Kimi Raikkonen has explained how NASCAR has one particular edge over F1 when it comes to the racing as a spectacle.
The 2007 F1 world champion has had a few experiences of racing in the US and his latest came last weekend with him pitching up at the Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas, where he took place in the latest round of the NASCAR Cup Series.
The race itself was won by Tyler Reddick, who handled a number of restarts at the end of the event superbly to earn a deserved victory, whilst Raikkonen finished in 29th – 11 places off of fellow F1 world champion Jenson Button who came home in 18th.
Something a bit different for the pair, then, and Raikkonen has explained how the racing in NASCAR can sometimes have the edge over F1 thanks to its close-quarters nature, as well as the fact drivers can bang wheels with less chance of race-ruining damage – allowing for more aggressive racing.
Kimi Raikkonen on the difference between NASCAR and F1 racing
“There are places you can overtake, and especially in F1, you don’t get a lot of circuits you can have a good race,” said the Finn.
“People can actually overtake without the DRS, and it feels more like a normal older-style F1 racing.
“The racing is slightly different because in F1 with open wheels, if you touch somebody you usually lose a car or lose the wheel.
“You cannot really take that risk in F1 that much because you lose tiny parts of the car, and your car is suddenly a second slower than it should be.
“In NASCAR, you can have a bit more closer racing. Obviously, the rules are different, they’re more open here.
“I think it’s more of if you kind of behave, well they’ll behave a similar way against you the way I’ve understood. It makes it more exciting at the end of the races when people can be quite aggressive.”
Of course, F1 at the moment has the issue of Red Bull looking very dominant indeed. There’s been some good racing in the midfield but it’s up at the front that we want to see the biggest battles, and the likes of Aston Martin, Ferrari, and Mercedes are trying to reel them in as quick as they can.
That is both the age-old issue and beauty of F1, though, and it’s up to their engineers to try and find ways to eat into the advantage Adrian Newey and his team have built with the creation of the RB19.
