5 F1 drivers who made the switch across the ocean to race in NASCAR

Modified Jan 28, 2023 17:53 GMT

NASCAR Cup Series Go Bowling at The Glen - Kimi Raikkonen, driver of the #91 Recogni Chevrolet, walks onstage during driver intros prior to the NASCAR Cup Series Go Bowling at The Glen at Watkins Glen International on August 21, 2022 in Watkins Glen, New York. (Photo by Sean Gardner/Getty Images)

F1 and NASCAR don't share a lot in common when you look beneath the surface and the two racing disciplines don't tend to share drivers. However, there have been some notable exceptions to this.

NASCAR is completely different from its single-seated cousins, featuring an entirely different set of specifications. Both racing series' have different rules that govern their functioning, meaning that drivers from either discipline have to adjust their driving styles considerably to make sense of their new machinery.

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NASCAR features 5.8-liter V8 engines, while modern F1 uses 1.6-liter V6 engines capable of producing nearly 1000 BHP. Moreover, NASCAR uses a different track design, race length, pit stops, and qualifying to the premiere single-seater sport.

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Most drivers are unable to find equal success in both categories of racing, with Mario Andretti being a notable exception to the rule. Let's take a look at five drivers who entered NASCAR as Formula-style drivers.

5 drivers who went from F1 to NASCAR

#1 Kimi Raikkonen

The 2007 world champion, lovingly dubbed 'The Iceman', joined Trackhouse Racing's Project 91 in 2022. He got behind the wheel of a Cup Series stockcar at the Go Bowling event at Watkins Glen but failed to impress in the new machinery.

The Finnish driver failed to finish at Watkins Glen and could only manage a 37th-place finish. Despite his woeful result, the former Ferrari driver claims to have enjoyed his stint in the sport.

#2 Jacques Villeneuve

NASCAR Cup Series 64th Annual Daytona 500 - Qualifying

The 1997 world champion failed to impress in NASCAR despite having won the 1995 Indianapolis 500. The Canadian made his NASCAR debut at the 2007 UAW-Ford 500 at Talladega and competed in five races for Team Hezeburg in the No. 27 car.

The former Williams driver, however, managed to qualify for the 2022 Daytona 500 after a wildly unsuccessful career in NASCAR.

#3 Nelson Piquet Jr.

ABB FIA Formula E Championship - Sanya E-Prix

The son of three-time world champion Nelson Piquet had to prove himself eagerly from a young age. The Brazilian made 28 starts in the single-seater racing category before moving to NASCAR in 2010.

Here, he was decently successful in the Truck Series of the sport but could only manage a 53rd-place finish when racing in the Cup Series.

#4 Juan Pablo Montoya

Seven-time Grand Prix winner Juan Pablo Montoya was more successful than most F1 drivers when it came to driving in NASCAR. The Colombian driver competed in NASCAR from 2006 to 2014 and won a pair of Cup Series races on road courses, with one at Sonoma Raceway in 2007 and another at Watkins Glen in 2010.

#5 Daniil Kvyat

NASCAR Xfinity Series Drive for the Cure 250 presented by BlueCross BlueShield of North Carolina

The former Red Bull man is the first Russian-born man to compete in any of NASCAR's three touring series. However, the Russian failed to finish races at both Indianapolis and Charlotte, and is currently the only Russian to be in the sport after his country's invasion of Ukraine last year. It will be interesting to see how the case for Russian athletes develops with time.

F1 and NASCAR certainly have their differences, with most drivers being unable to switch seamlessly between the two. It will be interesting to see if anyone on the current F1 grid makes their NASCAR debut anytime soon.