F1 Champions Who Conquered the Indy 500
A Rare Breed of Racing Royalty
Today is Indy 500 day at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
Over the years, only five drivers have won both the Indianapolis 500 and the Formula 1 World Championship. It is a very exclusive club. Here they are, listed in the order of their Indy 500 victories.
Lotus 43 driven by Jim Clark, Dutch GP (1967)
Jim Clark – 1965
Jim Clark was the first to do it. The Scotsman dominated the 1965 Indianapolis 500, leading 190 of the 200 laps in his rear-engined Lotus 38.
He remains the only driver in history to win the Indy 500 and the F1 World Championship in the same year. Clark actually skipped the Monaco Grand Prix to race at Indianapolis, a decision that paid off handsomely.
Graham Hill – 1966
One year after Clark's triumph, Graham Hill won the 1966 Indy 500 as a rookie. It was a chaotic race that saw only seven cars finish, but Hill kept his nose clean and inherited the lead late when Jackie Stewart's car broke down.
This victory, combined with his five Monaco Grand Prix wins and his 1972 Le Mans triumph, makes Hill the only driver to complete the Triple Crown of Motorsport.
Mario Andretti – 1969
Mario Andretti dramatically won the 1969 Indianapolis 500. He crashed his primary car in practice and suffered severe burns to his face, yet still qualified for the front row.
Andretti went on to win the race and later added the 1978 Formula 1 World Championship to his resume. He remains the only driver to win the Indy 500, the Daytona 500, and the F1 title.
Emerson Fittipaldi – 1989 & 1993
Emerson Fittipaldi took a different path. After winning two F1 titles in 1972 and 1974, the Brazilian moved to American open-wheel racing. He won the Indy 500 twice, first in 1989 and again in 1993.
His 1989 victory was a classic, as he battled Al Unser Jr. in the closing laps, touching wheels with him on the backstretch before crossing the line first. Fittipaldi also won the CART championship in 1989.
BAR Jacques Villeneuve, France 1999
Jacques Villeneuve – 1995
Jacques Villeneuve is the most recent driver to join the club. The Canadian won the 1995 Indianapolis 500 in his second attempt, overcoming a two-lap penalty during the race to take victory.
Two years later, in only his second F1 season, he won the 1997 World Championship with Williams.
He remains the last driver to have won both an Indy 500 and an F1 title.
Jim Clark, F1 snapshot
| F1 debut | 1960 (Lotus) |
|---|---|
| F1 titles | 1963 and 1965 (Lotus) |
| F1 wins | 25 (all-time F1 record at the time of his death, lasted until 1973) |
| F1 poles | 33 (all-time F1 record at the time of his death, lasted until 1989) |
See also: Jim Clark stats and information on F1-Fansite.
2 F1 Fan comments on “F1 Champions Who Conquered the Indy 500”
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Jim Clark was without doubt the greatest driver ever. The only true way to compare drivers from different eras is to compare their ratio of races entered with results, and in that situation I believe Jim Clark still rates as top with the highest success rate. Whether Clark raced F1, F2, touring cars or rally cars, he was always the most competitive, usually winning. Sadly, we no longer get the opportunity to see F1 drivers race in other categories due to limitations in their contractual obligations, although Max is breaking that his foray into endurance racing!
The quietly spoken Scottish farmer was undoubtedly the greatest driver to grace a grid and it was a great honour to have been able to watch Jim Clark race!
Andretti and Villeneuve were Indy 500 winners and champions who conquered F1. That's the other way around!