IndyCar: cars, drivers, circuits and everything there is to know about the category that Argentines talk about

Motorsport fans from all over the world were attentive to what was happening in Bahrain over the weekend, where Formula

held its first Grand Prix of 2023. Although the Argentine "fierreros" also followed all the action on the circuit closely street map of St. Petersburg, Florida, where the

season got underway

, with a national driver as the protagonist,

, who had a promising debut and crossed the finish line in 12th place.

The 33-year-old from Arrecife, a four-time

team

, and transferred his talent to a category that, although unknown to many Argentines, is very popular in the United States. United States and in the rest of the world.

What is this competition about with cars visually very similar to F1?

Here, some information to know it better.

What is the IndyCar?

It is the most important single-role category in the United States - where

is the most popular - and the second in the world, behind F1.

It was born in 1996, when

, owner of the

(the circuit where the legendary

is run ), decided to become independent from the

, the body responsible for single-seater racing in American motorsports since the end of the decade. from '70.

For several years, the two championships were maintained, but in 2008, CART declared bankruptcy - affected by the "migration" of various teams and drivers to the new category - and disappeared, leaving the IndyCar Series

as the main competition for this type of car in the North American country.

The IndyCar is the most popular single-role category in the United States.

Photo AP Photo/Steve Nesius)

What are the IndyCar cars like?

Although the cars have a similar appearance to those of Formula 1, there are several differences between the premier class and the American one.

The IndyCar is a "one-make" series, meaning that the chassis of all the cars are supplied by the same manufacturer,

.

The teams are free to develop just 25 elements on their own, of which the most relevant to the car's performance have to do with the suspension and shock absorbers.

In F1, each team builds its own chassis, following the FIA ​​technical

.

As for engines, the IndyCar uses two brands:

and

(power unit in the car that Canapino will drive this season).

F1 has four suppliers: Ferrari, Mercedes, Renault and Honda.

Both cars have similar powers and can reach 350 kilometers per hour. 

In addition, the American category has its own version of the halo, that protection element that is seen in the cars of

or

.

It's the

, a sort of high-impact polycarbonate "windshield," anchored by a titanium frame that surrounds the cockpit, which debuted in the 2020 season and withstands a force of 17 tons.

What circuits do you run on?

It runs on three types of circuits: ovals -the most traditional of the category-, street ones -like the one in Saint Petersburg, which hosted Sunday's test- and autodromes.

Those last two began to be incorporated into the calendar from 2003.

The first are high-speed tracks surrounded by walls and some with banked curves, which represent a special challenge for drivers like Canapino, who is not used to this type of track.

What's more, the Argentine must take an exam for rookies (including former F1 drivers), which he enables to run in ovals.

The Indianapolis Motor Speedway, the most important oval of the IndyCar season, seen from space.

Photo IndyCar/NASA

Of this group, the most important is the

, home of the Indianapolis 500, the most important test of each season and one of the three that make up the

of world motorsports, together with the

of Formula 1 and the

.

That circuit also has a permanent layout with another design, which also houses another date (this year, the fifth, on May 13.

How are the championship and the races?

The championship is made up of 17 dates.

The 2023 race started last Sunday and will end on September 10, with the

, at the Laguna Seca racetrack in Monterrey, California.

Unlike F1, in which 10 teams compete, with two drivers each;

In this category there are 26 cars authorized to compete in all the races.

Although there are seven others that will release some of the dates.

The most attractive will, of course, be the sixth, the Indianapolis 500 (May 28), which will have a grid of 33 cars.

While in the queen category, only the first 10 that cross the finish line score points;

in the American, points are distributed for all positions.

The winner adds 50;

the second, 40;

and the third 35. In addition, the pilot who gets the pole adds one extra;

The one who leads the race for at least one lap also gets one more unit and the one who leads the race for more laps gets two more.

Thus, the maximum that a runner can reap on a date is 54 points.

Historically, Indianapolis awarded double the points, although that system was discarded for 2023. That date, the same, distributes more in the classification: whoever takes the pole adds 12 units;

the second, 11 and so on until 12th place, which will add one point.

The classification is disputed differently depending on the type of circuits in which the date is run.

In street and racetracks, it is done in series, with a system similar to that of F1.

On ovals, the sum of two consecutive timed laps is each competitor's qualifying time.

And in the case of Indianapolis, the times of four timed laps are added.

All races begin with a rolling start: drivers line up in two lines (three lines at Indianapolis) for the last run-up lap and hold position.

And while in F1 only tire changes or some car compounds are allowed during pit stops;

in the American category you can also refuel at those times. 

Who is racing in IndyCar this season?

Agustín Canapino is one of two South American drivers who will contest the full 2023 championship schedule (the other being Brazilian

).

The man from Arrecife -who runs for

, with the British

as a teammate- is also the sixth Argentine to run in the category, after

(the first, in 1977),

,

,

and

, who did it in 2004.

Frenchman Grosjean is one of three former Formula 1 drivers racing in IndyCar this season.

AP Photo/Steve Nesius

Although Americans were historically the majority in IndyCar, for some decades the category has had riders from all over the world, including some former Formula 1 drivers. In the current championship there are three with previous experience in the "Great Circus": the Frenchman Romain

, from Andretti Autosport;

local

, from Arrow McLaren;

and the Swede

, of Chip Ganassi Racing and winner on Sunday in Saint Petersburg.

Another of the outstanding drivers is the Mexican

, who runs for the MacLaren team, was a test driver for the British team in the premier class in 2021 and 2022 and, for many, has many chances of joining F1. in the near future.

look too

Agustín Canapino and a promising IndyCar debut: he finished 12th in a race full of accidents

After winning the first GP of the year, Max Verstappen faces the unexpected "curse of Formula 1"