Often when we hear about F1 and NASCAR, people tend to pit the two against each other as if they’re competing for popularity or some other imaginary metric of greatness. In reality though, these two different forms of racing have their own strengths and weaknesses—and comparing them simply does not make sense unless we understand what makes each one unique from the other.
Size
NASCAR is the larger of the two in terms of size. They have many races throughout the year, and they feature a lot more teams than Formula 1 does. Formula 1 only has one race per weekend, whereas NASCAR has multiple events happening at once across the country.
The races are also held in different states at different times, which means there’s always something going on for fans to attend if they want to see it.
How much does an F1 car cost?
Around $150 million. F1 cars are built to last only one race. They’re made of carbon fiber and have a top speed of around 225 mph. F1 drivers can reach 5g-force—that’s five times the pull of gravity—when they’re breaking or going around corners at high speeds, which is why helmets are required for safety reasons.
How much does a NASCAR car cost?
NASCAR cars are much cheaper than F1 cars. The most expensive car in the NASCAR series is currently estimated to cost $2.5 million, whereas F1 cars can cost up to $20 million each when you include all of their parts and equipment.
NASCAR cars have less sophisticated technology than F1 ones do. While both types of vehicles use engines and tires, they use different kinds of components that allow them to perform better than each other on the racetrack—and look cooler while doing so!
NASCAR vehicles aren’t as fast or durable as F1 ones are. The fastest track lap times in a single season were set by Sebastian Vettel at Barcelona (Spain) in 2012 with an average speed of 1:19:090 minutes per kilometer (0:59 mph). That’s over twice as fast as any lap time achieved by any driver during an entire race weekend at Daytona International Speedway last year!
Different approaches to racing
The first point to make is that F1 and NASCAR are two very different types of racing series. While both feature cars that can go very fast, they’re very different in how fast they go and what the rules say about how those cars must be built.
F1 is a single-seater series, meaning that the driver sits in a car alone and drives it around the track alone (with help from his or her team). NASCAR vehicles have multiple drivers who share cars on a given race day, though some teams have only one spot for drivers at any given time.
F1 is global; NASCAR races mainly take place within North America with occasional events outside of it.
Conclusion
I hope that after reading this article, you now have a better idea of which series is bigger. One thing I think we can all agree on is that both F1 and NASCAR are great forms of racing. The fact that they’re so different just makes them more interesting to watch! So next time someone asks you if they should watch it—you’ll know exactly what to say: “Yes!”
