Follow us on Google Discover As one of the few drivers in the world to have driven both a modern Formula 1 car as well as its IndyCar counterpart, James Hinchcliffe has described the differences between the two sets of machinery.
Now competing in the IMSA SportsCar championship, Hinchcliffe entered a total of 161 IndyCar races over an 11-year career in the category.
The Canadian won a total of six races in the championship, as well as securing a pole position at the prestigious Indianapolis 500 in 2016.
As well as his driving duties in the endurance racing category, Hinchcliffe is also an analyst for F1TV, where he was recently invited to test Haas’ 2023 challenger alongside former F1 driver Romain Grosjean for a special segment for the sport’s official livestreaming service at the Mugello Circuit in Tuscany.
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James Hinchcliffe has described the differences between IndyCar and F1 after Haas test
Speaking to journalist David Landon ahead of the final round of the IMSA SportsCar season at Road Atlanta, the Canadian did his very best to describe the differences between the two very different specs of single-seater race car.
The 38-year-old started by asking the journalist if he’d ever flown in an F-18 fighter jet in the past, before adding, “Then I can’t explain it to you. That’s about the only thing I think would feel. So, it’s an F-18 on the ground.
“When you start to really grasp what the capabilities of that car are, it kind of brings your brain to another level.
Another memory in the making tomorrow for Hinch 🙌
Alongside Romain’s TPC drive, ex-IndyCar star James Hinchcliffe will make his Formula 1 debut in the VF-23 🤩
The Canadian six-time IndyCar race winner and former Indy 500 polesitter takes on the test as part of a feature for… pic.twitter.com/b3bx6i0A8r
— MoneyGram Haas F1 Team (@HaasF1Team) September 25, 2025
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“Obviously, IndyCars are phenomenal machines and they’re so quick and such a challenge to drive in a very different way, but when you really start picking apart what an F1 car is capable of, it’s a completely different realm and it’s cool to experience.”
Hinchcliffe spent the best part of half a day at the wheel of Haas’ VF-23, clocking in laps during difficult conditions due to the rain that fell at the circuit on the day that the test took place.
The six-time IndyCar race winner ended the interview by declaring, “The thrill of driving that thing is something that’s going to be with me for a long time.”
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The most successful drivers to have won in both Formula 1 and IndyCar
Several drivers have made the rare leap between Formula 1 and IndyCar, with Emerson Fittipaldi and Mario Andretti standing out as two legends in both categories.
The Brazilian won two F1 championships in the 1970s before reinventing his career in the United States, where he captured the 1989 title across the pond and triumphed at the Indianapolis 500 twice.
Nigel Mansell achieved a historic feat in the early 1990s by winning the 1992 Formula 1 World Championship and immediately following it with the 1993 IndyCar (then known as CART) championship as a rookie, a previously unprecedented feat to have won both titles in succession of each other.
Juan Pablo Montoya’s fierce rival, Jacques Villeneuve, is the latest driver to prove himself as a champion in both disciplines, winning the IndyCar title in 1995 before a successful title-winning campaign in 1997 with Williams.