Jeff Gordon BAR move would have "broken F1 in America"

There was once a time in F1 history where NASCAR superstar Jeff Gordon was in consideration for a seat among the “best drivers in the world.” And this week, lead commentator for IndyCar on FOX and experienced Formula 1 journalist Will Buxton spoke with NASCAR legend Kevin Harvick on his podcast, Kevin Harvick’s Happy Hour, about Gordon’s potential forays into open-wheel racing, in both IndyCar and Formula 1.

“Jeff was going to come over to Team Cool Green in IndyCar and a run a season or two in IndyCar, and Dario [Franchitti, three-time Indy 500 winner] was going to go over to BAR [British American Racing] in Formula 1,” explained Buxton. “And the long-term plan was that the lineup for BAR in Formula 1 was going to be Jeff and Dario. And he was going to do a couple seasons in IndyCar to train himself up.

“Now that would have been box office, and that would have broken F1 in America 20, 30 years before it finally broke through with Drive to Survive. You get Jeff Gordon racing in Formula 1 alongside Dario Franchitti — these two great all-time champions out of American open-wheel and stock car racing. And they’re racing as teammates in Formula 1? Boom. Job done. It would have been huge.”

Gavin Ward, Competition Director, Arrow McLaren, Kyle Larson and Jeff Gordon, Vice Chairman of Hendrick Motorsports

Photo by: Michael L. Levitt / Motorsport Images

This deal supposedly was going to take place around 1999, right after Gordon had won three of the last four Cup Series titles. BAR competed in F1 from 1999 through 2005, never winning a Grand Prix but collecting 15 podiums with drivers that included Jenson Button and Takuma Sato.

Gordon never had the opportunity to actually race in F1, but he did take part in a ride swap with Juan Pablo Montoya (who later left F1 for NASCAR), driving a Williams FW25 in 2003 at the Indianapolis Road Course, impressing the engineers with his pace.

Larson’s potential

On the show, they also touched on current NASCAR superstar Kyle Larson, who once called himself a “better all-around driver” than four-time F1 World Champion Max Verstappen due to the various different disciplines he competes in. Larson also ran strong as a rookie in the 2024 Indianapolis 500 before a late-race speeding penalty derailed his day. McLaren F1 team boss Zak Brown has even talked about wanting to get him in a car for an F1 test or a simple ride swap.

“I’d love to see the best that NASCAR have try and make the jump to Formula 1,” commented Buxton. “I’d love to see someone like a Kyle Larson not just attend the Indy 500, but go and attempt the Monaco Grand Prix or whatever. I’d love to see kids from IndyCar transition over to Formula 1 or from endurance racing or from Formula E — whatever it might be. I hate the fact that we have such a restrictive licensing system in place. It stops the possibility of transitioning.”

He added that there’s no excuse that an F3 title is worth more on the super license scale than being a NASCAR Cup Series champion or being top-three in the IndyCar standings. The system prevented American IndyCar star Colton Herta from a possible F1 switch due to not having enough points to qualify for a super license.