Most Wins: Lewis Hamilton (106) • Most Titles: M. Schumacher & L. Hamilton (7) • 77 Seasons Since 1950 • 1,159 Races in Database • 818 Drivers Tracked • Most Wins: Lewis Hamilton (106) • Most Titles: M. Schumacher & L. Hamilton (7) • 77 Seasons Since 1950 • 1,159 Races in Database • 818 Drivers Tracked •
PITLANESTATS

Indianapolis Motor Speedway

Indianapolis, USA · 19 races held

Race History

YearGrand PrixWinnerTeam
2007 United States Grand Prix Lewis Hamilton McLaren
2006 United States Grand Prix Michael Schumacher Ferrari
2005 United States Grand Prix Michael Schumacher Ferrari
2004 United States Grand Prix Michael Schumacher Ferrari
2003 United States Grand Prix Michael Schumacher Ferrari
2002 United States Grand Prix Rubens Barrichello Ferrari
2001 United States Grand Prix Mika Häkkinen McLaren
2000 United States Grand Prix Michael Schumacher Ferrari
1960 Indianapolis 500 Jim Rathmann Watson
1959 Indianapolis 500 Rodger Ward Watson
1958 Indianapolis 500 Jimmy Bryan Epperly
1957 Indianapolis 500 Sam Hanks Epperly
1956 Indianapolis 500 Pat Flaherty Watson
1955 Indianapolis 500 Bob Sweikert Kurtis Kraft
1954 Indianapolis 500 Bill Vukovich Kurtis Kraft
1953 Indianapolis 500 Bill Vukovich Kurtis Kraft
1952 Indianapolis 500 Troy Ruttman Kuzma
1951 Indianapolis 500 Lee Wallard Kurtis Kraft
1950 Indianapolis 500 Johnnie Parsons Kurtis Kraft

About Indianapolis Motor Speedway

The Indianapolis Motor Speedway, opened in 1909 in Speedway, Indiana, is one of the most storied venues in all of motorsport and home to the legendary Indianapolis 500. Its connection to the Formula 1 World Championship is unusual: from 1950 to 1960, the Indy 500 was nominally counted as a round of the F1 championship, even though it was run to American oval rules and almost entirely by US-based drivers who never contested the European Grands Prix.

That arrangement ended after 1960, and Indianapolis had no further part in the championship for four decades. Formula 1 then returned to the Speedway in 2000 for a true United States Grand Prix, run on a purpose-built road course that used part of the famous oval, including the run down the main straight and through the banked Turn 1 in the opposite direction to the 500.

The road-course US Grand Prix ran from 2000 to 2007 before the race moved on, eventually finding a permanent American home in Austin, Texas. Indianapolis remains an icon of racing, its yard-of-bricks start-finish line a piece of motorsport heritage.

Memorable Moments

  • 1950–1960: The Indianapolis 500 counted toward the F1 World Championship, a quirk that produced a list of "Grand Prix" winners, such as Bill Vukovich and Rodger Ward, who never raced an actual Formula 1 car.
  • 2000: Formula 1 returned to Indianapolis on its new road course, with Michael Schumacher winning for Ferrari in front of a vast American crowd.
  • 2005: The infamous "six-car race" when Michelin teams withdrew over tyre safety fears after failures in the banked final corner, leaving only the six Bridgestone-shod cars to compete, a fiasco that badly damaged F1's US standing.
  • 2007: Lewis Hamilton won for McLaren in the last F1 race held at the Speedway, holding off teammate Fernando Alonso during their tense rookie-season rivalry.

Track Character

The F1 road course combined a twisting infield section of tight, technical corners with a unique flourish: cars exited the infield onto part of the oval and ran down the long main straight and through the steeply banked Turn 1 in the opposite direction to the 500. That banked, flat-out corner leading into heavy braking created the prime overtaking zone but also placed enormous, sustained loads on the right-side tyres, the very stresses that triggered the 2005 controversy. The blend of slow infield twists and the high-speed oval banking made for an unusual challenge, set against the immense grandstands and deep history of the most famous speedway in the world.