However he retains links with the Swiss team and its owners.

What's the difference between IndyCar and F1's qualifying formats? In F1 there is no refuelling and this makes stops a fair bit quicker.Top speeds for IndyCars are around 230mph (370km/h) at the iconic Indianapolis 500. Brembo brakes are used, with different numbers of pistons depending on the type of track.IndyCar races on a wide range of circuits, from ovals to street tracks and permanent facilities.

The cars run 2.2-litre turbocharged V6 engines from Honda and Chevrolet, producing 550-700bhp depending on the turbo boost, which varies from event to event.

All the drivers compete in the 18-minute long Q1 session, with the five who set the slowest times dropping out after this point.

Now what’s this have to do with the 2018 Indy aero kit? He was its reserve last year, and kept his hand in with a test in Austria. Will Power took pole with a 1m46.017s lap, averaging 115mph.

By comparison F1's average audience for last year was 91.5 million globally, with the highest cumulative audience for the year since 2012.

As such the competitiveness of the cars varies widely from the front to the back of the grid and budgets spiral in the battle for points.According to its website, IndyCar machinery have between 550 and 700bhp to play with, depending on turbo boost. Much like Formula 1, IndyCar charges a sanctioning fee to racing venues for hosting races.

Performance stats vary depending on the car, but the highest speed recorded in 2015 was by Lewis Hamilton in Mexico FP1, clocking 223mph (360km/h). A button on the steering wheel enables drivers to get a boost of speed. By comparison, F1 currently has four engine manufacturers and every team develops their own parts.

This usually takes approximately an hour and a half but there is also a two-hour limit set on each race in case of bad weather or lengthy safety car periods. Two of them are eye level.

Formula 1 and IndyCar are both considered to be premier single-seater series, with huge fan bases and drivers clamouring to compete within it. What does that do you may ask?

Well first of all the car has little to no wing aero.

While F1 has always been the pinnacle of engineering excellence with a big focus on design and development, IndyCar has prioritised an equal playing field with lower budgets.To European racing fans, IndyCar can seem complicated, and to US audiences F1's reliance on money and technology can be equally bemusing.

On oval races, there is no time limit and all races run to distance, whereas for road and street course events there is usually a two-hour time limit if the race distance cannot be reached - although there is a provision in the regulations that allows IndyCar to change the time limit if they deem it necessary. I as well may push F1 aside because the 2018 Indycar shows genuine promise and it might be the first full year of watching Indycar. While F1 has always been the pinnacle of engineering excellence with a big focus on design and development, IndyCar has prioritised an equal playing field with lower budgets.

McLaren F1 2018 vs McLaren F1 1988 - Monza - Duration: 2:01. The points are doubled for the Indy 500 and the season finale at Laguna Seca, as well as first to ninth receiving points for qualifying for the Indy 500.While F1 has recently introduced a bonus point for the driver who has set the fastest lap of the race (so long as they finish in the top 10), IndyCar again goes further in rewarding its drivers, with a bonus point for pole and leading at least one lap, as well as two points for the most laps led.In F1 each team will also receive points in the same structure according to where their drivers finish (excluding the bonus fastest lap point). In 2019, IndyCar raced at US Grand Prix venue the Circuit of the Americas, allowing for direct comparisons for the first time. IndyCar however is much more generous when it comes to handing out points, with the winner receiving 50 points and second and third 40 and 35, with points handed out to finishers all the way down the field, with those placing below 25th to 33rd receiving 5 points each. The steering wheels also feature a wide array of buttons and a dash containing information. Look at the beautiful 2018 aero kit. The two series, however, are run very differently. F1 cars can accelerate up to speed much quicker and are set up to lose far less time in the corners.

Additionally the race-winning manufacturer is awarded an extra five points, and one extra point goes to the manufacturer on pole.This differs slightly for the Indy 500, where two points go to the manufacturer on pole and one to that which is fastest in the first day of qualifying. Marcus Ericsson - Last race: Abu Dhabi 2018.

Well the car isn’t generating most of its downforce from the wings, it’s all from the underbody. But by looking at the key differences, and what each series does better than the other it is possible to appreciate the richness of top-level single-seater racing.The top speeds reached by IndyCar machinery is approximately 235mph from twin-turbocharged 2.2-litre V6 engines whereas for an F1 car it is around 205mph from turbocharged 1.6-litre V6 hybrid engines - although in 2019 both Sebastian Vettel and Sergio Perez managed to hit 223.5mph at Monza and Mexico City respectively.

4:54. While the only time IndyCar left the US in 2019 was to venture across the border to Toronto, F1 travels across Asia, Europe and North and South America from Australia in mid-March to Abu Dhabi in late November/early December. The remaining 15 battle to set one of the top 10 fastest times to get into Q1.

So in terms of the latter, on small ovals, street and permanent tracks the weight is 730kg, while on speedways it is 716kg (excluding the driver).The aero kits – introduced in 2015 - for the two engine suppliers have to fit into “legality boxes” and only two can be used during a season (with the standard Dallara one being an option). All the drivers compete in the 18-minute long Q1 session, with the five who set the slowest times dropping out after this point.