F1 teams as NFL franchises: Ferrari ARE the Dallas Cowboys but what about Red Bull and Mercedes?

Daniel Ricciardo has been speaking about his love of the NFL — Photo: © LAT Images

F1 in the USA

F1 teams as NFL franchises: Ferrari ARE the Dallas Cowboys but what about Red Bull and Mercedes?

As we move to the USA for the first time this year, who's who!?

Graham Shaw

Friday 5 May 2023 12:57 Updated: 09:45

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As F1 continues its bid to crack America this weekend newer fans of the sport will be keen to get up to speed with the teams and the personalities involved.

So what better way to give Stateside the fans a lowdown than by comparing the teams on the grid to NFL franchises.

Pro football dwarfs every other sporting product in North America – pretty much everybody gets the narratives around the teams involved. Whether they are consistent winners or huge failures.

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As we head into Miami Grand Prix weekend, here is our take on which NFL teams best fit with their F1 counterparts – and who you should support, if you don't already!

F1 teams as NFL teams

Okay there are a ton of differences between the two sports, but some things just fit. Here is our list based on where the teams are right now.

Red Bull - Kansas City Chiefs

THE red-hot team of the moment with a terrific superstar – world champion driver Max Verstappen is the Patrick Mahomes of his day. Oh, and Red Bull have their very own Andy Reid in the shape of genius car designer Adrian Newey. He still draws stuff up with a pencil, go figure...

Mercedes - New England Patriots

A long period of dominance followed by a serious fall from grace. Mercedes won six titles in a sensational run and the Pats did the same. Now both are desperately trying to get back in a race after falling a long way behind.

Genius HC Bill Belichick doesn’t have Tom Brady any more, and Toto Wolff doesn’t have a winning car. Pretty soon Mercedes could lose Hamilton too, just like the Pats lost Brady...

Ferrari - Dallas Cowboys

Italy’s team = America’s Team. An iconic family-run brand which has been wandering in the wilderness for what seems an eternity, just finding new ways to lose. Tons of money and tons of history (and tons of media attention) but not nearly enough titles.

Aston Martin - Los Angeles Rams

Two teams who are backed by billionaire owners and are in ‘win now’ mode. The Rams traded the house for QB Matthew Stafford while Aston Martin have also spent heavily on big-name veterans Sebastian Vettel and Fernando Alonso in a bid to win it all. 'F Them Picks'

McLaren - Los Angeles Chargers

A cool brand with tons of potential, but so far frustrating results, and they have their very own Justin Herbert in the shape of young driving sensation Lando Norris. But there’s a feeling his talent is being wasted, and that ‘rookie window’ might be closing.

Alpine - Tampa Bay Buccaneers

A year or two back the Bucs were contenders, and Alpine were threatening to be just that too. But with Tom Brady retired, and Fernando Alonso gone to Aston Martin, those days are gone. Instead both teams have their own internal battle to be top of the pile. Esteban Ocon vs Pierre Gasly = Baker Mayfield vs Kyle Trask.

Okay, maybe the options aren't quite that bad at Alpine.

Haas - Detroit Lions

Popcorn-packed drama with often spectacular crashes and a colourful front man who steals the show. Yep, Guenther Steiner = Dan Campbell.

Haas team principal Steiner became the star of the hit Netflix show ‘Drive to Survive’ with his constant F Bombs and iconic turn of phrase (“We look like a bunch of w***ers”).

Meanwhile, the Lions have Dan 'we're gonna kick you in the teeth, when you punch us back we're gonna smile at you, when you knock us down we're gonna get up, and on the way up we're gonna bite a kneecap off' Campbell. So yeah.

AlphaTauri - Houston Texans

While AlphaTauri are very much the Red Bull junior team, that’s how it feels in the great state of Texas with the Texans and those Dallas Cowboys. While Jerry Jones and ‘America’s Team’ get all the publicity, Houston flounders in the shadows.

Alfa Romeo - Indianapolis Colts

Two teams who right now are failing to deliver on pretty lofty expectations. Indy are coming off a horrific season while Alfa Romeo is struggling to crack the top 10 in F1 races. Oh, and both teams are fond of rolling the dice with ageing superstars – for Philip Rivers and Matt Ryan, read Kimi Raikkonen and Valtteri Bottas.

Williams - Miami Dolphins

Ah Williams, once a perennial winner with a long-standing great at the helm. But now fallen on much harder times. Sir Frank Williams was the Don Shula of his day, and now the team he built are trying to get back to former glories with a boy genius in the shape of James Vowles. Just like the Dolphins and Mike McDaniel.