NASCAR star Jeff Gordon and Dario Franchitti were tipped to become teammates in F1, reveals Insider

A recent podcast clip has revealed a surprising chapter from motorsport history involving Jeff Gordon. The story is that there were once plans for Jeff Gordon and Dario Franchitti to become teammates in Formula 1—a move that could have changed the sport’s trajectory in America.

This came from the Happy Hour Podcast, hosted by former NASCAR driver Kevin Harvick. The source of the information is Will Buxton, a veteran motorsports journalist and the lead IndyCar commentator on FOX.

Buxton explained that in the late 1990s, there was a serious proposal in place. The plan was for Jeff Gordon to join Team Kool Green in IndyCar, run for a season or two, and then come to Formula 1 with British American Racing (BAR). At the same time, Dario Franchitti would join BAR directly. The main idea was to prepare Gordon through open-wheel racing in IndyCar before pairing him with Franchitti as teammates at BAR in F1.

This would’ve occurred around 1999, shortly after Gordon had won three of the last four Cup Series titles. According to Buxton, this pairing in Formula 1 would have been historic.

“That would have broken F1 in America 20 or 30 years before Drive to Survive,” he said. [0:49 onwards]

"You get Jeff Gordon racing in Formula 1, alongside, Dario Franchitti, there 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. That would've been huge." he added.

Ultimately, the move didn’t come to be. Jeff Gordon later explained in a 2003 interview with Dean McNulty that the proposal never included a firm F1 contract. It was more of a pathway: spend two years in CART with Barry Green’s team, test in F1, and then maybe get a seat. He said,

“I had already won two Winston Cup championships at that time… I told the BAR people I was pretty much set here.”

Gordon had no incentive to give up the top ride in NASCAR for an unconfirmed shot at F1. Even though he never raced in F1, the now 53-year-old did get a taste of it. In 2003, he partook in a ride swap with Juan Pablo Montoya at the Indianapolis Road Course. Gordon drove the Williams FW24 F1 car.

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Jeff Gordon and Mark Webber’s F1 bond lasted well beyond the racing track

Jeff Gordon and former Formula 1 driver Mark Webber share a friendship that came to be during the early 2000s. Despite coming from very different racing backgrounds—Gordon in NASCAR and Webber in F1—their friendship began through a shared sponsor.

Their first meeting took place during the 2004 Formula 1 Spanish Grand Prix in Barcelona. At the time, both were sponsored by DuPont, and it was this partnership that brought Gordon into the F1 paddock. That initial interaction later turned into a friendship.

Years later, in 2019, Gordon and Webber reunited for a special occasion. The former invited the latter to attend the Knoxville Nationals, one of the most prestigious sprint car events in the United States. For Webber, it was a dream come true. He had long wanted to attend the Knoxville Nationals, and Gordon made it possible by not only bringing him along but also inviting him to the winner’s podium.

The friendship was recently acknowledged again on X by the account Jeff Gordon Online, which recalled their first meeting in 2004 and their later reunion in 2019.

Jeff Gordon is one of NASCAR’s greatest drivers, with four Cup Series championships and 93 race wins. He also had multiple Daytona 500 and Brickyard 400 wins and was inducted into the NASCAR Hall of Fame in 2019. Mark Webber, meanwhile, built a successful F1 career between 2002 and 2013, winning nine Grands Prix, most of them with Red Bull Racing.