Following remarks that the Road America race would be “thrilling” for F1 drivers to experience after the Miami race, Sebastian Vettel has been offered an IndyCar test.
Aston Martin driver Sebastian Vettel has been offered an IndyCar test by Graham Rahal after declaring that he prefers tracks like Road America to the Miami International Autodrome.
However, the four-time world champion was not as lucky as he retired from the inaugural Miami Grand Prix after colliding with Haas’ Mick Schumacher denying them a points finish.
The Miami Grand Prix was established to capitalise on F1’s growing popularity in the United States, but it overlooked more historically significant tracks in the country, such as the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, which held the US Grand Prix in the 2000s.
Vettel made his Formula 1 debut for BMW Sauber at Indianapolis Speedway, but with the addition of Miami and Las Vegas to the calendar, he was asked if a circuit like the home of the Indy 500 could fit with the new scheduling strategy.
The 34-year old claimed at the Miami Grand Prix that he would like to race on “real tracks” in the United States rather than new ones like the Miami International Autodrome.
“I’m not sure I’m the right person to judge because obviously, there’s always personal flavour,” said Vettel. “I think the US has fantastic race circuits with incredible history.”
“Obviously, creating a circuit here is a very different interest. So racing in the cities is exciting because people are already there.”
“You don’t need to excite the people, because in the first place, they are already close, but certainly from a racing or driving point of view, I think racing… I think Indianapolis is a bit of a half racetrack, if you’re not racing on the oval, you’re not doing the real thing.”
“Going to Road America…. for certainly the money that was spent to build this could have easily, you know, brought the standard up in great places, like Road America,” the Aston Martin driver added.
“From a driving point of view, I think they would be a lot more thrilling. From a fan point of view. I think that’s difficult for me to judge because the last time I sat on the grandstand to watch the race was in 2001.”
“So, a long time ago, and yeah, every fan is different. So I guess it’s more for the fans in a way to decide, but certainly, from a racing and driving thrill, I’d love to go to proper tracks.”
IndyCar legend Graham Rahal took to Twitter after Vettel made the comments ahead of the Miami Grand Prix to offer the Aston Martin driver a chance to drive one of his cars.
“I’ll double down and say it, Seb if you ever want to test an IndyCar at Road America, we will make it happen. Would be an honour to have you in our car!” Graham Rahal tweeted before tagging his current team Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing.
Rahal’s father, team owner, Indy 500 winner and three-time champion Bobby followed up the tweet by adding: “Seb, it’s a deal if you wish!”
The team is jointly owned by former talk show personality David Letterman, businessman Mike Lanigan, and Graham Rahal’s father, 1986 Indianapolis 500 winner Bobby Rahal.
