IndyCar champion in scathing F1 attack: 'It's a joke'

IndyCar champion Will Power has slated F1 competition as "a joke" and feels "sorry" for drivers who are unable to battle for victories.

F1's rise in popularity in recent years, particularly in the United States with the assistance of Netflix docuseries Drive to Survive, has seen a divide created between the two series over the state of competition.

A number of former F1 drivers that have made the switch to IndyCar have been galvanised by the highly-competitive nature of the series, which sees multiple winners across a season between its road, street and oval course schedule.

In the World Championship, however, only two drivers have secured wins in the opening seven races with Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez securing a perfect record for Red Bull.

What if everyone had a Red Bull?

Speaking to NBC Sports ahead of IndyCar's Detroit Grand Prix, Power said of the competition: “It’s so tough, an amazing field, the toughest field in the world, and people need to know it, especially compared to Formula 1.

“Formula 1’s a joke as far as competition, but not as far as drivers. They have amazing drivers. And I feel sorry for them that they don’t get to experience the satisfaction we do with our racing because that is the top level of open-wheel motorsport.

“I think Formula 1 would be so much better if they had a formula like IndyCar. I love the technology and the manufacturer side of it, I think that’s awesome, but from a spectator watching, man, how cool would it be if everyone had a Red Bull?

“You simply know Max is going to win every race if something doesn’t go wrong.

“Imagine being a guy coming out as a rookie, and you probably could win a race. It would be really cool to see. But you know that would never happen with the politics over there.”