Zak Brown: Scott Dixon and Josef Newgarden could be in F1

See the pilots gravitating around the F1 turn towards the IndyCar Series has become more and more frequent in recent years, given the few possibilities offered within the FIA ​​championship teams.

The opposite situation, however, remains a relatively rare case, one of the recent examples remaining Sébastien Bourdais after his years in ChampCar, before the Frenchman finally crossed the Atlantic again after a stint with Toro Rosso.

In this context, the recent comments of Günther Steiner, Team Principal of Haas F1 Team, on the ability of IndyCar drivers to perform well in F1, provoked many reactions. Zak Brown, executive director of McLaren Technology Group, however, believes that some of the current leading drivers in the American series have the required qualities.

“I disagree with Günther Steiner's comments that none of the IndyCar drivers would perform well in a Formula 1 car, says Brown, quoted by ESPN. However, I will place some of them. More precisely, I think that Josef Newgarden is an exceptional talent and I think Scott Dixon is an exceptional talent.

I don't agree with the idea that drivers can get too old, I think what happens is they eventually lose motivation and that's what catches up with them. […]

So someone like Scott Dixon reminds me Fernando Alonso, in the fact that he is extremely fit, dedicated and as fast as ever, and I think Scott Dixon would be very competitive in a Formula 1 car today. »

Josef Newgarden won the IndyCar title last year, while Scott Dixon won four times in the championship in addition to a success at the Indy 500 in 2008. Scott Dixon is also competing this weekend in one of the two Ford GTs from Ford Chip Ganassi Racing at the 24 Hours of Daytona.