Nobody has doubts about the biggest racing sensation in NASCAR at present. Although Joey Logano won the 2024 Cup title and Chase Elliott clinched the Most Popular Driver award, one competitor trumps their achievements. Kyle Larson won 6 of 36 Cup Series races this year, double the number of fellow racers. He also led 1700 laps and clinched 18 top-tens and 15 top-fives as well.
Moreover, his glittering streak extends beyond NASCAR. This year, Kyle Larson attempted something only four drivers have done before – the 11oo-mile Double. His interests in IndyCar, dirt racing, and other sprint racing pursuits got a fan thinking – will he be interested in F1 as well? That is a natural reaction to Mario Andretti’s new venture. But a NASCAR veteran begs to differ heavily.
Kyle Larson’s F1 prospects mightily discouraged
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Well, at present, the Hendrick Motorsports driver has a solid opportunity. At the end of November, F1 approved Andretti Racing’s efforts to form an 11th team on the open-wheel racing grid. In conjunction with General Motors, Andretti Global will field a Cadillac team in F1 from 2025 – with Mario Andretti, the 1987 F1 champion, serving on the board of directors. This throws up a unique possibility for Kyle Larson, given Andretti’s repeated show of interest in the HMS driver. “He just captured me in a very special way because I see a lot of myself there,” Andretti said about the star driver in 2021.
Both display versatility – Mario Andretti remains the only driver to win a Daytona 500, Indianapolis 500, and F 1 championship. Yet despite a rumor floating to support Kyle Larson’s apparent interest in F1, NASCAR commentator Dave Moody heavily objected. According to a ‘Beating and Banging’ episode, the veteran said: “You’ve heard me rave about Kyle Larson for years now. He can finish second in a shopping cart. But they are not going to pluck him. Nobody is going to pluck Kyle Larson or anybody else out of a NASCAR stock car and say, ‘Come on, kid. We’re going to Europe and we’re putting you in an F1 car.’”
The biggest difference for Kyle Larson would be switching to another style of racing. While he’s used to racing in the stock-car leagues, open-wheel racing is a different game altogether. F1 drivers have to go through rigorous training to handle the G-forces that affect the pilot because of the high downforce. Although Larson has experience from Indy Car, doing it every single weekend would be a big ask. Moreover, as Moody explains, it’s not just about making an appearance for a year.
USA Today via Reuters May 16, 2024; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Arrow McLaren/Rick Hendrick driver Kyle Larson (17) heads into turn one Thursday, May 16, 2024, at Indianapolis Motor Speedway during practice in preparation for the 108th running of the Indianapolis 500. Mandatory Credit: Mykal McEldowney-USA TODAY Sports
Moody added more dramatically, stressing Kyle Larson‘s American roots. “Never ever ever going to happen. It would be, in career terms, suicidal for Kyle Larson to try and do that as talented as he is. And it would be suicidal for a team to try and have someone do such a thing.” Even Zak Brown, CEO of McLaren, the team that oversaw Larson’s Double attempt, shared the latter’s F1 interest in September. But Moody claims that may take a long time to materialize. “If Kyle Larson wants to go Formula 1 racing, he’s three to five years down the road. Whether that would be something that he would entertain or not, don’t know. But in my opinion, the only way to do it would be the way I just talked about and it’s not a one-year or a two-year deal.”
The commitment to F1 teams, just like NASCAR, is beyond a single season. Cars in F1 are developed based on the driver’s style of racing. These cars keep evolving over the seasons. For example, Red Bull’s RB19 became the dominant force because it was created specifically for Max Verstappen. Additionally, just getting into F1 would be a long process. Drivers usually come up from the F2 and F3 series, working for years to master the craft.
Yet Kyle Larson presents a very strong case for a possible F1 ride, as Andretti argued in 2021.
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A true beacon of success
A surefire sign of a legend is when you do not miss sight of the goal. Kyle Larson waded through multiple suspensions and sponsorship losses in 2020, following which Rick Hendrick roped him into his fold. And yet the HMS star managed to carve out his best season in 2021 – winning 10 races and leading 2581 laps en route to a championship. That year, Mario Andretti marveled at the Californian native’s thumping success. Along with winning NASCAR’s crown jewel race, the Coca-Cola 600, he also won his second consecutive Chili Bowl Nationals event. Larson also won the Knoxville Nationals, one of the most prestigious sprint car events.
Kyle Larson even declared his true motivation in motorsports. “I want to be known as somebody who could climb into all different types of cars and be great at what they do.” And Andretti tipped his hat to him for that belief in 2021: “That’s what it’s all about. It’s not just about trying. ‘OK, I’m going to give it a go.’ (It’s) win. Win. You have got to win in somebody else’s sandbox at their own game. That’s what gives you the ultimate satisfaction. That’s why you do it. It’s what drives you. You need it, that type of motivation. I can see his motivation is the thought process I was giving it.”
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However, Larson also knows that a full-time commitment in F1 will be a difficult ask. Speaking about a possible appearance in Europe, he explained, “I would like to, but, honestly, I would rather do it on one of those open test-style deals like after Abu Dhabi when other drivers are on the track, too. … I think that driver swaps are really cool, but you don’t really have like a bar. You don’t have a gauge of where you stack up to others who do it.”
Mario Andretti’s overflowing interest in Kyle Larson is heavily apparent. What we now need to know is whether the F1 legend will rope in Larson for his new venture or not.