“That’s a crock of s***”: IndyCar CEO slams claims about F1 being the ‘greatest spectacle in motorsports’

IndyCar CEO Mark Miles recently took shots at F1 by denying it being the 'greatest spectacle in motorsports'. This particular statement was made by American rapper LL Cool J during the pre-race driver introduction at the Miami GP. Though it was only to further hype the race up, Miles spoke against it.

Speaking to IndyStar.com, Mark Miles said that F1 is not the greatest spectacle in motorsport, and how that statement has been an official trademark of The Indianapolis 500 in the IndyCar series. He said:

"I heard that. And my reaction was, ‘I’ll bet you race fans know that’s a crock of s***. ‘The Greatest Spectacle in Racing’ is right here [at IMS] in May, by every measure."

Mark Miles further discussed the potential trademark infringements that started when the Las Vegas GP was introduced in the F1 calendar in 2022. Though the IndyCar CEO asked Liberty Media to stop using the phrase, the statement was once again used in the Miami GP in 2023. The IndyCar CEO continued:

"And I don’t expect [the potential trademark infringements] to continue. We had a little conversation with them when it was popping up around Vegas, and it was very informal and quick, so I was surprised by [Sunday]. But I don’t think that’s their general MO [modus operandi]."

He concluded:

"I’m not sure who the chain of people is for writing something like that that gets said on the mic, but I don’t believe it would come from as high up as [Stefano Domenicali]. I didn’t consider it a corporate policy, given our relationship."

Though the phrase 'the greatest spectacle in motorsport' is just a sentence for some people, it is a big deal when it comes to it being a trademark for The Indianapolis 500. Hence, Mark Miles was fuming when it was used so casually for another motorsport.

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F1 chief technical officer concerned about the cars' size

F1 chief technical officer Pat Symonds recently expressed his concern over how large and heavy the cars have become over the years. As the sport takes a new turn in development, he stated that the technical side of the sport should focus on making cars smaller and lighter. He said:

"One of the things we want to do is make the cars a little smaller because they’ve grown massively over the last few years. We’d like the weight to come down but we’re way away from [achieving] that yet, however, we absolutely must make sure it doesn’t grow."

This could also improve racing as it could be easier for drivers to handle the car and race closer to each other. F1 cars have progressively become heavier and bigger, and now the technical department of the sport will be working on maintaining it, or even reducing it, at least after 2026.