I know that’s your assessment but I want to explain the predictability problem.
It depends what you’re predicting. Every Indy race is won by a Dallara, and that’s set in stone. In the last F1 race we had three completely different cars on the podium. You might have one dominant package, but in terms of predictability, F1 has more intrigue. Just look at Aston this year. I also don’t think predictability is a bad thing, it depends on the context. You need some level of predictability. But there needs to be avenues within that for teams and drivers to improve.
It’s hard to explain. I don’t like spec. It sets something in stone, and that’s bad. The ultimate predictability. You do need tangible performance differences. By that I mean you need something that’s able to create a narrative. Who is fast, who is, and you kinda know why.
IndyCar has worst of both worlds in my view. The car result is too predictable (100% Dallara) but the driver result is too random (drivers can be 1st one week and 15th the next for not real discernible reason).
F1 isn’t perfect by the way, it’s just the only comparison we can make unless we start adding in bikes etc…
With marketing you still need the base product. If Indy, in a perfect world, decided to go bonkers and introduce a new class. 600kg weight limit, open chassis (lets put in a hypothetical price cap for now as a place holder for economic viability) and 3.5 N/A engines (V10s and V12s). the hype pre-season would be off the charts. All the world’s motorsport media would be on it (rather than the odd story that gets buried after a day like now). The game would change over night. Plenty of F1 aero guys who’d make the leap over.
There’s almost zero coverage of IndyCar over the winter because we know what we’re gonna get. With that formula? You wouldn’t need a good marketing team. It’d market itself.
I know I sound like I am criticising IndyCar, but I am just trying to get to the heart of the question about why it isn’t more popular. I think in motorsport there’s a chasm between what people say they want and what they really consume on a daily basis.
I literally live 5 minutes from Rockingham Motorsport Speedway (now officially closed). it’s walkable from where I live. IndyCar/CART has ventured outside of America, but it’s very challenging.