Indy 500 host SLAMS F1 in latest spat

Indianapolis Motor Speedway president Doug Boles has hit out at Formula 1's repeated use of a trademarked phrase.

The phrase in question is “The Greatest Spectacle in Racing", first trademarked by Hulman & Company - former owners of IndyCar and the Speedway before both were sold to Penske in 2019.

F1 were previously in hot water over a social media account promoted the upcoming Las Vegas Grand Prix as 'the greatest racing spectacle on the planet', with Vegas being referred to the 'sports and entertainment capital of the world' - dangerously close to riffing off another ISM trademark, the “Racing Capital of the World.”

Boles didn't seem too concerned about the first incident in March 2023, saying at the time: “They couldn’t have been more gracious, saying 'Yeah, yeah, we’ve got it, no problem'.”

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Boles: We are prepared to take every measure

IndyCar CEO Mark Miles was a little less relaxed when LL Cool J's scripted Miami Grand Prix intro called F1 'the greatest spectacle in motorsports', admitting that he was surprised by the repeated breach and called it 'a crock of s***'.

Now, for a third time, a promotional video (shown on ESPN) used audio from a commentator calling the sport 'the greatest spectacle in motorsports', prompting Boles to give a statement to the IndyStar calling the behaviour 'disappointing'.

“We are aware of the use of our mark in what appears to be a broadcast promotional spot. We will once again address it with the appropriate people and are prepared to take every measure possible to protect our brand’s intellectual property,” Boles said.

“It continues to be disappointing that others can’t create their own brand identity without infringing upon ours.”

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