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IndyCar Buy or Sell: Lewis Hamilton racing in the Indianapolis 500?

By Asher Fair

SUZUKA, JAPAN - OCTOBER 08: Race winner Lewis Hamilton of Great Britain and Mercedes GP celebrates on the podium with a Mobot during the Formula One Grand Prix of Japan at Suzuka Circuit on October 8, 2017 in Suzuka. (Photo by Mark Thompson/Getty Images)
SUZUKA, JAPAN - OCTOBER 08: Race winner Lewis Hamilton of Great Britain and Mercedes GP celebrates on the podium with a Mobot during the Formula One Grand Prix of Japan at Suzuka Circuit on October 8, 2017 in Suzuka. (Photo by Mark Thompson/Getty Images) /
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Formula One driver Lewis Hamilton commented about Indianapolis 500 champion Takuma Sato’s ring. Will Hamilton drive in the Indy 500 one day?

Following his win at the Japanese Grand Prix on Sunday, his eighth Formula One victory of the season, Lewis Hamilton and the two other podium finishers, Max Verstappen and Daniel Ricciardo, were interviewed by 2017 Indianapolis 500 champion Takuma Sato.

Sato was sporting his Indianapolis 500 championship ring, and Hamilton was quick to take notice of that and bring up the subject, which has caused a stir in the racing community and has made many minds wonder whether he will one day drive in the “Greatest Spectacle in Racing” himself.

Here is what Hamilton said to Sato.

"“Wow, you’ve got some bling, where did this come from?! I love that, I need that ring! Can I try this ring? Can I see if it’s worth me doing it one day? It looks pretty good!”"

So will the 32-year-old Hamilton go overseas to drive in the Indianapolis 500 at some point before he retires from his racing career?

Lewis Hamilton racing in the Indianapolis 500 one day: BUY

This past May, two-time Formula One champion Fernando Alonso went to race in the Indianapolis 500 for his first career IndyCar start. At this time, Hamilton did not speak very highly of the event or its competitors.

"“I took a look at the qualifying results. Fernando, in his first qualifying, came fifth. Does that say something about [the level] of IndyCar? Great drivers, if they can’t succeed in Formula One, look for titles in other races, but to see him come fifth against drivers who do this all year round is…interesting.”"

Sure, we can take his comments from this past May to heart and believe that he won’t race in the Indianapolis 500 because it’s “not good enough” for him…or maybe because he isn’t accustomed to the dealing with the risk of hitting a wall at 230 miles per hour.

But it’s how IndyCar drivers responded to those comments that should make us think otherwise. Before I elaborate, here are some of those comments.

We’ll start off with Graham Rahal’s remarks.

"“I can’t imagine the feeling of going to each and every race weekend and knowing that all I got to do is beat my teammate and I’m going to win, but it doesn’t happen here…Truth, I put Scott Dixon in a Mercedes all day long, and Lewis [Hamilton] is going to have more than he really wants to deal with, I can guarantee you that. Maybe not me, but Scott Dixon.”"

Here is a video of Rahal making those comments.

Other IndyCar drivers chimed in on Hamilton’s comments as well. Here is what Tony Kanaan had to say.

"“What can I say? [Lewis Hamilton] competed in a two-car world championship last year and was second, so I don’t think he can say much. It was a pleasure to have Fernando [Alonso] here. He is humble, not like some of his colleagues who were making comments this month.”"

And here is what James Hinchcliffe had to say.

"“It’s funny hearing criticism about the depth of our field from someone who has to race three other cars, when we have seven winners in the first seven races. It shows how competitive this series is, the parity between the manufacturers, between teams, just how difficult it is to win one of these races.”"

Make no mistake about it; Lewis Hamilton is one of the all-time greatest drivers. He is a three-time Formula One champion on his way to becoming a four-time Formula One champion, and at that point he would trail just two other drivers in terms of championships. He already owns the all-time pole record and trails just one driver in career victories.

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But despite all of this, Hamilton, like any driver should, should take the comments from these IndyCar drivers as a challenge. Sure, he is an accomplished Formula One champion and one of the greatest to ever do it. But he has never driven in the Indianapolis 500 before, and now that he knows that IndyCar drivers aren’t particularly fond of his comments about the race and its competitors, especially since he has zero IndyCar experience, much less Indianapolis 500 experience, his goal should be to prove himself after making these comments and after the response he got as a result of doing so.

Next: Looking back at Lewis Hamilton's record-setting accomplishment

Do I buy the idea of Lewis Hamilton driving in the Indianapolis 500 during his prime Formula One years, which started in 2014 and are still going on? Absolutely not. But if he ever ends up in a situation like Fernando Alonso was in this past season driving for an under-powered and unreliable team or even after he retires from Formula One competition, the Indianapolis 500 could and should definitely be on his radar.

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