Grosjean RIPS IndyCar

[@Andre_The_Millennial]

Romain Grosjean is 100% correct. But he's Romain Grosjean, so some people will automatically dismiss it.

[@davidgray1515]

Romaine lettuce Gross John is the worst driver ever and shouldnt even be allowed to drive on the public street. Get the F outta this country and dont come back.

[@zeboe223423]

There’s some truth in that. But he’s right this time. I’ve been thinking the same thing him and David have said, for years

[@IndyCarFanatic]

More drivers need to openly speak about IndyCar's poor marketing. The series has been deaf to us fans complaining about this since CART folded.

[@fordfocusonme]

I think he's wrong. ECR is doing bad but they found someone who sponsored them as well. Many of the teams are back by huge sponsors and individuals. Personally I think JHR does a poor job marketing themselves. It's not the series' fault. Grosjean had a chance to be a paid driver for a long time but failed. Don't blame IndyCar- point the finger at yourself.

[@LessGo7921]

@@fordfocusonmeWrong. He’s mainly talking about the greater scope of Indycar’s problems since 1996, not just of his own career. Don’t let his underwhelming stats with Andretti blind you from the truth about the series’ direction

[@darrylkraatz1482]

It’s hard being an INDYCAR fan. They really don’t give you much, other than a race. You don’t know they exist unless you seek them out.

[@Oodaloopshooter]

couldn't agree more, I struggled to find live races at times because I'd have to go create an account on apps like peacock or something. It was like jumping through hoops at times just to watch a race.

[@OCinneide]

@@Oodaloopshooter On Sky they say they broadcast from e.g. 6pm but nearly every time I was watching they let the previous broadcast (GT races, BTCC, WEC, IMSA etc.) run into IndyCar so you're watching the end of a completely different race wondering if IndyCar is even on.

[@joeygold24]

yep. I really have loved indycar, i want to keep loving it, but theyre kind of losing me. its just the same thing every year

[@matthewsouthwick5823]

@darrylkraatz1482 yo. I live 30 minutes from st.pete and somehow had no idea a race was coming on the weekend they came. No advertising anywhere.. nothing on local radio stations.. nothing..

[@runrafarunthebestintheworld]

​@@joeygold24yeah but it could be worse for IndyCar at least they aren't pinned against a wall like NASCAR is trying to defend a broken playoff system.

[@Tampabay-m3x]

Grosjean is right regarding IndyCar marketing. It’s beyond terrible.

[@calvintrudeau4985]

Their socials are awful.

[@LessGo7921]

@@calvintrudeau4985and their insufferably long offseasons are even worse

[@ZaphodTHEBeeblebrox]

itd be kinda cool of indycar turned this around and made him a member on their marketing team.

[@victorraibstein7811]

2 races per month from March to October. Engine multiple OEM and chassis. I miss the CART era.

[@armike5568]

🤤

[@mrmark-oe6qt]

the negativity of this video and from grosjean is basically saying we are glad cart is gone because the increase in cost is why the IRL ran supreme.

[@ther8764]

@@mrmark-oe6qt😂😂 The IRL SUCKED!!!! There was absolutely nothing good about that Mickey Mouse series.

[@SecretAsian84]

@@ther8764mickey mouse championship 😂

[@shanegamroth3491]

Cart was so awesome! How the IRL format won blows my mind

[@DLNix]

Grojean is 100% speaking the truth. WRC is ditching hybrid in 2025 because just too costly to teams to repair. Indycar needs fresh younger eyes in upper management. Ideally selling series only way that will ever happen. Been curious to see what a Liberty Media owned Indycar series could have become. Not saying their great just way more forward thinking then Rodger and old boys club running Indycar currently.

[@AbrahamArthemius]

WRC's hybrid situation is quite weird tbh. The teams or manufacturers are okay with hybrids BUT the hybrid system provider seems to went a bit too greedy and decided that teams can only repair the hybrid system to them and pay some amount of money for it which unsurprisingly will make a huge jump in operational costs. At the end of the day, the way they implemented the hybrid system is the wrong way tbh. Why they have to go with a spec system when you wanted to bring manufacturers coming in to show their expertise? Hell, you have Toyota whose been a leading force in hybridization yet they can't even develop their own thing.

[@Ramonatho]

Yeah comparing WRCs hybrids, which get abused far more than a track racing cars hybrid system is just deliberate pump-sucking lies

[@Michael-pi8ps]

It’s very interesting to me that both Indycar and NASCAR fans are upset about some very fundamental issues, while F1’s biggest issue is if the drivers should be allowed to curse or not

[@simonkevnorris]

Do you think the drivers are allowed to curse in the USA? They get fined for "showing the bird".

[@chrisguardiano6143]

F1 has other issues such as trying to sustain the growth they have generated here in the US. Having 3 races here does nothing but over saturate the market in my view & creates the impression that F1 is only racing in the US to make money. If F1 truly cared about growing the sport in the US & sustaining its popularity long term, they would allow Andretti to enter F1 & encourage American drivers (especially those coming through the ranks) to compete for open seats in F1. By having a direct link to F1 via an American based team & American drivers along with the existing US GP at COTA, F1 fans in this country (especially younger ones) would have more of a connection to the sport & be more invested in it. Also because the US has 3 races, it takes away opportunities for other countries to host F1 races or return to the schedule. For all of its contributions to the sport, I find it shocking that Germany has not had an F1 race since 2020 (2019 if you want to count a race with spectators) & I would like to see Miami be replaced by Hockenheim at some point.

[@johnnycab8986]

F1 needs to get rid of hybrid as well. It's made the cars enormous and way too heavy. There's no room on the tracks for passing.

[@2639theboss]

​@@johnnycab8986 That issue existed before the hybrid. I spent a decent length of time exploring the size of car issue with a few other folks, and we found that its significant but hard to parse out. There wasnt one single contributer though. Its more of a cumulation of safety equipment, reg changes, battery, and more over decades.

[@f1jones544]

​​​@@johnnycab8986that's the biggest urban myth in racing. First, the current cars aren't as wide as they were in the late 1980s and early 1990s when exactly no one complained about such things (they were eventually narrowed to limit performance, but having nothing to do with trying to improve racing). The cars were ridiculous little toys in the early 2000s and there were routinely no passes at all in races. There's plenty of room for racing and they do as long as certain drivers don't run each other off the track to maintain position.

[@jerryhair7301]

I’m in my 60’s and have attended approximately 150 INDYCAR events. I get that Penske Entertainment doesn’t care about people like me but I totally agree with your comment that INDYCAR is doing nothing that will attract new younger fans. I just returned from Mexico City where I attended the Mexican GP. This was my first F1 race since 2019 and the big thing I noticed was just how many young people attended as compared to the pre-2020 events. INDYCAR better wake up soon or continue to decline.

[@bartsullivan4866]

or be irrelevant they have the better drivers in INDYCAR but the series can't really get out of its own way.

[@JoshS05]

Motorsports needs to regain its legitimacy. The thing is, they, meaning NASCAR and IndyCar, don’t even have to do much. They just need to take away the gimmicks and added things that don’t need to be their respective sports.

[@amjan]

IndyCar needs new, faster cars. It also needs much better marketing and race organization: from proper tracks to proper podium celebrations.

[@tom-dznuts]

Racing around in circles has always been a gimmick. The legitimacy left when “competition” was prized ahead of “boredom”.

[@Montgomery_N_Pottichen04]

@@amjanfaster cars for sure!

[@Mijack1]

​@@tom-dznuts This is a dumb comment.

[@miketwotwenty]

Indycar needs a few more ovals

[@JOHANNESwhoelse]

I don't agree with Romain Grosjean very often, but here he's absolutely right. The rising costs of Indycar, attributed to the Hybrid (which is essentially nothing more than an unrestricted KERS) is the exact reason why Chip Ganassi degrades multiple time Podium-scorer Marcus Armstrong to a Satellite-team driver, and Pole-qualifier and Podium-scorer Linus Lundqvist to... well, probably out of a competitive ride entirely, all the while Kyffin Simpson, who surpassed his rock bottom-low expectations for last season, gets to drive the car Marcus Ericsson won the Indy 500 in. Furthermore it explains why Ganassi's Indy NXT line-up is comprised of two drivers who did not do well last season at all. If GANASSI is stuggling with cash, then i don't dare to imagine what Coyne and Juncos have to deal with!

[@hannesgroesslinger]

Ganassi is not struggling with cash. The new charter system allows them to only run 3 full season entries, thats why they had to scale back.

[@JOHANNESwhoelse]

@@hannesgroesslinger But why didn't he keep Armstrong or Lundqvist then? And why did he employ Koolen and Browne and not Hedge?

[@kylegoodman5196]

@@JOHANNESwhoelse Racing is a business. Pay drivers will be here until motorsport days off.

[@HattieJosh]

Lundqvist probably got booted for causing a wreck under caution

[@LessGo7921]

@@HattieJoshNo. He got booted bcs he’s not born to rich parents like Simpson was. Playing devils advocate to the obvious fact just makes you look like a clown 😂

[@bkbaughn]

I'm with you David. In today's climate you have to have an excellent social media team and an excellent video game t reach out and bring in new fans... They have neither...

[@JOHANNESwhoelse]

Especially since the F1 games get worse and worse each year, Indycar would have a fighting chance at beating the F1 game. All they need to do is find a dedicated developer with valuable experience in the racing games-sphere (Kunos, Reiza or KW Studios), and a credible publisher that isn't EA, Activision or Ubisoft.

[@Mr.X2188]

​@@JOHANNESwhoelseThey should do what Nascar did and give it to Iracing

[@griffinfaulkner3514]

​​@@Mr.X2188As good as iRacing can be, it has a fairly narrow target audience. Getting a proper modern Indycar into simcade games like Gran Turismo would be a good start, and further down the road a standalone game in the vein of the old Papyrus games would be great to have.

[@billgoodwin8742]

The season NEEDS to be longer, a very long off season is a very bad thing.

[@kevinkotansky4184]

Amen. People don't even hear about Indy Car this time of the year. And next year it ends before Labor Day. That's worse.

[@MatthewLittle]

And any races IndyCar would have past the end of August would get drop-kicked by the NFL broadcast-wise; that was, if I remember correctly, why 2025's season ends at the end of August - to avoid getting punted around on TV. That said, yes the season needs to be longer but the questions there (a) when do you run the races and (b) where do you race at that would succeed long-term. Not three and out as w/a lost of past events but long-term.

[@joelbrooks3198]

​@@MatthewLittleSaturday night

[@MatthewLittle]

@@joelbrooks3198 And they'd likely get beat by college football; most Sat. nights in the fall there's at least two prime-time network games. Throw in cable and where would ICS go? It'd be similar to when they'd get bumped around during the year on the NBC channels.

[@DuvJones]

Fair enough, but.... their is a limit to that. *looks to F1* That being said, IndyCar doesn't have nearly as much of the logistical challenge so I am sure something more can be done. ​@@MatthewLittle That was always the strategy but streaming does offer an opportunity to do an end run around that. That said, their partners on that front arn't great, and next year will be worse.

[@hogziller]

Indycar (and NASCAR now) has forgotten the reason racing exists, to see what car, driver, manufacturer and crew is the best.... who can drive the car the best, innovate the best and get every ounce of the car possible. When you single part manufacturers or spec parts to "keep costs down" Indycar is racing with one arm behind their back because you can't innovate to make the product better..... it would be like the NFL telling the Colts that the Wide Receivers can only run so fast plus you can use a certain types of Wide Receivers to keep costs down and you can only run certain plays with no innovation ....... or the Quarterback can only throw it so far for the same reasons.

[@jamesgentry13]

But don't tell Logano his championship is bs

[@CathNcamo2]

Hybrid sucks. What paper pusher thought that adding 100+ lbs to a car to get less than a 10% bump in hp needs to be fired. The weight penalty on lap time isn’t overcome by power. It literally made the cars slower and more expensive. Way to go genius

[@LouSassol69er]

All they needed to do was look to mistakes of F1. Ever since F1 introduced hybrid the cars have become huge and heavy. Plus we lost the sound of great v8/v10s.

[@fordfocusonme]

You do realize that they do intend to bump up the HP over the next few years. It's very much like what we saw in F1. Everyone was complaining about the lack HP but fans forgot that they wanted to make sure everything went well first. The following years they starting to up the HP and now they claim 900-1000 HP now. Things take time. People just need to chill and be patient.

[@Ramonatho]

​@LouSassol69er yeah because F1 totally doesn't care about emissions from V10s anymore oh wait-

[@CathNcamo2]

@@fordfocusonme the number was 100hp from capacitor. That’s maybe 15 - 20 percent of total gp. The bigger numbers are from turning up the wick on the turbo. What all the wait and see crowd need to do is hope that the 500 doesn’t suck as much as Iowa did. Now let’s talk about the deployment of the hybrid. Maximum deployment is less than one straightaway at most tracks. 4.3 seconds. That is the real joke. Charge for a whole lap to deploy a small hp bump for a short time. It’s a bad joke and anyone willing to be objective can see it. Btw RG drove the hybrid f1 cars in the beginning and afterwards and he didn’t come to the conclusion you did.

[@CathNcamo2]

Total hp

[@anthonynonya]

3 years ago I tweeted at IndyCar that fans couldn't find the races because they promote their series like 💩. What happened? They blocked me. I didn't even realize it until this season. After thinking about the overall state of the sport - the old car, the terrible schedule, mostly boring and unheard-of drivers, Penske owing everything, and so much more, I decided to stop watching. They clearly didn't want me as a fan by blocking me, the car is so damn old, and I'm just tired of the BS and don't look forward to anything other than the Indy 500. And after not watching the 2nd half of the season, I was right and I don't miss it one bit. But I still watch David to support his awesome channel and hope to hear news things have changed.

[@craigyirush3492]

They shouldn’t have blocked you, but your question was stupid. The series has been on NBC for years? How is it hard to find? The racing has been superb the last few years.

[@anthonynonya]

@@craigyirush3492 It's been on NBC, NBC Sports, USA, and Peacock, and that's just what I remember off the top of my head in the last few years. And when the previous program runs long you don't get to watch the start of the race if watching a little late on DVR because it's on a different channel.

[@maiasdad]

Indycar is still running the same chassis that made its debut at a time when both Lewis Hamilton and Sebastian Vettel only had 1 WDC each. That is multiple eras ago in Motorsport terms. But for Roger and his team of young septuagenarians, its relatively fresh.

[@kg0173]

Did Dan Wheldon test the current car? Danica Patricka was racing in Indycar?

[@IndyCarFanatic]

We need drivers publicly supporting Grosjean's comments and admonishing the series about their marketinf woes. The fans have been doing this since CART folded.

[@John-kx3ng]

Too many are afraid to rock the boat and fear being ridiculed and possibly fined by the sanctioning body.

[@hannahbarley97]

@@John-kx3ngI wish it wasn’t that way so many other drivers are most likely thinking the same thing :/

[@ciello___8307]

The lack of new chassis is huge imo. Even superformula and F2, two cost conscious series have updated their cars. Meanwhile, indycar ditched a new engine, put in an expensive, mediocre hybrid and kept their decade plus old chassis

[@girthyguitarist7586]

IndyCar needs 2 more engine manufacturers, a new chassis, and some more races (I miss Michigan, Homestead, and maybe go back to Australia and Mexico). Manufacturers are rushing to get into IMSA so there’s a desire for them to race, something about IndyCar isn’t sexy to them and it could be the constraints.

[@rexthewolf3149]

IMSA and WEC are so attractive because they are cheap. Every part of the LMDH cars is either spec or it comes from a car that already exists. If a manufacturer wants to custom make a race car they are going to either F1 or NASCAR.

[@ciello___8307]

@@rexthewolf3149also the flexible rules and BOp guarantees all manufacturers are pretty close together

[@kharnthebetrayer1575]

⁠@@rexthewolf3149ISMA is not “cheap” to get into. Cheapest car cost 250k . Matter of fact it’s the same price range for WEC . So not cheap at all .

[@rexthewolf3149]

@ Yeah and 250k just to start competing at the top level of a catagory is far better than Indy or F1.

[@Draconianoverlord55]

Definitely go back to Mexico and Australia,

[@Drew_001]

The KZbin algorithm has been hiding your channel for too long! You brought up some excellent points about the infrastructure and summarized the situation perfectly.

[@IanTheMotorsportsMan_YT]

Romain Grosjean spitting nothing but facts

[@codileger4876]

Crazy to think that IMSA and WEC have a shorter offseason than Indycar. The two series combine for the same number of events. F1 actually has just about the same offseason as NASCAR. We need a 20 race calendar over 36 weeks 4 Street Courses, 6 Road Courses, 4 short ovals, 6 Intermediate to large ovals. Mock using current races where applicable (could use work for sure) 1 - St Pete - S1 2 - Miami - LO1 3 - Off - Indy 500 test 4 - Off 5 - Barber - RC1 6 - Off 7 - Long Beach - S2 8 - Off 9 - Indy Road Course (last week of April) - RC2 10 - Indy 500 Practice Week 11 - Indy 500 Pole Week 12 - Indy 500 Bump Week 13 - Indy 500 - LO2 14 - Michigan (Oval) - LO3 15 - Off (Le Mans) 16 - Off 17 - Laguna Seca - RC3 18 - Portland - RC4 19 - Off 20 - Off 21 - Iowa - SO1 22 - Dallas - S3 23 - Road America - RC5 24 - Off 25 - Pocono - LO4 26 - Atlanta or Chicagoland - LO5 27 - Off 28 - Gateway - SO2 29 - Mid-Ohio - RC6 30 - Off 31 - Toronto - S4 32 - Milwaukee - SO3 33 - Off 34 - Phoenix - SO4 35 - Off 36 - Nashville - LO6

[@mitch868]

Perfectly said!

[@alanhyde1261]

Add North Wilkesboro and Roval

[@rossstewart5363]

Great video. As a European who loves Indycar the marketing failures are even more pronounced in the international markets. It is not an accessible sport for the casual fan, which is such a shame, because the racing tends to be some of the best open wheel racing on the planet

[@oldred9122]

The videogame is super important and doesn't get talked about enough

[@lewiskemp5893]

Lol my first video game was Pong. And then I got an Atari console early 80s. But it did have that racing game

[@ianmiller6635]

I mean no disrespect to the World of Outlaws but the fact that they have a decent console game and Indycar doesn’t is just straight sad.

[@outfield1988]

Agree

[@outfield1988]

@@lewiskemp5893Me too think it was 82 when got the game.

[@LessGo7921]

@@ianmiller6635Damn that is truly insulting. Indycar’s oldheads need to be fired on that fact alone 😭

[@jameskiehm546]

Bring back big V8’s or V10’s. Car racing won’t change our climate and it has a high value to entertain people which is important to society. The cars need to change!!!

[@Bill-yo6kw]

🙋

[@OUSWKR]

Race engines is a niche market. I don’t mind making the engines more efficient and durable but they don’t need to be CARB compliant either. I think the thing that is lost is people do not directly equate the performance of an Indy Car or a Stock Car to the manufacturers street cars. The similarities end with the generalization of 4 wheels, a steering wheel, and an internal combustion engine. The sanctioning bodies have locked the rules down too much for parity but that’s not good for long term growth.

[@JustSomeDinosaurPerson]

Problem is that people are convinced it is some kind of "save the world" agenda in motorsports when it isn't. It is because manufacturers are specifically looking to use motorsports as a testing bed for technology they can then adopt back into their road cars to sell to consumers. That's how it has always been.

[@GrandpaShark]

@@JustSomeDinosaurPerson No. Not anymore. That is what it used to be and should be. But in Indycar, they all run the same Dallara chassis from 2012. And they all rent an engine from Chevy or Honda, so there is no development there

[@marktucker208]

They wont do it though because its all about looks and if you have a big shouty engine then doesnt have hybrid/sustainability at its core then sponsors wont touch you, the eco warriors will protest you

[@tylerensminger]

Indycar marketing is poor. Needs more social media presence, a video game, maybe some event in the off-season to drum up interest. Heck do a grill the grid type thing like F1 does at least

[@SquiggyWigginz]

It's in iracing... which is where i drive Indycars

[@tylerensminger]

@@SquiggyWigginz I was thinking more of a consumer game though Iracing is very good

[@ProxiProtogen]

As we all know, the world famous game of Iracing, where including none racing fans know about.@@SquiggyWigginz

[@alistairarchibald1312]

there is no competition with F1, they won. that competition doesn't exist. that's like Ice Cube's bball league vs NBA. they need to market around the Indy 500 in a way that says "hey this isn't just one race, it's a whole season, like the left turners in Nascar!" but everyone gets so hyperfocused on selling the 500 when they don't even need to sell an event that sells itself, everything else is an afterthought

[@JDeadwyler]

@alistairarchibald1312 Well said

[@alistairarchibald1312]

@@JDeadwyler it would literally require an IU football this season style turnaround from 3-8 seasons to 10-0, and for a few years, for IndyCar to turn heads to compete with F1. And I'm the biggest Indycar fan there is, I'll be at the Sonsio Grand Prix next year. But the facts are the facts

[@nascarmanHistory]

I'm right there with you on your points, people ask too much of marketing. It's maybe the third most-popular motorsports series in America, in a very crowded sports landscape, that's very much a regional midwest series, with stagnant technology, that disappears for half of the year, and has very few business-to-consumer sponsors to market the series on its behalf. It is what it is, the in-house marketing can only do so much with what they have.

[@Rearmostbean]

But the marketing department is supposed to more than pay for itself It's complicated but indycar is shooting itself in the foot time and time again Hoping Fox move will be a breakthrough

[@Corew1n]

Every fucking off season you guys go off the goddamn deepend on this nonsense. BREAKING: MOTORSPORTS COSTS MONEY, MORE AT 11!

[@GrandpaShark]

Yes, That pretty much says it all.

[@bigdaddymak1439]

C'mon guys share David's videos get him over 100k 🏁🏁

[@GiGaWattMan]

Some how IMSA has become the best to watch despite the big gaps in the schedule 😂

[@ricoshea2]

IMSA > Indy and WEC > F1

[@John-kx3ng]

Agreed

[@Real_Shawn]

​@@ricoshea2MotoGP/WSBK > all of them

[@Real_Shawn]

​@@ricoshea2AND GET LOST

[@rhysjames3977]

idk if this is nuts, but IndyCar should try and run on an f1 weekend, either Miami or COTA. It would allow it to be seen by more eyeballs, nationally and importantly globally

[@nickporter574]

It is nuts but I love it. IRL should be F1's support series, haha. Not really, but a showcase event when F1 rolls into Austin or Miami would be cool.

[@fiarandompenaltygeneratorm5044]

100%. There was a moment in the 1990s when IndyCar conceivably was competition for F1. Then Tony George got involved. I love this idea. Hell, have IndyCar as a support series for ALL THREE F1 races, plus Montreal and Mexico City.

[@tomhousdenactor]

Definitely! And no hybrid!

[@Bebrun13]

The first time I went to Indy was the practice week and qualifications in 1994. There were about 70 entries. Many had no chance of making the race but just having a car there was big. There were all kind of ideas being tried. I think the weakest team was greenfield making their own push rod engine. They had a hard time getting to 200 Mph but it was novel to see the effort. The two weeks in the month of May was reported on every day free to the public. Now everything is the same. NO FREE TO THE PUBLIC COVERAGE. That is what is killing Indy racing. Trying to make it pay per view for everything is killing new fans. Dump the per view and get as much free coverage on practice and qualifications. This is the only way to draw new interest and more fans.

[@arrowlock]

The 1984 Indy 500 had 117 entries

[@jimrhea5484]

Grosjean used to be the head of the F1 Grand Prix Drivers' Association (GPDA). In effect, the spokesperson for the drivers. Old habits die hard.

[@mattjax16]

Dan wheldon tribute when you’re in Vegas please

[@rogerpenske2411]

I was at that race. Too many cars on too little track. It was depressing.

[@RRgaming2322]

He is 100% right. I want so badly to enjoy and watch INDYCAR. But it seems like they are really mismanaged

[@craigyirush3492]

Just watch it. The racing is great. The more that watch it, the better things get.

[@zetto156]

Indycar is still a great racing product, despite and maybe in spite of the mismanagement of the series. Imagine how great it could be with more effective management.

[@tomhousdenactor]

It is great racing, they need to back it up with marketing

[@tomhousdenactor]

Great racing is not good enough alone

[@davewhittles]

season is way too short nascar has 36 races f1 24 indy is 17 they need at least 5more races

[@CCBovell]

Anyone remember the old CART Fury PC game from 2000? Good times

[@Boswd]

Sega Genesis used to have a ton of Indycar games. Nigel Mansel Indycar, Mario Andretti had a game , Danny Sullivan Indy Heat Al Unser had his own game

[@HammerHeart3229]

Yes! I had it on PS2 as a kid. I think that was my first exposure to CART here in the UK actually. I then went to the Rockingham 500 in 2002 or something like that with my Dad and my brother too. I don't remember anything about it besides the sound though. 😂 The sound of those cars was spectacular!

[@ChrisEggII]

It's quite funny to see that IndyCar has totally opposite problems to Formula 1. IndyCar would make use from more races in the calendar, while F1's calendar got so stretched, that even fans started to complain about it. Indy is mostly stagnant, when it comes to developing the cars, while FIA puts car regulations upside-down every 4 years (2022, 2026 and there are some talks about 2030).

[@rexthewolf3149]

@@ChrisEggII The four year regs cycle has been a thing in f1 since 2009.

[@october62]

No Worries, Roger’s guys are working on a Indycar themed pinball machine deal.

[@f1jones544]

It'll fall through before release.

[@PaperBanjo64]

Joey Logano had the worst average finish of a NASCAR champion, worse than Bill Rexford in 1950.

[@kg0173]

4 times more wins than Kenseth in 2003. Wins matter, DNF don't matter.

[@Daddymon1962]

I can remember a time when CART was bigger and more popular than F1 in North America. The days of Mears, Unser Jr., Sullivan, Foyt, Andretti, and Rahal. The cars were designed similarly to F1 cars and races were regularly scheduled and available on network TV. Today's cars don't appeal to me and I often happen on a race by accident because the schedule is so random and filled with huge gaps.

[@craigyirush3492]

I’ve been an Indy Car fan since 2018 and the racing has been excellent, way better than F1. So why not watch it rather than bitch that it’s not like the CART days! Do you think the ugly terrible sounding F1 cars are as good as the cars from 20 years ago? Agree that there should be more races.

[@MrBestshot33]

Based on the actions and comments of the various people at the top of IndyCar I have come to realize it's a good ol boy group at the top. I'm not sure team owners are even a part of it.

[@westernbigfootexploration]

That's true. And Marshall Pruett said that management thinks they are doing great. Lol. Said indycar thinks they are on par with Nascar and F1.

[@psychlops924]

WRC and British GT have literally ditched their hybrids for next year because they didn't bring much to the series and rapidly increased costs

[@nickz4993]

Makes sense. Still sad about top level WRC basically becoming a spec series, but that likely won’t change anytime soon.

[@OUSWKR]

Anything you do on F1 would be a bonus for us.

[@JuynBiets]

They are just way too late with the hybrid engines. F1 is running them for about 10 years now and the bosses in F1 are already flirting with moving back to V8s on biofuel. Plus the chassis are the same for over a decade now

[@craigyirush3492]

And the F1 cars sound like shit, the racing was terrible until recently, and the series was losing fans until DTS became a big hit. Are they really planning to move back to V8s? Where did you hear that?

[@JuynBiets]

@@craigyirush3492 Dominicali toyed with the idea.

[@nhabben1]

30 years ago CART was as fast as F1, had the biggest race in the world, big name sponsors. What a sad decline.

[@fiarandompenaltygeneratorm5044]

Tony George should rot in hell for what he destroyed.

[@NR_88]

Nascar being a clown show shouldn’t excuse Indycar from lack of innovation

[@RedBif_Claus]

I'm a NASCAR fan and I agree with you, their officiating and points system is the dumbest in racing history!

[@BigMotorSmallBlade]

High tides raise all ships

[@arwyss]

@@RedBif_Clauslol… tell me you know nothing about NASCAR history without telling me

[@DJDouglasWarden]

Agreed! Don't rely on the clownishness of your opponent. You have to offer an encouraging alternative, not just more of the same. This situation is very familiar in America. Disappointing that management is so far out of touch with average folks.

[@RedBif_Claus]

@@arwyss bro what

[@joeofoysterbay7197]

Self-inflicted wounds by IndyCar. They've lost me and I'm guessing I'm not the only one.

[@joealtamuro]

Innovation is what made IndyCar special. Both IndyCar and NASCAR have both turned into spec series. Indy was great when you had multiple chassis and engines

[@GrandpaShark]

100%

[@rik575]

Exactly!!!

[@anthony0358]

I want to start off positive., I am very happy for you that you are going to be in Las Vegas working this week and attending the Formula 1 race next week as a fan. Please let us know your thoughts on F1 after the grand prix. I do agree with you about some of the criticism of Indy Car. But not on the length of the season. Indy Car is now on Fox. No content stuck behind a pay wall. Since 1956, the most races Indy Car had was 19 in one season. The only exceptions were 1967, 1968, and 1969 The latest the season went was Mid-October. I would like to see a schedule of races from MId February to Labor Day Weekend. I would like for zero back-to-back race weeks. The Formula 1 schedule this year was a disgrace. 24 races. Two four-week breaks, a three-week break. Several times there were three races in three straight weeks. NASCAR is a bigger joke with 36 races. I am grateful that I did not hear the word Olympics today. I want to sincerely cheer all your success and your love for the sport. I have seen Indy Car since 1972. I hope we get a great new season.

[@mitch868]

You hit the nail on the head re only a six month season! The tracks are out there! We need more races!!

[@John-kx3ng]

Bring back Michigan , Burke Lakefront airport and Surfers Paradise!

[@ryan883]

If they pulled their heads out of their asses and listened to what the teams and the fans wanted, the series would grow.

[@PaperBanjo64]

IndyCar needs to get rid of the requirements for manufacturer engines...Judd or Cosworth could make an engine that excites the race fan more than an overweight Chevy or Honda V6 turbo hybrid.

[@rexthewolf3149]

The problem is that only race fans care about Judd or Cosworth.

[@fiarandompenaltygeneratorm5044]

Does Judd still exist?

[@rexthewolf3149]

@@PaperBanjo64 It would excite race fans but it kill the sport in the long run turning into an retro series. Manufacturers involvement is something most fans don’t like to admit is a critical part of top tier racing.

[@bryanjenkins2395]

Bring back the turbo v8’s 900 hp, work on different fuels .. that would be more relevant today ..

[@nickporter574]

God I know. If you build they will come...

[@itsoscargil]

The manufactures and series don't want (and don't have) to spend that money. Honda is hanging on to the series by a thread. The series needs more views and sponsors to reall start making bigger moves

[@outfield1988]

I used to have so much passion for Indy car and F1 IN 80S and 90s.

[@bushdimensionrick2024]

At this rate IndyCar will probably add the second IMS Road Course race back for 2026, and then act surprised when nobody likes it.

[@f1jones544]

@@bushdimensionrick2024 I'll only approve that if there are three more Indy road course races in addition to that. I love the world's worst road course that's only legitimacy is the front straight of the IMS oval.

[@Whatsamattau2]

INDYCAR needs a killer video game and more race venues.

[@danielmorris113]

I know he’s not the driver or the name he was, but I do think Grosjean is a big loss if he’s not on the grid next year. As a fan from the UK him going over to Indycar in 2021 is the only reason I ever started watching the series. I’ll bet the majority of European fans are the same as me (minus the Swedes of course). I do intend to watch next year whether he’s there or not but I definitely won’t have the same level of interest that’s for sure

[@joshyaks]

You're absolutely right - a video game would be HUGE for bringing in the next generation of fans!

[@OCinneide]

Tried to get into IndyCar, the youtube replays were great but actually watching a race FORGET ABOUT IT. Ads out the fucking wazoo or if I watched with Sky then it was just SILENCE. There could be a championship battle for position, a crash of the leader, pitstops you name it and there is silence because the broadcast in America has gone to ads. It is so jarring going from Formula 1 with full two commentator commentary for EVERY SESSION to IndyCar where for the damn qualifying on Sky it was stuck on some GT car podium celebrations for the first twenty minutes of the qualifying! I watched the Indy500 with my dad and we really enjoyed it, I watched a more races afterwards with him but the lack of commentary or otherwise constant ads, the lack of attention to the sport where sessions weren't even been shown. Embarrassing. I stopped watching to be honest, gave up with it, it wasn't worth it.

[@OCinneide]

For context, I'm Irish, I got into motorsport through the Drive to Survive series. I have always been interested in motorsport and watched Colin McRae and Schumacher when I was growing up. One of my cousins works with Audi as an engineer (he worked at the Dakkar rally). So it has always been something I have kept an eye on. But drive to survive let me understand it. And then the 2021 F1 season was so insane I got hooked. I branched out and started watching other series as well, I got into sim racing. I watched a bit of WEC and GT racing. So I decided to check out IndyCar as well.

[@AJ-zy9jf]

Romain is correct. Rising costs, and lack of marketing is hurting the sport. I think he had a good season last year with Juncos and would be great to see him back.

[@toddt5562]

Season is too short for sure... That's not helpful at all. Needless hybrid add-on is a gimmick... Should increase performance if you're going to bother with the expense and effort. 😕

[@ronwakeup3175]

Bring back the illmores the cosworths and watch the speeds whooihooo

[@jamesgentry13]

Higher speeds means more costs

[@GrandpaShark]

@@jamesgentry13 I vote for more speed! I never heard of a race series that crowned a champion based on who spent the least!

[@jamesgentry13]

@@GrandpaShark so youbrather have less competitive races drivers winning by large margins

[@GrandpaShark]

@@jamesgentry13 Yes. I would prefer that to 27 cookie cutter cars.

[@markc3456]

The whole discussion about hybrids is why they need to go the spec engine route. What fan gives a rip whether somebody is running a Chevy, a Honda or a spec Ilmor? Hybrids happened because there were multiple manufactuers and one of them wanted it. Why is a new chassis needed, really? To most fans, the difference between an F1 car and an IndyCar is halo vs aero screen and the later has an oval package. A new chassis will produce the same result. What they need are more races that are cheaper to run and a compelling championship battle not involving multiple drivers all from the same team.

[@PaperBanjo64]

I'm honestly scared of a new car, we don't need a garbage car that races badly.

[@craigyirush3492]

Agree about the chassis, but the three title contenders this year were all from different teams.

[@DiorRF]

When you talk about providing something that other series don’t, I feel like IMSA and WEC have done an outstanding job of that. Alongside the rise of F1, during the Verstappen dominance IMSA and WEC were shining new lights to me as a newer fan. They had hard racing and the battles were so much better than anything I had seen on F1. They didn’t just steal what worked for others, they emphasized what they had and what they had was enjoyable to fans

[@nickporter574]

Agreed. I literally dont want IMSA to get too popular. Great ticket prices, kids are free at least at Road America, grid walk included and world class racers. It's literally too good to be true!

[@DiorRF]

@ great access too. You can’t beat the access you get for just a general ticket anywhere else

[@brentasmith]

Once you realize that nothing Indycar does has fans in mind things make more sense. Hybrids no one cares about, small engines, old cars, no video game, no toys for kids etc

[@scottbarbour9745]

The series cannot just will an IndyCar game to life come on. They had one in development and it fell through. It all comes down to sales…who will buy it, especially if it is a sim rather than an arcade racer

[@zachwalentiny]

No big ovals other than Indianapolis.

[@brentasmith]

@@zachwalentiny That's a good one!

[@davidthomas1467]

Indy car needs a leader(s) that revolutionize the platform. American open cockpit racing is dead. Especially with F1 having more races (5) on the N. American continent.

[@CbriggsMotorsport]

Indycar hybrid system has come with some poor timing relative to the motorsport world. WRC and BTCC had their hybrid systems in the early 20s and have already got rid of them, in fact BTCC announced couple of weeks ago they would get rid of it and go full 100% sustainable fuel. Grosjean comments about the costs gone up because of hybrids systems is spot on. That’s why the series I have mentioned have got rid of them. Talking as an outsider in the UK, and watching the WRC and BTCC, both have suffered with sponsorship, teams struggling with budgeting and shrinking grids. It damaged their products, and if grosjean feels it’s marketing could be improved, i don’t blame him for stating this. Sponsors aren’t drawn by a hybrid system. It’s simple as that.

[@stevenvalentin4584]

If your going to a spec engine, they should just make it a naturally aspired V10. Have ilmor or cosworth make all the engines.

[@victorpittman940]

Need to get back to the 80's and early 90's. Multiple chassis suppliers and engines. That is when things were great. Let people innovate.

[@oaker55]

This is exactly what I have been talking about for years. How can you have a racing series that has more time off then it is on track. People keep responding that the crews are worn out by the travel and my response is BS. Then they are not true racers. Throw in the fact that they have spent more money upgrading an out of date chassis to accept the hybrid technology and the corresponding weight that goes along with that at a time when the drivers were complaining that the windscreen added too much weight to the chassis, it makes you wonder if the US Government is in charge of Indy Car and the way the seem to throw money in the wrong directions. I have been an Indy Car fan since I was old enough to know what a race car was and I'm 69 years old but as a fan I have to question just what is going on at Penske Entertainment and that is coming from a Penske fan. I really thought that when Penske bought the speedway and the series that things would turn around but now I think that things has actually gotten worse.

[@AbrahamArthemius]

I get why hybrids are there in WEC/IMSA because Endurance racing or Sportscar racing is a great breeding ground for anykind of actual innovation that eventually trickle down to cars people use. Just look at the stuff we took for granted in our cars today which has its origins in Le Mans 24h). Hybrids in IndyCar or single seater in general? For the most part it just makes things just far more complicated, heavier, & more expensive.

[@samneal7566]

indycar would've lost honda if they hadnt done the hybrid thats what sucks

[@GregBrownsWorldORacing]

I remember Robin Miller was not anti-hybrid. I wonder what he'd have to say now.

[@fiarandompenaltygeneratorm5044]

@@GregBrownsWorldORacing The problem isn't the hybrid. It's how it's been implemented and--as David said--the timing of it.

[@warphammer]

Fedex is leaving Cup, amongst others. The loss of sponsorship is scary across motorsports and is a sign of the times - there are so many frankly better ways to get your message out there than what is in essence an indirect TV ad. If - even if only internally known - Honda is leaving then the hybrid must be removed immediately. If we're going spec, screw turbo V6es, bring back the scream of the turbo 8 era. The country clubs are to me a distressing trend for the future. Thermal, Flatrock, the new ones in Brighton, MI and outside Charlotte or whatever.... American road racing grew from the grass roots, people going to a road course and running Formula Vee/Ford/whatever on the weekends. Eliminating that would be perilous.

[@rexthewolf3149]

@@warphammer From what I’ve seen the sponsor problem is exclusive to NASCAR and Indy. F1 Teams don’t seem to have a problem getting sponsors even at the back of the grid.

[@warphammer]

@@rexthewolf3149 If you don't count the Haas that's sponsored by Haas, Aston Martin which is owned and primary sponsored by the guy who wants his kid to have a ride, or the team that had to switch up their sponsor naming because said sponsor's primary business is illegal in a bunch of GP countries.... The F1 primary sponsor market is incredibly healthy! (Though you're right, it's better than Indycar.)

[@rexthewolf3149]

@@warphammer HAAS’s Title Sponsor is Moneygram, Aston Martin has ARAMCO, which is the Saudi Oil Company. And Kick was already on the Sauber cars in 2023 when they were still Alfa Romeo and the only reason they were dropped was because of Audi buying the team. And even then F1 teams sliding around advertising regulations isn’t even a new thing just look at the tobacco companies during the 2000. The thing that helps F1 the most is that the team actually make money now which seems to be something even the biggest NASCAR and Indy Teams struggle with.

[@Motobear30]

I would say supercross/motocross has the best marketing and story lines in American racing.

[@93ryan5]

Honestly, as a fan, it feels like Indy Car is dying a slow death. And from the outside looking in, not many are doing much to save it.

[@SuperZero0ne]

David you’ve touched on something that I have felt for a while now, and I don’t feel like this is limited to to Indycar but they’re definitely perpetuating the behavior. I feel that the powers that be, whether it’s corporations or politicians, are unable to see past the next fiscal quarter and are acting accordingly. It feels very much so that the way things are ran are in the mindset of maximizing short term profits and having little to no consideration for long term growth. It is hard to have confidence behind a brand (or politicians) when they come off as only barely having the means to make it through the next year. It is becoming exceedingly uncommon to find Corporate or Political leaders that have legitimate concerns or plans for long term projects/growth.

[@OCinneide]

Exactly my feeling too. I see it so much in life these days. Companies pushing out products not ready and you wonder why, then you realise it's right before the quarter is ending and they are trying to push up their numbers. It's sad.

[@SquiggyWigginz]

Hybrid is just plain dumb unless you remove push 2 pass 🙄

[@dubdaze68]

Not only is it 6 months a year, there are massive gaps in the racing, and May isn't as exciting as it once was. Video games, social media, how they market "100 days to Indy", and the fact that even die-hards are losing massive access via streaming now that they are switching to a network that doesn't have the same capabilities (OR the fact that Penske thinks that anyone under 40 cares about "Appointment TV"). They have good personalities, but don't push them.

[@IndyTalk]

I believe the two main factors are the calendar and the chassis. While the hybrid hasn't significantly impacted racing, I think that if the schedule had been broader and the chassis had been changed three years ago, the marketing discussion wouldn't be as impactful as it is today.

[@fintonmainz7845]

Just a spec series Ridiculously short season. The 4th fastest fastest racing series after F1, Japanese supercar and Le Mans.

[@craigyirush3492]

Silly comment. Easily the best, closest racing, of any pro series anywhere.

[@f1jones544]

@@craigyirush3492 so "competitive ™" that the same number of teams have won Indycar driver's championships as in F1 over the last ten seasons, all of two respectively, and F1 has twice as many different championship teams over the last twenty seasons. Indycar's "competitiveness" is mostly smoke and mirrors from refueling and yellow strategies that can mix the field in a race here and there to produce more surprise (read: fluke) winners. But over a season it's always the same teams. Heck, even Simon Pagenaud is a 500 and championship winner because of "the car."

[@craigyirush3492]

Who gives a crap about teams? The driver’s championship has gone down to the last race of the season for years (bar ‘23 when it was the penultimate race). Compare that to long periods of single driver dominance in F1. Also, because of the car? Wtf? It’s a spec series!

[@fintonmainz7845]

@@craigyirush3492 It's good that there is a series for simpler folk to follow.

[@craigyirush3492]

@@fintonmainz7845 yes, it is nice you have a series to follow. The rest of us will be watching close Indy Car races.

[@JackKeithley]

The BTCC championship here in the UK will be a great way to see how a series adapts back to non-hybrid. As ridiculous as it sounds, a touring car championship tried Hybrid technology. 2023 was the first year with it, the racing was kinda meh and a downgrade in terms of entertainment to me. This year, year 2 of it, the grid size was reduced greatly from around 28/29 to 20. While they did fiddle with the hybrid and the racing got a touch better, it still took away from the organic way of entertainment of the series and the costs were way too much for some teams. Two weeks ago, they announced they are dropping it for next year and beyond. Which is great news.

[@hannesgroesslinger]

If Indycar has become unbearably expensive for the teams, then why do we have more teams lining up then ever before? Why does the new charter system have to limit the number of entries by the big teams to make room for smaller teams, if the smaller teams can't afford to take part? And why do we still have 27 full season entries anyways? Including a brand new team? I tell you why: because Indycar is actually fairly cheap for the amount of exposure they are getting, and it still is a great deal for sponsors. Bang-for-Buck it is one of the best value you can get in US motorsport. Even with the hybrid. Grosjean did not loose his seat because the hybrid made the sport too expensive. He lost his seat because his many crashes made hiring him too expensive. And because there are enough sponsors willing to support other drivers. Also: please stop blaming everything on the 6 month winter break. Back when we had a period of only 4 month of nobody talking about the sport, things were not magically better either. It just meant that we also got a summer break where nobody was talking about the sport for 1 month in the middle of the season either. I'd rather have a compact race season and a long off-season, than having the races so far apart that people forget the championship is still on. Of course it would be great if they instead extended the season by adding more races, but then the team owners would start to complain again that it would add cost without adding any value...

[@GrandpaShark]

WTF are you babbling about? More teams lining up? name 1.

[@hannahbarley97]

@@GrandpaSharkthere’s prema and that’s it 😂

[@GrandpaShark]

@@hannahbarley97 Exactly.

[@MGregoir]

The only way to really make an economic proposition out of technology is if Super Formula (Toyota, Honda) and possibly a European series (the former World Series) could be conceived. Dallara already does everything so open competition wouldn't hurt their position to sell more total chassis. Super Formula could add value for Toyota to come back or Honda to remain, and no badging requirement in Europe could mean Cosworth, Judd or Gibson being willing to develop an engine for sale if the OEMs all vanish.

[@PaperBanjo64]

I'm all for getting rid of badge requirements, if anything manufacturers are making motorsport worse.

[@gpires]

Congratulations for speaking some truths that many people don't have the courage to face.

[@ozmaile7938]

Thank you SPOT ON .. Hybrid is a negative for the viewing fans just makes the cars heavy with nothing on the plus side of competitive racing. 20 races ..(MorePleanty of room for more races int the spring) drop the hybrid at least until new chassis New chassis SOON or you going to loose it all ...Somthing important in the off season

[@scottmeredith3359]

I can’t wait to hear about your first F1 experience. COTA 2021 during the Lewis and Max title fight was my first F1 race and it was absolutely fantastic.

[@kmh_500]

Hey "Captain", please hire this young man asap!

[@f1jones544]

I don't think Penske has hired anyone other than some painters for his precious oval a couple years ago.

[@mikecrockett3669]

Agree with you, David. You nailed it.

[@MattHumms]

Enjoy the f1 race! Make sure you go to Gilleys at treasure island!

[@toms8517]

Grosjean’s already experienced the transition in F1 when they moved to the turbo hybrid in 2014 and so he speaks from experience.

[@johnedwards230]

Hybrids ruined every series they've been in. BTCC lost 1/3 of its grid just before and after its first year, the series was on a precipice so they've actually binned it after 2 seasons! Indycar should have learned. Indycar season is way too short, it's schedule is its biggest problem! Why can't indycar, superformula and f2 share a chassis and have series specific bodywork? This would allow much more development and a refresh every 3/4 years

[@rexthewolf3149]

@@johnedwards230 because Super Formula and F2 don’t feel the need to beg.

[@craigyirush3492]

The Indy Car chassis has to run on ovals.

[@DepravedCoTApologist]

David, you and I feel like kindred spirits with our favorite sports. The way you talk about it IndyCar is how I talk about NASCAR. The potential for greatness is there, but everyone except who runs the show sees the problems. It's rough out here, bro

[@TheRubiksPilot]

4:07 I know it really doesn't matter, but the NFL has the longest offseason in professional sports. IndyCar is probably the longest offseason in professional racing which is most likely what you were getting at

[@jefflanman8323]

The Indy 500 is the crown jewel, trying to build a series around it has proven difficult. The Derby has similar challenges

[@nickporter574]

They literally did it before with CART. Sure the 500 was the crown jewel but CART was getting attention globally. Racing was excellent and the cars were really cool.

[@craigyirush3492]

@@nickporter574exactly! And the series has been growing, albeit slowly. Come to Long Beach or Road America and try and say people only care about the 500.

[@currinsnipes9879]

I am lamenting the death of Bobby Allison and the days when racers raced in a variety of series using different manufacturers and engines. To be blunt, I liked it better when the cars looked different from one another and the drivers could race stock cars one weekend and an Indy car, Can-Am or Trans-Am the next. In fact, I still remember when Peter Revson came in second in ABC's "Superstars" competition. Just like TV and Music, everything is so compartmentalized today.

[@anthonywetzel4544]

I thought when Roger Penske bought the series he was gonna really build it up. Sadly I was mistaken. I don’t know if he has overspent himself and doesn’t have the money to grow it but it’s going downhill.

[@MachoMateoMuchacho]

Well.... He isnt wrong. Everything Roman said is true. The hybrid is 5 years too late.

[@rexthewolf3149]

@@MachoMateoMuchacho not 5 years, 10 years too late.

[@T3glider]

Where’s the marketing, where’s the video game? It is a series owned by an 87 year old multi-billionaire. Enough said.

[@macc4837]

Let’s do this, let’s do what IMSA and WEC does for the Prototype/Hypercar for engines. If one team wants to race with a naturally aspirated v8 or a turbo v6 then let them. Make the battery smaller or do without. Also let the teams choose from two or three chassis designs. Continue with the tire options that they did in Nashville. Then limit teams to two cars per team (to make it more economical and it would bring in more teams with more sponsorship and marketing ability) and then bump the races up to 25 a season, who cares if they have previously been there… just my thoughts

[@g3argyros]

Have a ton of fun at SuperNats! Best of luck!!!

[@o0oStillWeRiseo0o]

I miss Indycar at Belle Isle in Detroit. Why race downtown if you're not going to race in the original F1/Indy layout from the 80s? Such a gorgeous city but world can't see it when you race right off the freaking river

[@John-kx3ng]

Yes, Belle Isle was unique.