Indycar not heeding what F1 had learned a long time ago. If you have tyres that won't last at speed, the teams will simply go slower rather than "fighting" on bad tyres.
They could've avoided the slower cars by eliminating the slowest car of the lap, every lap or second lap, I mean it's a gimmick but somehow with the rules of this race I am sure a gimmick isn't a problem
The best bit for me was easily the three McLarens fighting each other in the early stages of the second heat, and Rossi and Herta managed to liven up the second half of the final, but other than that, this weekend wasn't great. Thermal seems like a decent track for hotlapping, but for producing lots of wheel-to-wheel racing, I'm not so sure. I think the heats were slightly too short and the final should've just been one whole race rather than one race split in half.
I think this was Roger Penske's project, to entertain his rich snob friends that reside in Thermal club. I'm sure they enjoyed the champagne and caviar, though, this event was absolutely not held for Indycar/motorsport fans.
Seems like the teams did the same kind of backhanded FU to the idiots in charge with the tyre situation here as a few years ago when F1 kept fkn with quali format so the teams just held the cars and half of Q2 was an empty track. So in that respect, for having the testicular fortitude to maliciously yet creatively comply with idiotic rules, I rate this an A-.
Whoever thought of this really needs to be fired, and I'm not speaking in hyperbole. IndyCar being used as an infomercial for a private racing circuit community (with multimillion $ homes and a mandatory $200K membership fee) via a 'dash-for-cash' race for already wealthy people in an era where buying a stick of deodorant can cause sticker shock was in really poor taste. Oh, and it's IMPOSSIBLE TO PASS on said circuit. Add the hypemasters known as the NBC broadcast team endlessly pushing this pig with garish lipstick on us like it's SO EXCITING....please fellas. Unbearable. A huge PR disaster for a series that has a great product but just can't ever get things right. Only upside is we get a great Will takedown of this farce.
When it comes to the tire wear, it's like Indycar saw how the extreme tire wear made the NASCAR Cup Series race at Bristol Motor Speedway an exciting event and asked if Firestone could bring a tire that wears like that tire Goodyear brought to Bristol (Roger Penske showed the tire data from Ryan Blaney, Joey Logano, Austin Cindric and the Wood Brothers car of Harrison Burton), then Firestone tried to bring a similar tire to Thermal but no one told them that the teams wouldn't be allowed to change tires... For some reason
No need for apologies Im an Indianapolis native and have loved and followed indycar all my life but that Thermal race was just hilariously awful. Roger Penske told the indycar teams to go out there and tear up their cars just to show off his toys to his rich friends in their back yard. The teams spent money for nothing, the fans were completely neglected, and the results were embarassing. This cannot be the way forward for indycar
I feel privileged to have my ugly mug in the shot at 5:41. Made a mighty thump when my station was center-punched. Thanks for the spot-on commentary, Will!
They need to go to Adelaide. Around the old f1 track. Adelaide puts on a huge show for anything. With the aus and nz drivers in the field it would be mega
Just.....just bring back the late 80s/early 90s Marlboro Challenge All Star format. seriously. That was simple, effective and worked well and was on the Laguna weekend so season finale all star time (or the Tamiami Park weekend too come to think of it)
Thermal itself is not a bad location, I think it’s the format and the expectations that sealed its fate as an underwhelming event. I’m sure that there is a more traditional format that could make this thermal test weekend work in a way that’s satisfactory for the fans and the teams.
Hi! I'm a big F1 and Indy car fan. The whole weekend was boringgggg... they tried to hype the Thermal club and how rich they all must be and blah, blah, blah! It was so dull. Endless practices then these heat races dull dull dull! It was confusing and stupid.
why do these cars have those silly looking windshields and then the top of the car is still open? Lol. just make it a normal closed cockpit and be done with it
Aa an F1 fanatic I've tried several times to get into Indycar, but something about the racing just doesn't interest me. I keep watching races and losing interest within 15 minutes. Maybe it's the american monday night football-esque commentary. I usually end up just watching old F1 seasons.
I think the track has potential, the drivers seemed to like it, they just need a reasonable format. I would suggest more laps, bring the option tire (especially for qualifying), no halftime, and competitive pit stops. With some actual care, this event could provide good action.
I think this even would have been fine if they had AT LEAST put it before St. Pete. Extended testing sessions and non-points races work fine in other series but to put it 2 weeks after the first race and a MONTH before the next is terrible. Add to that the fact that the track itself was subpar and offered nothing extra flair since there was little to no crowd (although the scenery was nice) and the fact that the tires aren't up to spec because they were built for hybrid and this even had no chance. This whole thing can work next year if they make it a preseason thing, improve the tire wear, and add some temporary bleachers (or just locate it somewhere else entirely; like Surfers Paradise! I miss that place).
If IndyCar continues with this stupidity they will become as irrelevant as NASCAR, lose all there top talent to IMSA and become a feeder series for F2 or F3
Make this a preseason test with a little cash prize “race” and find a real race to fit between st Pete and LB. I’m going to LB, let’s hope it’s a banger.
You'll have a great time - Long Beach was a great place to watch the race, and to enjoy the Coast at the same time. Nothing quite so exhilarating as the roar and speed of those Indycars! Even better when there's competition on the track - but I don't even need that to enjoy being in attendance...
To be fair on the beginning of this video is that when Champ Car and IRL unified back to IndyCar, 2 races had dates that could not be adjusted or cancelled. One was the Long Beach Grand Prix which happened the same weekend Danica won at Motegi and the other was this race at Surfer's Paradise Australia way after the season had ended.
On the subject of Townsend Bell's CART debut, that would be a good topic for a classic Comedy Review. What? Alex would be one of the first people to appreciate such a thing! The man refused to let it slow him down, after all.
To be blunt, given how well they've maintained it due to other series racing on it, I think the logical non points race for the series would be for a place like EuroSpeedway.
Yea i completely agree, why call it the million dollar challenge? 2 it was a snoozefest who's brilliant idea was it to not change tires??? So yeah overall epic waste of time boring races and generally disappointing 😞
Now that truly sucked! Grosjean just getting punted, and no Stingray massaging the tire barriers? Racing at Thermal tends to be a good time to take a nap, this was no exception.
I think this was a worthwhile experiment that just fell a bit short. If they do it again, the first segment should be five laps longer. The "slow strat" would not have been able to go as slow in order to stay on the lead lap, so while there would still be a disparity in the second segment between those who took it easy and those who pushed, the difference would be smaller, and EVERYONE'S tires would be more worn down making mistakes more likely due to unstable cars. It might not have been enough, but it would certainly spice things up visibly.
This weekend could be good with some changes to format to make it more exciting in the heats and split. Perhaps less break time and all cars on field but only the top 10 get cash and it 40 laps or something.
I really enjoyed the Thermal experiment and have already considered attending the event if they hold it next year. Sure, there are tweaks they can improve the event for viewers, but it was pretty great to see those guys going all out in the second heat. Not sure why everyone is so whiny about them trying something new - it didn't take anything away from the season, and helped to fill a six week gap in the schedule.
I love how you got me to actually watch Indycar, being an F1-fan; As you mention during the video, I doesn't live up to expectations... It really doesn't help that the video quality here in Europe is really, really bad... I did start watching F2 and F3 though, those two first races were actually bloody awesome. Perhaps an idea to review one of those in the future?
It would have been fine if it had been the opening weekend and just been one big test session followed by a normal race, except for money instead of points.
It was pretty poor. They could have eliminated the farce by eliminating the slowest two cars in the first heat of the final. Poorly thought out in all honesty
@FP1Will it is now possible with the hybrid engine.... hasn't been since the First Indy GP on the road course.... there was a huge wreck off the start and the mayor of Indianapolis was hit by debris
Not likely because just like in Endurance Racing, rolling starts are tradition and standing starts on ovals would be a disaster. However, there was no excuse to not double file start Heat 2, but I don't think anyone in IndyCar knew what they were doing the whole weekend.
I do have to say this raced proved that Marcus Ericsson was driving a Boost Mitsubishi from the Delinquent Road Hazard because Boost at rare occasion only finished ahead of Snot Rod only. It seem Marcus Ericsson is following Boost from the Delinquent Road Hazard by finishing P12 out of P13 and only beating Braun who is Snot Rod. He really is not doing well in this Andretti doesn't he.
This track looks like unfinished construction making Indycar look like an amateur series (I recently watched Formula 4 Saudi Arabia and the track was much better)
Thermal Club isn't a professional track. It's a resort that has a motorsports theme with a track. It's also why there were no stands and limited tickets available.
My two cents: - Rosenqvist said the race might have been more interesting if the final sprint had all 27 cars participate. Upon reading that, it made me wonder why Indycar didn't do _just that._ It seems like a no-brainer. - I wasn't aware of the prize being only worth $500k. No wonder the drivers didn't seem to be pushing that hard! - (I just looked it up. It was called the million dollar challenge because the total purse was worth $1.75 million, which was to be split by the entire field based on finishing positon. Seems misleading, especially considering NASCAR's All-Star race actually gives the a full million to the winner.) - The tire wear might have made things interesting if they didn’t have the half-time break, or at least allowed drivers to change tires. - It's ridiculous that Indycar wouldn't let anyone touch Rahal's car to fix a stuck throttle. Like I'm not an expert, but I'm fairly certain stuck throttles have killed quite a few drivers over the years. I'm at least glad the team had the common sense to withdraw the car instead of risking a serious accident. - The single-file restart after halftime on a track where passing was difficult wasn't a very smart decision. It basically guaranteed Palou the win as long as he didn't do anything stupid. - Speaking of Palou, he said it would have made more sense to have held this event during the off season, considering no points were up for grabs. Overall, a garbage event that Indycar will hopefully never try again without making some _serious_ changes. Here's hoping Long Beach actually provides some good racing and good entertainment as well!
I was a fan of the non-points race. I think it's fun to sit down and watch a race that isn't incooperated in the championship but maybe that's just me...
Let's say this: I like the idea of a non-points round, or at least I am not against it. On the other side, if you race anyways, why not for points? And then there is the format, which didn't help this event. Neither did the track. There is many circuits I can think of, inside and outside of America, and certainly many I never heard of. But the Thermal Club is just not the right track for Indycars. Maybe I'm totally crazy, but why don't Indy race ahead of the F1 Las Vegas GP, as F1 has no support races there, but since the back straight is longer than Max Verstappens lead over Logan Sargeant they may only use the oval spec aero.
The alternative to thermal was nothing so I’ll take it. Everyone wants to cry and say we could’ve gotten the Texas oval back but it wasn’t going to happen. I saw structure it better and place it at the right time of the schedule to make it worth while and make more sense.
You shouldn't be able to fight for a win ever if you're down 2 minutes after 10% of the race distance. That's a disgrace to racing. Thank god herta didn't win
easy fix for this race if they attempt it again (hopefully not but...). top 12 qualify. but in the main, you have to use the tires from your last qualification for the 1st 10 laps. from there only the top 6 can advance. no Colton Herta sandbagging techniques. finish the remaining 10 laps on new slicks. and mute Leigh Diffey and Townsend Bell.
I thought the track was decent, something unique I’d like to try on the sim, but that’s it. IndyCar shouldn’t be a private organization racing at privately-owned tracks. Just odd without any fans
Wealthy sports stars competing for additional prize money at an exclusive venue without fans able to attend felt elitist and out of touch. Especially considering the current economic climate we live in. I can't help but think this event was the result of a gap in the calendar and an inability to know when to stop adding ideas. It was hyped up by the marketing team but ended up feeling like nothing more than a multi day test session with a vague attempt at racing added on at the end. If this is what Penske Entertainment considers a good idea to promote Indycar it might be time for a rethink or a change of ownership.
It was something to fill the gap Last year they practiced there without it being televised and everyone complained lol So this year, they practice then have a race out of it....show it.....and everyone complained.........
$1'000'000 prize money comes in a country that has a $34'000'000'000'000 debt, so don't worry, that don't know how to count. And as for that track, it looks about as exciting as the Gold Coast circuit you featured in the opening gambit, and thats from someone who lived and watched that Indy race way back then at Surfers Paradise......rubbish.
All series have reduced me to just watching the highlights instead of wasting my time watching the entire race. I get bored easily so racing these days doesn’t get a lot of my attention. Too bad as I am a lifelong race fan.
Was the race crap? Yes. But at the end of the day, instead of a non-televised test session and a colossal break between rounds 1 and 2, we at least got some on track activity to watch early in the season after a 6 month layoff, which I will take any day. And Thermal apparently pays the series a buttload of money, so it was a good deal for IndyCar as well. But yes, if they try this again next year, there definitely needs to be some major format changes.
Go to piavpn.com/FP1Will to get 83% off Private Internet Access with 4 months free!
Indycar not heeding what F1 had learned a long time ago. If you have tyres that won't last at speed, the teams will simply go slower rather than "fighting" on bad tyres.
Never underestimate humanity's unwillingness to learn from its mistakes.
No one listens to F1, or the dwarf that runs it.
Me: Hey watch indycar this year, it's heaps more exciting than F1.
The first two races of indycar 2024...
Yep. They've started the year with 2 duds and we have to wait almost a month for Long Beach.
@@danielhenderson8316lmao what’s Long Beach gonna do you can’t pass their either another snoozer 2.0
@@scrooge201 There's also been far more good races at Long Beach than bad ones, and there's always some kind of drama there.
Ik I may be unpopular in saying this but the oval races are my favorite
@@danielhenderson8316 which wil lbe a 3rd Bust in a row. Long Beach is a SHIT track for actual racing.
They could've avoided the slower cars by eliminating the slowest car of the lap, every lap or second lap, I mean it's a gimmick but somehow with the rules of this race I am sure a gimmick isn't a problem
Could work tbh, Would be pretty video gamey but hey could be interesting.
I actually really like that idea.
@@SpaceMissile here is hoping you can make it happen 🤣
@@MrSparkefrostie I'll send them a letter! 📨
snap-dragon would be great
The best bit for me was easily the three McLarens fighting each other in the early stages of the second heat, and Rossi and Herta managed to liven up the second half of the final, but other than that, this weekend wasn't great. Thermal seems like a decent track for hotlapping, but for producing lots of wheel-to-wheel racing, I'm not so sure.
I think the heats were slightly too short and the final should've just been one whole race rather than one race split in half.
The million bucks was actually for Roman if he could get through a weekend with hitting anyone 😂😂
They could've made that the billion dollar challenge.
A fitting video for April Fools Day.
I think this was Roger Penske's project, to entertain his rich snob friends that reside in Thermal club. I'm sure they enjoyed the champagne and caviar, though, this event was absolutely not held for Indycar/motorsport fans.
Long time indycar fan: this was an embarrassment. This could have worked as a preseason event not replacing a points race.
Seems like the teams did the same kind of backhanded FU to the idiots in charge with the tyre situation here as a few years ago when F1 kept fkn with quali format so the teams just held the cars and half of Q2 was an empty track. So in that respect, for having the testicular fortitude to maliciously yet creatively comply with idiotic rules, I rate this an A-.
Even Liberty MEDIA couldn't have scripted this debacle.
Whoever thought of this really needs to be fired, and I'm not speaking in hyperbole. IndyCar being used as an infomercial for a private racing circuit community (with multimillion $ homes and a mandatory $200K membership fee) via a 'dash-for-cash' race for already wealthy people in an era where buying a stick of deodorant can cause sticker shock was in really poor taste. Oh, and it's IMPOSSIBLE TO PASS on said circuit. Add the hypemasters known as the NBC broadcast team endlessly pushing this pig with garish lipstick on us like it's SO EXCITING....please fellas. Unbearable. A huge PR disaster for a series that has a great product but just can't ever get things right. Only upside is we get a great Will takedown of this farce.
When it comes to the tire wear, it's like Indycar saw how the extreme tire wear made the NASCAR Cup Series race at Bristol Motor Speedway an exciting event and asked if Firestone could bring a tire that wears like that tire Goodyear brought to Bristol (Roger Penske showed the tire data from Ryan Blaney, Joey Logano, Austin Cindric and the Wood Brothers car of Harrison Burton), then Firestone tried to bring a similar tire to Thermal but no one told them that the teams wouldn't be allowed to change tires... For some reason
No need for apologies
Im an Indianapolis native and have loved and followed indycar all my life but that Thermal race was just hilariously awful. Roger Penske told the indycar teams to go out there and tear up their cars just to show off his toys to his rich friends in their back yard. The teams spent money for nothing, the fans were completely neglected, and the results were embarassing. This cannot be the way forward for indycar
I feel privileged to have my ugly mug in the shot at 5:41. Made a mighty thump when my station was center-punched. Thanks for the spot-on commentary, Will!
They need to go to Adelaide. Around the old f1 track. Adelaide puts on a huge show for anything. With the aus and nz drivers in the field it would be mega
Just.....just bring back the late 80s/early 90s Marlboro Challenge All Star format.
seriously. That was simple, effective and worked well and was on the Laguna weekend so season finale all star time (or the Tamiami Park weekend too come to think of it)
Thermal itself is not a bad location, I think it’s the format and the expectations that sealed its fate as an underwhelming event. I’m sure that there is a more traditional format that could make this thermal test weekend work in a way that’s satisfactory for the fans and the teams.
Track is awful m8
They need to use one of the other layouts there are too many single file non passing corners on this layout
Looks more like go-kart track
My favorite was a race while being told how poor I am at the same time :-). Just focus on the race, even though it was terrible.
- The track surface looks horrendous .
It should’ve just been a full race with no heats
The concept of the event was stupid. The execution of the event was pathetic. I hope to never see such a thing again.
I consider Indycar more competitive than F1 and NASCAR. The Thermo thing was a bust.
Hi! I'm a big F1 and Indy car fan. The whole weekend was boringgggg... they tried to hype the Thermal club and how rich they all must be and blah, blah, blah! It was so dull. Endless practices then these heat races dull dull dull! It was confusing and stupid.
why do these cars have those silly looking windshields and then the top of the car is still open? Lol. just make it a normal closed cockpit and be done with it
Aa an F1 fanatic I've tried several times to get into Indycar, but something about the racing just doesn't interest me. I keep watching races and losing interest within 15 minutes. Maybe it's the american monday night football-esque commentary. I usually end up just watching old F1 seasons.
6:47 BrawnGP, is that you?
Looks like it 🥚
I liked the format with the heavy emphasis on tire saving. Lead to some interesting strategies, I liked the "stay back but not more than a lap" game.
Hope he was joking; but it’s a million dollar challenger because the total prizes paid out are 1 million. First got half of it
I think the track has potential, the drivers seemed to like it, they just need a reasonable format. I would suggest more laps, bring the option tire (especially for qualifying), no halftime, and competitive pit stops. With some actual care, this event could provide good action.
In other words, make it a regular IndyCar race.
I would have yawned during this "race", but it wasn't worth that much effort...
I think this even would have been fine if they had AT LEAST put it before St. Pete. Extended testing sessions and non-points races work fine in other series but to put it 2 weeks after the first race and a MONTH before the next is terrible. Add to that the fact that the track itself was subpar and offered nothing extra flair since there was little to no crowd (although the scenery was nice) and the fact that the tires aren't up to spec because they were built for hybrid and this even had no chance. This whole thing can work next year if they make it a preseason thing, improve the tire wear, and add some temporary bleachers (or just locate it somewhere else entirely; like Surfers Paradise! I miss that place).
If they have more pointless events, turn on the sprinklers at random times on random corners.
If IndyCar continues with this stupidity they will become as irrelevant as NASCAR, lose all there top talent to IMSA and become a feeder series for F2 or F3
This would have been a great format on a 1/2 mile oval
Make this a preseason test with a little cash prize “race” and find a real race to fit between st Pete and LB.
I’m going to LB, let’s hope it’s a banger.
You'll have a great time - Long Beach was a great place to watch the race, and to enjoy the Coast at the same time. Nothing quite so exhilarating as the roar and speed of those Indycars! Even better when there's competition on the track - but I don't even need that to enjoy being in attendance...
Lol I cant believe Herta was the only driver to realize there was no point in pushing at all in the first stint. That's hilarious, it's too much
This “race” was as dull as a chartered account in a Monty Python sketch.
To be fair on the beginning of this video is that when Champ Car and IRL unified back to IndyCar, 2 races had dates that could not be adjusted or cancelled. One was the Long Beach Grand Prix which happened the same weekend Danica won at Motegi and the other was this race at Surfer's Paradise Australia way after the season had ended.
On the subject of Townsend Bell's CART debut, that would be a good topic for a classic Comedy Review.
What? Alex would be one of the first people to appreciate such a thing! The man refused to let it slow him down, after all.
Indycar please don't do that again it was shit
To be blunt, given how well they've maintained it due to other series racing on it, I think the logical non points race for the series would be for a place like EuroSpeedway.
As a German I'll be there for sure :)
First Sir Lewis and now the entire F1 circuit, you chose violence this weekend
these are great! looking forward to this weekend.
Glad you like them!
Yea i completely agree, why call it the million dollar challenge? 2 it was a snoozefest who's brilliant idea was it to not change tires??? So yeah overall epic waste of time boring races and generally disappointing 😞
I actually loved the format
Seems we're in the minority - but I enjoyed watching, too!
I missed the final race, and was excited to watch it. Having seen this and the highlights, I'm glad I went for the Formula E replay last night
Now that truly sucked! Grosjean just getting punted, and no Stingray massaging the tire barriers? Racing at Thermal tends to be a good time to take a nap, this was no exception.
I think this was a worthwhile experiment that just fell a bit short. If they do it again, the first segment should be five laps longer. The "slow strat" would not have been able to go as slow in order to stay on the lead lap, so while there would still be a disparity in the second segment between those who took it easy and those who pushed, the difference would be smaller, and EVERYONE'S tires would be more worn down making mistakes more likely due to unstable cars.
It might not have been enough, but it would certainly spice things up visibly.
This weekend could be good with some changes to format to make it more exciting in the heats and split. Perhaps less break time and all cars on field but only the top 10 get cash and it 40 laps or something.
I really enjoyed the Thermal experiment and have already considered attending the event if they hold it next year. Sure, there are tweaks they can improve the event for viewers, but it was pretty great to see those guys going all out in the second heat. Not sure why everyone is so whiny about them trying something new - it didn't take anything away from the season, and helped to fill a six week gap in the schedule.
This event felt like Indycar was the clown hired for a rich kids birthday party
Already got my tickets for the Long Beach Grand Prix, can’t wait (it’s the closest track to my home ok)
Indycar should race on the le mans circuit without the chicanes. That would be a fun race to watch.
Or go back to Watkins Glen!
They would probably be re-fuelling every 10 laps.......
It was the dumbest thing I've seen in years!
I love how you got me to actually watch Indycar, being an F1-fan; As you mention during the video, I doesn't live up to expectations... It really doesn't help that the video quality here in Europe is really, really bad... I did start watching F2 and F3 though, those two first races were actually bloody awesome. Perhaps an idea to review one of those in the future?
So much retro vin la cucarachas in a single video that I thought of. I laughing so hard.
It would have been fine if it had been the opening weekend and just been one big test session followed by a normal race, except for money instead of points.
No tyre changes and a half time must have been thought up by one of the organisers’ slow children. It’s obvious folk would just pace themselves
Yeah it has issues. But seeing Grosjean crashing in turn one on the last heat is hard to beat. Plus Rossi putting pato in his place is pretty funny
This event sucked and I fell asleep trying to watch it.
It was pretty poor. They could have eliminated the farce by eliminating the slowest two cars in the first heat of the final. Poorly thought out in all honesty
Thermal was far from a good race weekend...but better than no racing at all🤷 there would have been a SIX WEEK gap between races without it
Playing NFL music in the background is crazy :D
Huge Indycar fan here..... the race was terrible.. hopefully we get standing starts soon because single file restart after "halftime" was such a joke
Would love to see standing starts!
@FP1Will it is now possible with the hybrid engine.... hasn't been since the First Indy GP on the road course.... there was a huge wreck off the start and the mayor of Indianapolis was hit by debris
Not likely because just like in Endurance Racing, rolling starts are tradition and standing starts on ovals would be a disaster. However, there was no excuse to not double file start Heat 2, but I don't think anyone in IndyCar knew what they were doing the whole weekend.
I do have to say this raced proved that Marcus Ericsson was driving a Boost Mitsubishi from the Delinquent Road Hazard because Boost at rare occasion only finished ahead of Snot Rod only. It seem Marcus Ericsson is following Boost from the Delinquent Road Hazard by finishing P12 out of P13 and only beating Braun who is Snot Rod. He really is not doing well in this Andretti doesn't he.
This track looks like unfinished construction making Indycar look like an amateur series (I recently watched Formula 4 Saudi Arabia and the track was much better)
Thermal Club isn't a professional track. It's a resort that has a motorsports theme with a track. It's also why there were no stands and limited tickets available.
@@danielhenderson8316 You forgot to mention that it's a very exclusive resort. It's all over their marketing materials.
I like the thought of a non championship event but it needs to be done much better
My two cents:
- Rosenqvist said the race might have been more interesting if the final sprint had all 27 cars participate. Upon reading that, it made me wonder why Indycar didn't do _just that._ It seems like a no-brainer.
- I wasn't aware of the prize being only worth $500k. No wonder the drivers didn't seem to be pushing that hard!
- (I just looked it up. It was called the million dollar challenge because the total purse was worth $1.75 million, which was to be split by the entire field based on finishing positon. Seems misleading, especially considering NASCAR's All-Star race actually gives the a full million to the winner.)
- The tire wear might have made things interesting if they didn’t have the half-time break, or at least allowed drivers to change tires.
- It's ridiculous that Indycar wouldn't let anyone touch Rahal's car to fix a stuck throttle. Like I'm not an expert, but I'm fairly certain stuck throttles have killed quite a few drivers over the years. I'm at least glad the team had the common sense to withdraw the car instead of risking a serious accident.
- The single-file restart after halftime on a track where passing was difficult wasn't a very smart decision. It basically guaranteed Palou the win as long as he didn't do anything stupid.
- Speaking of Palou, he said it would have made more sense to have held this event during the off season, considering no points were up for grabs.
Overall, a garbage event that Indycar will hopefully never try again without making some _serious_ changes.
Here's hoping Long Beach actually provides some good racing and good entertainment as well!
I’ve watched every race since phoenix 1988 and I’ve gotta say, this race was hot garbage
I was a fan of the non-points race. I think it's fun to sit down and watch a race that isn't incooperated in the championship but maybe that's just me...
Let's say this: I like the idea of a non-points round, or at least I am not against it. On the other side, if you race anyways, why not for points? And then there is the format, which didn't help this event. Neither did the track. There is many circuits I can think of, inside and outside of America, and certainly many I never heard of. But the Thermal Club is just not the right track for Indycars. Maybe I'm totally crazy, but why don't Indy race ahead of the F1 Las Vegas GP, as F1 has no support races there, but since the back straight is longer than Max Verstappens lead over Logan Sargeant they may only use the oval spec aero.
The alternative to thermal was nothing so I’ll take it. Everyone wants to cry and say we could’ve gotten the Texas oval back but it wasn’t going to happen. I saw structure it better and place it at the right time of the schedule to make it worth while and make more sense.
This video is more entertaining than anything Indycar has produced. 😂
Not even Will can make this race look interesting. It’s not Will, he just had nothing to work with.
You shouldn't be able to fight for a win ever if you're down 2 minutes after 10% of the race distance. That's a disgrace to racing. Thank god herta didn't win
I'm glad watching this I switched off when Grosjean crashed in heat 1 of qualifying. What a complete shower
Not all of it was a waste though. You managed to upload this joke of a race on april fools
I'm confused, what was the point of all this crap!
Wait, Townsend Bell had his first race where Zenardi lost his legs in Germany?
Yep. He finished 13th that day, and also competed in the following race at Rockingham (the British oval), finishing 12th.
Agreed. This was pretty stupid to hold this event. It was painful to watch.
Meh it is better than nothing and better than having nothing for a month. Plus we got a video from it
3:55 SPLATOON MUSIC! Im mot the only person who plays that game!
The event was fine but these should be held off-season. In-season everything should be focused on the championship battle.
3:56 HOLY SHIT SPLATOON MUSIC
easy fix for this race if they attempt it again (hopefully not but...). top 12 qualify. but in the main, you have to use the tires from your last qualification for the 1st 10 laps. from there only the top 6 can advance. no Colton Herta sandbagging techniques. finish the remaining 10 laps on new slicks. and mute Leigh Diffey and Townsend Bell.
I thought the track was decent, something unique I’d like to try on the sim, but that’s it. IndyCar shouldn’t be a private organization racing at privately-owned tracks. Just odd without any fans
Wealthy sports stars competing for additional prize money at an exclusive venue without fans able to attend felt elitist and out of touch. Especially considering the current economic climate we live in. I can't help but think this event was the result of a gap in the calendar and an inability to know when to stop adding ideas. It was hyped up by the marketing team but ended up feeling like nothing more than a multi day test session with a vague attempt at racing added on at the end. If this is what Penske Entertainment considers a good idea to promote Indycar it might be time for a rethink or a change of ownership.
This was an emergency stop gap after NASCAR poached the spring race at Texas, and IndyCar drivers are far less wealthy than you think.
Zak brown defo received a 500k cheque in the mail after this
Or his lawyer did...
It was something to fill the gap
Last year they practiced there without it being televised and everyone complained lol
So this year, they practice then have a race out of it....show it.....and everyone complained.........
$1'000'000 prize money comes in a country that has a $34'000'000'000'000 debt, so don't worry, that don't know how to count. And as for that track, it looks about as exciting as the Gold Coast circuit you featured in the opening gambit, and thats from someone who lived and watched that Indy race way back then at Surfers Paradise......rubbish.
When the world needed him most he returned
All series have reduced me to just watching the highlights instead of wasting my time watching the entire race. I get bored easily so racing these days doesn’t get a lot of my attention. Too bad as I am a lifelong race fan.
Was the race crap? Yes. But at the end of the day, instead of a non-televised test session and a colossal break between rounds 1 and 2, we at least got some on track activity to watch early in the season after a 6 month layoff, which I will take any day. And Thermal apparently pays the series a buttload of money, so it was a good deal for IndyCar as well. But yes, if they try this again next year, there definitely needs to be some major format changes.
I was waiting for this
20 Real Races PLEASE Between Mexico , Canada, Brazil and US should be able to manage that minimum ,,,,
AMA Supercross next please!
The Format didn't make sense make it an Test session or move it to Brazil next season
Were are they at?
Well, proF1 channel say Indycar is a mess, what a surprise 😂
5:05 Oh noo ☠😂