Indianapolis 500 allows racing clubs to select engines from Chevrolet and Honda. Apart from the manufacturers, there’s also a difference in the engine size. In F1, cars are equipped with 1.6-litre V6 turbo engines meanwhile, the cars in the Indy 500 are armed with 2.2-litre turbocharged V6 engines.
Horsepower and brakes- In IndyCar, the machines are concerted to churn out a peak power of around 700hp. The cars in Formula One can hit a peak power of 1,000hp. Moving on to the damps, the automobiles in the Indy 500 use steel brakes which makes them heavier and thus, their performance is disturbed. Formula One cars are decorated with carbon fibre brakes that are light and more dependable.
Gearbox and top speed- In the F1 cars, a gearbox is a semi-automatic unit with eight forward gears and one for reversing the car. In IndyCar, the gearbox is a similar semi-automatic unit but comprises only six forward gears with one reverse gear. The top speed record in the history of F1 is 360kmph, which was set by Lewis Hamilton in 2015. In IndyCar, the maximum speed ever recorded is 370kmph.
Additional systems- In F1, the cars are equipped with the Drag Reduction System (DRS) which helps the racer to overtake another racer in the front. In Indy 500, there’s a push-to-pass button that provides the racer with an additional boost for 20 to 30 seconds. Apart from this, refuelling is not allowed in F1, which makes the pitstops quicker when compared to IndyCar, where refuelling is a necessity.
