IndyCar is inching closer to adopting hybrid technology similar to Formula One, with the arrival of 2.4-liter twin-turbo V6 engines with Kinetic Energy Recovery System, or KERS, replacing the 2.2-liter units in 2023. As such, America's sole open-wheel racing series promises to still be "fast, loud, and authentic", according to IndyCar president Jay Frye.
Over the past 50 years, there have been drivers that have made the switch from IndyCar to Formula One, and vice versa. There may be key differences between the two open-wheel racing series, but nevertheless, they have enjoyed relative successes in both categories. Here are some of the notable drivers that have made their mark both in Formula One and IndyCar.
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8 Romain Grosjean
French-Swiss driver Romain Grosjean is the latest driver to make the transition from Formula One to the NTT IndyCar Series. The 2011 GP2 Champion and 10-year F1 veteran is now driving for Dale Coyne Racing, and has already claimed pole position in the GMR Grand Prix of Indianapolis as a rookie.
In his Formula One days, Grosjean garnered 10 podium finishes while driving for the Renault, Lotus, and Haas teams. His last season in 2020 was a memorable one, as he survived a horrific crash in the Bahrain Grand Prix where his Haas F1 car burst into flames.
7 Mario Andretti
Arguably the greatest American motorsport driver of all time, Mario Andretti has done the IndyCar series, then transferred to Formula One, and went back once again to the American open-wheel series as a driver from 1964 to 1994. He was a four-time IndyCar champion and won the Indy 500 in 1969.
He's also the most successful American Formula One driver, winning the 1978 Formula One Championship while driving for Lotus, and tallied 12 victories in 128 career starts.
6 Emerson Fittipaldi
Brazilian Emerson Fittipaldi was one of the most influential drivers who have made the switch from Formula One to IndyCar. After retiring from F1 in 1980, Fittipaldi got a second wind to his career by being the 1989 CART title winner while driving for the Penske team, and also won the Indy 500 twice, in 1989 and 1993.
Before his foray into IndyCars, he was already a two-time Formula One champion in 1972 with the Lotus team and 1974 with McLaren, adding 14 race wins and 35 podiums in 144 career starts to his credit.
5 Nigel Mansell
Nigel Mansell remains the only driver to be Formula One and IndyCar champion at the same time. He drove alongside Mario Andretti in the Newman/Haas team in 1993, and claimed pole position together with a win in his very first race as a rookie, and went on to win four more races to become the series champion.
The Formula One title had not yet been decided when Mansell, the 1992 F1 champion, took the IndyCar title in 1993. The Englishman won 31 races and had 51 podium finishes during his highly successful F1 career.
4 Juan Pablo Montoya
Colombian racing driver Juan Pablo Montoya is one of the two only remaining active drivers who have won two legs of the Triple Crown of Motorsport, which is the Indy 500, Monaco Grand Prix, and the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Montoya was the CART IndyCar champion in 1999 as a rookie while driving for Chip Ganassi Racing and won the Indy 500 twice in 2000 and 2015.
In his Formula One career, he was one of the main rivals of Michael Schumacher in the early 2000s and drove for the Williams and McLaren teams from 2001 to 2006, winning seven races and finishing on the podium 30 times.
3 Rubens Barrichello
Rubens Barrichello relatively only had a short IndyCar career. He drove for KV Racing Technology in 2012 and had his best finish in the Grand Prix of St. Petersburg, finishing 12th. He also added two top-six finishes and was named the Indianapolis 500 rookie of the year.
His Formula One career though was a different story. He was one of the most experienced F1 drivers, starting 322 Grands Prix from 1993 to 2011, taking 11 wins and 68 podium finishes when he drove for the Jordan, Stewart, Ferrari, Honda, Brawn, and Williams teams.
2 Alex Zanardi
Alex Zanardi was a back-to-back CART champion in 1997 and 1998, but sadly, his most memorable moment came in the 2001 race at EuroSpeedway Lausitzring, where a horrific accident with Alex Tagliani caused him to lose both legs.
He drove for the Williams F1 team in 1999 but had mixed results, and terminated his supposed to be three-year contract with the Grove team at the end of that season. Nevertheless, his disability never diminished his love for racing as he was still able to race competitively in the WTCC and DTM years after his horrific accident.
1 Takuma Sato
Takuma Sato is one of Japan's most successful drivers and has won the Indy 500 twice, in 2017 and the latest in 2020. He's also one of the few IndyCar drivers who have won on a superspeedway (Indianapolis), a short oval course (World Wide Technology Raceway), a permanent road course (Portland and Barber Motorsports Park), and a street circuit (Long Beach).
Sato also tied the best result for a Japanese driver in F1 history, when he finished 3rd in the 2004 United States Grand Prix in Indianapolis on his way to his best finish of 8th place in the championship while driving for British American Racing. He also drove for the Jordan and Super Aguri teams in his F1 career.