Arrow McLaren’s Alexander Rossi.
The lure of the Indianapolis 500 has attracted the world’s top racing talent since the early 1900s, iconic racers like Alberto Ascari, Jim Clark, Graham Hill, Emerson Fittipaldi and so many more.
In 2024, the 500-mile event will feature a starting field of 33 cars, with a notable presence of 14 drivers who have some affiliation with Formula 1.
Former F1 drivers in the 2024 Indy 500
There are currently four Indy 500 competitors who have previously raced in Formula 1, while an additional 10 competitors have been hired by F1 teams for various roles such as test driving and development driving.
Today, we will examine the F1 backgrounds of the 14 Indy 500 racers, and you may be surprised by some of them. The drivers in each category are ranked according to their starting position in the 2024 Indy 500.
In 2024, the Indy 500 will witness the participation of four ex-Formula 1 drivers.
The highest qualifier in the race is Alexander Rossi, who will be piloting the No. 7 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet from fourth place. Rossi made his Formula 1 debut in 2015 with the slowly collapsing Manor Marussia team. He replaced part-time Marussia driver Roberto Merhi for five races near the end of the 2015 season: Singapore, Japan, Austin, Mexico and Brazil.
In the F1 feeder series like GP2, Rossi displayed immense talent, but his best performance at the U.S. Grand Prix was a modest 12th place. However, things took an unexpected turn when he joined Andretti Autosport for the 2016 IndyCar season. In a remarkable turn of events, Rossi secured a surprising victory at his debut Indianapolis 500, coincidentally marking the 100th running of the prestigious event.
Japanese racer Takuma Sato will start in 10th place behind the wheel of his No. 75 Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing Honda. Sato debuted in Formula 1 all the way back in 2002, when he raced with Jordan before moving to BAR and, finally, Super Aguri.
During his seven-year stint in F1 racing, his most notable achievement was securing a third-place finish at the 2004 U.S. Grand Prix. Subsequently, Sato transitioned to American open-wheel racing in 2010, and his career flourished with remarkable triumphs, including two victories at the Indy 500. These momentous wins occurred in 2017 and again in 2020.
Then comes Romain Grosjean, who will start the 2024 Indy 500 in 26th position in his No. 77 Juncos Hollinger Chevrolet. The Frenchman spent 10 years in F1, first with Lotus before moving to Haas. Though he never won a Grand Prix, he took 10 podiums before his F1 career came to a close with a fiery wreck at Bahrain in 2020.
After transitioning to IndyCar the following year, his performances have been a combination of success and disappointment. Up until now, his highest achievement at the Indy 500 has been a 30th place finish. However, he aims to deliver a stronger performance this year.
Moving on to Pietro Fittipaldi, grandson of F1 champion and Indy 500 victor Emerson Fittipaldi. The young Fittipaldi has raced everything from open-wheel cars to stock cars and in 2019, he joined Haas as a test driver, later contesting two grand prix weekends in 2020 after Grosjean’s Bahrain fireball crash.
Starting from the 30th position, he will compete in the 500 race driving the No. 30 Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing Honda.
And finally we have Marcus Ericsson. After a challenging Month of May, Ericsson battled hard to put his No. 28 Andretti Autosport Honda into the show in 32nd position – a tough break for the driver who won the 2022 Indy 500.
Ericsson embarked on his F1 journey in 2014, starting with Caterham and later transitioning to Sauber for the subsequent four years. His most notable achievement in F1 was securing eighth place in the 2015 Australian Grand Prix.
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Former F1 reserve and test drivers in the 2024 Indy 500
Will Power has become something of a legend in the American open-wheel world and his No. 12 Team Penske Chevrolet will line up in the middle of the first row for this year’s 500.
In 2004, he briefly held the position of a test driver for Minardi before embarking on his journey in the American open-wheel racing scene. In this new venture, he achieved remarkable success, clinching the title of IndyCar champion twice and emerging as the victor of the prestigious 2018 Indianapolis 500.
Starting in sixth, on the second row of the starting grid, is No. 14 A. J. Foyt racing driver Santino Ferrucci. Ferrucci served as a test and reserve driver for the Haas F1 team in 2016 before being promoted to Haas development driver in 2017 and 2018. His European career came to a screeching halt in 2018 after he intentionally crashed into his Trident teammate Arjun Maini and was caught using his cell phone in the cockpit.
Ferrucci entered the world of IndyCar racing in that particular year and has been a part of it ever since. In the previous year, he achieved his personal record in the Indy 500 by securing a remarkable third-place finish.
Colton Herta has long been in F1’s peripheral vision and back in 2022, he served as a test driver for the McLaren F1 team and he was also strongly considered by Red Bull for its junior F1 team until it became clear that Herta would not have enough Super License points to qualify.
Starting from the 13th position, he, the driver of the No. 26 Andretti Global Honda, has been actively involved in discussions regarding the team’s potential venture into Formula 1.
Next to Herta is Spanish driver Álex Palou, driver of the No. 10 Chip Ganassi Racing Honda. Palou cut his teeth in the F1 ladder and in 2023, he was officially named McLaren F1’s reserve driver after the team recruited him for a September 2022 test session.
His F1 dreams were shattered when Chip Ganassi Racing announced his renewal for the 2023 season, but things got even worse when Arrow McLaren claimed their rights to his employment, leading to a dramatic legal battle. McLaren eventually sued Palou, putting an end to his F1 aspirations in the foreseeable future.
Rounding out the fifth row is Callum Ilott, manning the No. 6 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet before Théo Pourchaire takes over for the rest of the year. Ilott has long been considered a promising future F1 talent, which seemed confirmed when he was signed as Alfa Romeo test driver in 2019.
Until 2022, he stayed with Alfa, serving as a test driver for Haas in 2020 and Ferrari in 2021. Despite his efforts, he was unable to secure a permanent spot in F1 and missed out on an opportunity to race full-time in IndyCar this year. However, his starting position at 15th in the 500 is his personal best so far.
To get to our next test driver, we’ll have to jump down the grid, to the 29th starting position. Conor Daly, driver of the No. 24 Dreyer & Reinbold Racing Chevrolet, is likely best known for his American open-wheel racing career, but he actually started off on the Formula 1 ladder and even put in a year as test driver for Sahara Force India back in 2012. He had a chance to test a car once, then made his Indy 500 debut the following year.
Last on the F1 test driver list is Katherine Legge. The British racer had a promising start in European open-wheel circles before she began looking for a future in America. Still, in 2005, she served as a test driver for Minardi — the same year she became the first woman to test an A1 Grand Prix car. Legge will be attempting her fourth Indy 500 this year behind the wheel of the No. 51 Dale Coyne Racing Honda.
Former F1 simulator drivers in the 2024 Indy 500
Christian Lundgaard’s brief time in F1 didn’t actually involve getting behind the wheel of a car; instead, back in 2021, the Danish racer served as Alpine F1’s simulator driver while he competed in a full Formula 2 season, followed by a one-off IndyCar start with Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing.
In 2022, he made the transition to RLL and has remained there till now. His inaugural victory took place in Toronto in 2023, and for the upcoming Indy 500 in 2024, his No. 45 Honda will commence from the 28th position.
Former Red Bull junior drivers in the 2024 Indy 500
Pato O’Ward’s brief involvement with Formula 1 proved to be quite intricate.
O’Ward was swiftly recruited by the Red Bull Junior Team in May 2019. His contract included participation in a Formula 2 race and several Super Formula events, all aimed at securing him a spot in a Red Bull-associated F1 team for the 2020 season.
Despite winning the Indy Lights championship, O’Ward was informed by the FIA that he didn’t have sufficient Super License points to participate in F1. However, Helmut Marko allowed O’Ward to terminate his Red Bull contract early so he could secure a seat with Arrow McLaren. O’Ward will continue driving the No. 5 Chevrolet and will begin the Indy 500 from eighth position.
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