“Love to See Him Dominate”: Dale Earnhardt Jr Has a Clear Favorite in F1’s Post-Schumacher Era

It is no secret that Dale Earnhardt Jr and his love for NASCAR know no bounds. At the same time, it is also true that he’s a true motorsport fan. While he deeply admires the great Michael Schumacher, the former Hendrick Motorsports driver has a new favorite in Formula 1. For years, Formula 1 has been a dominant sport in the world of motorsports. While it has been recognized globally, passionate drivers like Dale Jr tend to keep a close eye on it. In fact, the 49-year-old still does very well.

Dale Earnhardt Jr is a big fan and loves to see this driver succeed and dominate

The comparison between NASCAR and F1 was always there and will remain a topic of discussion. However, for true motorsport fans, enjoying both sports is what matters. While Dale Earnhardt Jr’s love for NASCAR will be unmatched, he recently revealed how F1 excites him.

Speaking on former motorsport driver Justin Bell’s show “Drive to Wynn”, Junior enjoyed being candid. He opened up about the time Michael Schumacher and other great F1 drivers made F1 enticing to watch. He said, “I think that there are years where Formula 1 for me is incredibly entertaining, and back when Schumacher and those guys were going at Mika [Hakkinen]. There were some years where you get really plugged in.”

For those unaware, Michael Schumacher and Mika Hakkinen enjoyed an intense rivalry. Both F1 drivers entered the sport in the 1991 season and were intensely attracted to each other, especially from the 1998 to the 2001 seasons. While both Schumacher and Hakkinen were championship contenders, their racing made F1 a really entertaining watch from a neutral point of view.

However, times have changed, and new drivers have taken over their place in the sport. Not that the legacy of those drivers has been replaced, but with time, even their popularity changes. While Lewis Hamilton has enjoyed being a popular name in Formula 1 in recent times, Dale Earnhardt Jr has a new favorite.

Speaking about him, he said, “I’m a big fan of Max [Versatappen]. I like to see Max succeed, I love to see him dominate and so I have a rooting interest in F1. It’s tough to see all of the races due to the schedule and being on the East Coast but I feel like that you stay tuned in, you keep your ear to the ground.”

Indeed, Dale Earnhardt Jr not only keeps an eye on his favorite Max Verstappen but also on how the F1 dynamics can help NASCAR.

Why NASCAR could learn a lot from F1?

Change is the only constant in the world of motorsports. While the dynamics change very frequently, F1 has managed to adapt and keep the fans engaged. Given NASCAR’s recent slump in TV ratings and struggle to make the sport relevant, Dale Earnhardt Jr advises taking the positives from F1.

In the same conversation with Justin Bell, Dale Earnhardt Jr said, “I try to stay current on what’s happening in F1 when it comes to economics, race team economics, and series economics. When it comes to one of their challenges in trying to create an entertaining product, NASCAR is sort of going through this same process right now.”

While NASCAR is to make the Next-Gen car more entertaining from a racing point of view, Dale Jr directed how F1 adapts to the changes. He said, “I know that F1 is always aware of trying to make sure that they don’t fall into a rut and giving the teams the ability to create and be able to set themselves apart. Also, it drives a lot of excitement around certain manufacturers and certain teams and so forth.”

It was then that he highlighted how NASCAR could benefit from learning from Formula 1. Dale Earnhardt Jr said, “NASCAR is competitive towards other forms of motorsport, but we also pay attention to what they’re doing right, and what we think we can learn from it. So that’s probably why I might pay attention to F1, sportscar, or IndyCar, is to try to see what NASCAR can learn or apply to be better.”

Junior feels that although the challenges for NASCAR and F1 have been different so far, it will not be the same in the coming years. He said, “The approach may look different, but we all fight the same thing economically with engine and supply and parts. Where do we wanna go, where are we gonna be in 5 or 10 years as an industry? We all are gonna face the same obstacles and challenges. Some have already faced them and overcome them.” It totally makes sense what Dale Jr had to say. After all, no one wishes better for NASCAR than the 2022 Hall of Famer.

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