Overview of the more than 70 drivers who raced in IndyCar after or during their Formula 1 careers, and the results they achieved
Mick Schumacher is the latest, but by no means the first, to decide to switch to the IndyCar series with Formula 1 racing experience.
In fact, before Mick Schumacher, there were already more than 70 drivers who, after or during a more or less successful Formula 1 career, decided to take exactly this step and try their luck in North America’s top formula racing series.
For eight of them, including Fernando Alonso, Jean Alesi, and Nelson Piquet, this step was limited to the Indy 500. We have compiled a detailed photo gallery of all 70 drivers and show the results they achieved in both racing series. Note: The photo gallery primarily shows drivers who competed in their first IndyCar race after their last Formula 1 race. However, there are a few notable exceptions who drove Formula 1 again after their IndyCar debut. These include Nigel Mansell, Alex Zanardi, and Fernando Alonso, as well as Jack Brabham, Jim Clark, Graham Hill, Jackie Stewart, Jochen Rindt, and others long before them.
On the other hand, the reverse case is not shown in this photo gallery, i.e., drivers who made their Formula 1 debut only after their IndyCar debut. These include Mario Andretti, Danny Sullivan, Roberto Moreno, Michael Andretti, Jacques Villeneuve, Juan Pablo Montoya, Cristiano da Matta, Sebastien Bourdais, and others.
Nigel Mansell not only managed the feat of being both Formula 1 World Champion and IndyCar Champion at the same time, holding both titles for a week in September 1993. Mansell is also the only former Formula 1 driver to have won another Formula 1 race after his IndyCar career.
Incidentally, the 11 editions of the Indy 500 between 1950 and 1960, which officially counted towards the Formula 1 World Championship, are not included in the photo gallery. Alberto Ascari, for example, competed in the Indy 500 once, but at a time when it was not an IndyCar race but a Formula 1 race. Juan Manuel Fangio tried, but did not qualify for the most famous of all oval races.