Will Buxton likens IndyCar’s Barber to legendary F1 track: “A beautiful American baby”

Will Buxton, a former Formula 1 driver and current IndyCar pundit, shared his thoughts on the Barber Motorsports Park, comparing it with some of the most iconic F1 tracks.

The Barber Motorsports Park is an 880-acre racing facility in Birmingham, Alabama. It was built by George W. Barber and includes the 230,000-square-foot (21,000 m2) Barber Vintage Motorsport Museum.

The racetrack is a 2.3-mile layout that consists of 17 turns and an elevation change of 80 feet. Following his first experience of Barber during the ongoing Children's of Alabama Indy Grand Prix, Will Buxton said on Friday (May 2):

"Barber is incredible. It’s like Brands Hatch, Mugello, and Spa had a beautiful American baby. Can’t wait to see @IndyCar on track tomorrow."

Formula 1's Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps has quite a few similarities with the Barber Motorsports Park. It's a flowing track, just like Barber, and encourages overtaking and fast-paced maneuvers.

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Will Buxton deemed Christian Lundgaard his 'top driver' in first three IndyCar races

While Will Buxton showered huge praise on the Barber Motorsport Park, on April 18, he revealed his top driver in the first three races of the ongoing 2025 IndyCar season.

Buxton named Arrow McLaren's Christian Lundgaard as his top driver, elaborating:

"Top driver for me over the first three @indycar races has been @lundgaardoff. Can’t overstate how tough it is to change teams and cars, yet he’s been on the front foot from the off, two podiums and a contender for race wins. Hugely impressive start with @ArrowMcLaren," Will Buxton said.

After the first three races, Lundgaard is third in the drivers' standings (96 points). He has managed 96 points, with two top-five and three top-10 finishes.

In the 2024 season of the highest class of open-wheel racing in America, Lundgaard ended 11th in the drivers' standings, amassing 312 points, with a top-five and five top-10 finishes.

The IndyCar carnival is now in Birmingham, Alabama, for the Children's of Alabama Indy Grand Prix, where Christian Lundgaard will look for another strong outing.

He's only 12 points behind second-placed Kyle Kirkwood in the standings. If Lundgaard and his Arrow McLaren team get things right in terms of setup on the #7 car, it will put him on good stead at Barber. In Practice 2, the 23-year-old finished third ahead of the upcoming qualifying.