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Formula One drivers and fans like to assert that Indycar drivers couldn't make it in F1, and no doubt their counterparts on the Indycar side tend to hold the same views. While Fernando Alonso didn't win the Indy 500 last year, his entry sparked a greater conversation on the ability of F1 drivers to achieve in Indycar.
With 3 former F1 drivers in the 2018 Indy 500, will we see another F1 driver take the crown in Indianapolis this weekend? Maybe, there's no way to tell as of now, but we can take a look at some of the F1 drivers who have done so in the past.
Read on to look at our list of the top 5 F1 drivers to win the Indianapolis 500.
#1 Jim Clark - 1965
The first Formula One World Champion to win the Indy 500 and till date the only driver to win both the Indy 500 and the Formula One World Title in the same season is Jim Clark.
The Scottish driver had already won the 1963 F1 Driver's Championship with Lotus, and on his way to the 1965 title, he and Lotus decided to stop by in the USA.
Driving in a rear-engine Lotus, Clark qualified behind Indycar legend AJ Foyt, and took the race from him within the opening few laps. By lap 3, Jim Clark was in the lead and maintained first place until the end of the race upon which he was crowned the winner of the 1965 Indy 500.
#2 Graham Hill - 1966
Just one year after fellow F1 World Champion Jim Clark won the Indy 500, 1962 and 1968 F1 World Champion Graham Hill, made his way to Indianapolis to take a victory. It must not have been the greatest feeling for the full-time Indycar drivers to see F1 superstars take the victory two years in a row.
The race wasn't controversy-free however, as Graham Hill only led 10 laps in the entire race. In second place was the previous year's winner Jim Clark, and after the race was done, there was confusion as to whether Hill had actually passed Clark, or whether there was an error in the time card that deleted one of Hill's laps.
Once it was all said and done however, it didn't matter and the result stood. Graham Hill etched his name in history and added the Indy 500 to his list of accolades. With his Le Mans win in 1972, it also made him the first and only driver to win the triple crown of Motorsports, along with his five Monaco GP wins.
#3 Jacques Villeneuve - 1995
One year before beginning his Formula One campaign, 1997 F1 World Champion Jacques Villeneuve capped off his Indycar career with a world championship win in 1995, including an Indy 500 victory. Driving for Team Green, Villeneuve didn't have the best start to the race after getting a two-lap penalty for passing the pace car.
Nevertheless, the Canadian prodigy made his way to the front of the field and after a penalty befell then race leader Scott Goodyear, Villeneuve took the lead and secured an Indy 500 win. No doubt this made him an even more attractive prospect for Formula One teams in the coming year.
In 2014, Villeneuve made another Indy appearance, and while he didn't win, he did finish a respectable 14th at the age of 43.
#4 Juan Pablo Montoya - 2000 & 2015
Before stepping into F1 for 6 years between 2001 and 2006 with Williams and McLaren, Juan Pablo Montoya made his name in Indycar by winning the 2000 Indy 500. Racing for Chip Ganassi Racing, Montoya took a dominating victory in 2000 after leading 167 laps.
His only win of the season, it couldn't have come anywhere better, and after this, he made his way to Williams for his first F1 season in 2001. After a storied F1 career including 7 wins, 30 podiums and two 3rd place finishes in the World Driver's Championship, Montoya made his way to NASCAR and then back to Indycar in 2014.
Having the longest gap between two wins in Indycar racing, Montoya took victory again in 2015. Unlike his 2000 win, in 2015 Montoya had to fight for it against the likes of Scott Dixon, Will Power and other Indycar mainstays.
Nonetheless the Colombian took his second Indy win and etched his name in the history books.
#5 Takuma Sato - 2017
The most recent Indy 500 saw former F1 driver Takuma Sato take his first Indy 500 win. Having spent eight seasons in Formula One, Sato was a mainstay for Jordan and then BAR Honda, and finally with Super Aguri before leaving to Indycar at the end of 2008.
While Sato only managed one podium in his Formula One career, his aggressive driving style and long tenure made him a fan favorite.
While the eyes of the world were on fellow F1 superstar Fernando Alonso in 2017, Sato shocked the world by taking an impressive Underdog win at the Indy 500 at the age of 40.
Only leading 17 laps out of the 200, Sato had a tough race, duelling with Alonso, Max Chilton, Helio Castroneves and others to power his car to the top spot.
