The RACER Mailbag, December 4

Welcome to the RACER Mailbag. Questions for any of RACER’s writers can be sent to mailbag@racer.com. We love hearing your comments and opinions, but letters that include a question are more likely to be published. Questions received after 3pm ET …

Q: The Robin Miller Room opened fairly recently in Charlie Brown’s in Speedway, Ind. I’m fairly certain that you are aware of it. Perhaps, you have even visited it – as I did – and was stunned by the crystal chandelier! Wondering what Robin might opine about that stellar crystal chandelier? Ha ha.

Tom Fitzgerald, CPA-retired, Las Vegas, NV

MP: Seen photos of it but haven’t visited, yet. If Miller was still with us, I’m sure it would have been changed to a couple of old broken wheels from the Foyt shop down the street with a couple of lightbulbs jammed between the spokes.

Q: I know it is difficult, if not impossible, to compare drivers of different generations. Having said that, I think it is helpful to look at winning percentages over different generations.

Here are the Formula 1 drivers with the highest winning percentages.

  • Fangio: 24 victories in 52 races 46.2% winning percentage
  • Ascari: 13 victories in 32 races 40.6% winning percentage
  • Clark: 25 victories in 72 races 34.7% winning percentage
  • Verstappen: 62 victories in 207 races 29.9% winning percentage
  • Hamilton: 105 victories in 354 races 29.7% winning percentage

I have several observations on the above.

  • One wonders what Ascari and Clark would have accomplished if they had not lost their lives.
  • I am always biased for Clark as I saw him win the U.S. Grand Prix at Watkins Glen in 1967 – my first Grand Prix.
  • It is remarkable that the two outstanding drivers of the current generation – Hamilton and Verstappen are so close in winning percentage. The next few years could be remarkable!
  • Even with my bias toward Clark, my take is that Fangio is the greatest of all time. Even though the early years of F1 had many “gentleman” drivers,” Fangio’s winning percentage and the fact that he won his fifth championship while driving for four different manufactures at the age of 46 is truly remarkable!

I would love to hear your takes on this.

Bob Isabella, Mentor, OH

MP: Throw in Senna, my favorite, and Schumacher, and the list is formidable. My father’s favorite was Clark, and of all on the list, I’ve met few who saw Fangio race, but many who witnessed Clark in action and en masse, they’ve hailed the Scot as the greatest they’ve seen.

An item I always bear in mind when F1’s greats are being debated is their era of machine — folks often and rightly point to the differing eras of safety — because that’s an undeniable factor to consider. From the early years of Schumacher and back, mechanical or electrical failure was commonplace, a constant risk.

It was an extra skill that needed to be developed, to race at whatever limit your chassis, and engine, and gearbox could take, without exceeding levels for all three. It meant racing at 100 percent wasn’t an option, other than in short bursts, for fear of something breaking, and that mechanical sympathy, over time and technological improvement, has mostly become an afterthought. To get to those gaudy stats, both raw speed and a sympathetic touch were required.

Doesn’t mean the Vettels and Hamiltons and Verstappens are lesser drivers; they have new areas to master that the old guard would have never imagined, but mechanical sympathy isn’t much of a factor with the incredible state of reliability that’s been achieved. Different challenges, but none greater or lesser than their predecessors.

We’ll let the image library’s caption do the talking for this one: Left-to-right: Peter Jopp, Graham Hill, John Trimble, Ron Flockhart and John Cooper watch Jim Clark drink a cocktail called ‘Laird’s Mix’. November, 1961. No amount of Googling was able to reveal any further information about Laird’s Mix but it clearly didn’t have any effects that lasted beyond the following day – at the time this was taken, Clark still had two world championships and an Indy 500 win ahead of him. Motorsport Images

Q: As a spectator at Mid-Ohio for 40 years, I have seen the place keep evolving. Back during the Escort Endurance series, a Supra turbo lost its brakes and went straight off at China Beach. The water barrels became a ramp while the nose shoved up, the car cleared the fence and landed flat at a thankfully vacated spectator area. Lengthening that area took away the space that had been BFGoodrich hospitality for the IMSA GTP years.

Ron, Akron, OH

MP: I’m just happy to learn that significant investment is being made in the property. The next task for Mid-Ohio is to bring its paddock out of the 1970s and ’80s, when most of it was built. I love the place and hope it completes the modernization efforts soon.

Q: Now that GM is going to F1, is it too early to start talking about drivers? Sign Jak Crawford and keep him in F2 another year (he’s currently ahead of Colapinto and Antonelli in the F2 point standings). Colton heads to Europe to get those Super License points? Lots of work to do in a short period of time.

Dave Surgent

CHRIS MEDLAND: Never too early to talk about drivers, it’s one of the most fun things to do! Colton certainly looks like a heavy favorite to be involved, and he doesn’t need to head to Europe – just a strong IndyCar season should get him over the line. Some FP1 outings would also help, but that would need a partnership somewhere…

I think Crawford would be a really good option in the future, he’s still only 19 and closing in on his own Super License – 14 points this weekend would see him finish at least fourth in the F2 standings – but there are also some very good experienced options. If I were GM, I’d give Colton his chance if he gets his Super License, or maybe turn to Pato if not, but then pair the IndyCar star with an experienced race-winner such as Valtteri Bottas or Daniel Ricciardo if you could attract the latter.

New regulations in 2026 mean very different cars so there’s no guarantee the experienced driver’s form would carry over, but they would be able to point the team in the right direction.