Ryan Hunter-Reay believes IndyCar is "the most competitive it has ever been" and deserves to once again be considered a path to Formula One.
Since the reunification of IndyCar and the now-defunct CART World Series in 2008 no driver who debuted in the American series has started an F1 race. Previously IndyCar had a strong global reputation, attracting big names such as Nigel Mansell -- who won the 1993 title while the reigning world champion -- while propelling the likes of Jacques Villeneuve and Juan Pablo Montoya to successful F1 careers.
Hunter-Reay, an Indy 500 winner and the 2012 IndyCar champion, thinks American open wheel racing has recovered from its "weak years" enough for the drivers to be taken seriously as candidates for F1.
"I think it is really about a fork in the road very early in your career," he told Sky Sports F1. "If you want to be in Formula One you have to come up through the Formula One ladder which is in Europe and if you want to be an IndyCar driver you come up through the American ladder and that is just the way it is
"Once upon a time there was a road to Formula One through IndyCar success and I just think that after a few weak years by IndyCar that kind of went away. Now IndyCar's championship is as strong as ever, I think it is the best and most competitive it has ever been, and I'm not just saying that because I am in it. We demonstrate that week in, week out with the product on track."
The future of F1 in America is currently uncertain, with the United States Grand Prix under threat following a cut of funding for the Circuit of the Americas. Though U.S. team Haas will join the grid this year with Romain Grosjean and Esteban Gutierrez, Manor is yet to confirm whether it will retain Alexander Rossi, the first American to start an F1 race for eight years, for the upcoming season.
Hunter-Reay does not think the arrival of Haas to the grid will be enough to generate additional interest in F1 Stateside.
"It is so hard to crack the sporting market in the United States because it is so saturated. We have football, basketball, baseball - there are so many options you have to capture the fans' attention,"
"I think Formula 1 racing in general can do it, but it is going to take more of a presence in the United States other than just a team that calls itself 'USF1' even though it is based in the UK, which it has to be I think. Hopefully we can get some more races over there, I'm not sure what the solution is, but I'm a fan of any success of motorsport in the United States."