Topic: Andretti to Test F1 Car

[Otto Puzzell]

Friday, December 8, 2006 6:26 PM EST
The Associated Press

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Marco Andretti, the Indy Racing League's rookie of the year and runner-up in the Indianapolis 500, will test a Formula One car next week in Spain as part of the Honda Racing F1 winter development program.

The 19-year-old son of Michael Andretti and grandson of Mario Andretti still plans to drive for his father's Andretti Green Racing team in the IRL next season, he said Friday.

"I've said all along that I'm a racer," the younger Andretti said. "I'll drive anything with a motor. ... I still have my sights set on the IndyCar Series; there are still some things I need to accomplish. But to have the opportunity to put in some laps in an F1 car is an opportunity that you don't pass up."

Michael Andretti raced in F1 for the McLaren team for part of the 1993 season and was the last American driver in the series until Scott Speed this year. Mario Andretti was the 1978 Formula One champion.

Marco Andretti, who was passed on the final straightaway and finished less than a 10th of a second behind Indy winner Sam Hornish Jr. in May, joined his grandfather, father and uncle, Jeff Andretti, as Indianapolis 500 rookies of the year. He also was the IndyCar series' top rookie, finishing seventh in season points.

His test with Honda will be Dec. 15 in Jerez, Spain.

[Ultra]

 

[Otto Puzzell]

How about that!

[Ultra]

[MG]

YIKES!  It ain't braggin' if you can back it up, they say!   

On the other hand, SeaBass was a second behind Scott Speed in his STR test.   

[Ultra]

Marco Andretti back in action for Honda F1

Marco Andretti will be back in action again with Honda F1 next week in Jerez. It will be second test for the young American and the word is that this time he will be accompanied to the test by his grandfather, former F1 World Champion Mario Andretti. The announcement has once again been timed to avoid too much exposure and this would seem to suggest that the team is deliberately adopting a low-key approach to the tests to avoid putting too much pressure on Andretti and, at the same time, keeping down speculation about Marco's future in F1. A second test, however, is a clear indication that the team is interested and wants to see just how good the youngster is. He may be under contract in the US until the end of 2008 but as Jenson Button proved last year no contract exists that cannot be cancelled if the price is right and while Michael Andretti might not want to lose his son from Andretti Green Racing in 2008 a truck-load of Honda money might change his view - if Marco does enough to impress the engineers at Honda.

Andretti's ambitions are to win the Indianapolis 500 and he has a decent shot at that this year but in the end the lure of F1 may be stronger.

[Tifosi]

I'll bet Marco will end up in a Ferrari in a couple of years...and eventually he'll be World Champion.  It just feels right...


Dan

[Ultra]

Honda's wily ways

Marco Andretti will be back in an F1 Honda this week in Jerez and with grandfather, former F1 World Champion Mario Andretti, expected to attend the test to see his grandson in action, one has to ask what in the world is going on.

Honda has twice, very carefully, released news about Andretti on Friday evenings, a time when there is guaranteed to be much less coverage because journalists have gone home for the weekend and by the time they return on Monday the news will be old hat. The only possible explanation for this is that Honda is trying to minimise the coverage the tests get. And one must therefore ask why this is a good plan as most F1 teams spend their time trying to get maximum coverage for everything (positive) that they do.

The clandestine nature of the announcement suggests, therefore, that there is more to this than meets the eye - and the presence of Mario Andretti would seem to underline that.

Not many F1 test drivers bring their grandfathers to their tests.

The fact that this is a second test is also significant, as it proves the point that the first test was not just a one-off publicity stunt. Honda must therefore be seriously considering doing something with Marco in the future. Testing time these days is a very valuable commodity and you do not just give it away.

It is clear that Andretti is exactly what F1 and indeed Honda, needs in America. F1 will never strike it big in the United States without a local hero winning races to get the locals excited. One needs only to look at the effect that Fernando Alonso's success has had on F1 in Spain or think back to similar phenomena in Germany in the mid 1990s with Michael Schumacher and in Britain in the mid 1980s with Nigel Mansell.

Honda is a strong supporter of the US open-wheeler racing scene if only because it does not want to be associated with NASCAR, aiming for a higher tech image. Thus, with US single-seater racing so weak, it makes sense for the company to look at the bigger picture and try to use a young American in F1 to boost Honda's image in the US.

Rubens Barrichello's contract with Honda ends this year and while he is still doing fine, he is nonetheless one of the older drivers in the sport and cannot go on forever. In theory Marco Andretti is not available until 2009 and it is possible that Rubens could go on for another two seasons but at the same time things can always be accelerated if the desire is right and the money is right.

Much may also depend on what happens at Indianapolis in May. Marco has ambitions to win the Indianapolis 500 (it is a genetic thing) and if he achieves that this early in his racing career, there is really only one fence left to jump.

[Ultra]

Andretti: I will get quicker

American rising star Marco Andretti has pinpointed his one-lap pace as an area to work on in the future after completing a successful second Formula 1 test with Honda at Jerez.

The 19-year-old IndyCar driver was in action for two days in the Brackley-based squad’s RA106 this week, after impressing the team on his one-day outing before Christmas.

Andretti completed 74 laps on Wednesday, lapping within 1.4s of Jenson Button, before driving an F1 car for the first time in the rain on the final day and clocking up another 63 laps.

He says he was pleased to get the chance to run in the wet, and although happy with his performance on long runs during the test, feels his ultimate pace would improve with more F1 experience.

“It’s been awesome to have the chance to get back in an F1 car this week and I would really like to thank the Honda team for giving me this second opportunity,” he said.

“I have really enjoyed my two days here, and by the end of the second day with the wet conditions, I feel that I’ve really adapted to the way that the car has to be driven.

“So the weather was actually quite useful for me and I’ve now experienced a little bit of everything in only three days.

“I was happy with my long-run pace over the test but the one-lap times are something that I am sure would come with further time in the car.”

Honda engineering director Jacky Eeckelaert was also impressed by Andretti’s pace over the long runs and was full of praise for the young American’s overall performance in the varying track conditions.

“It has been a pleasure to have Marco Andretti with us this week and to give him a further opportunity in the 2006 car,” he said.

“Once again Marco has shown a high level of ability, given his relative inexperience, and his long-run pace in particular was quite impressive.

“With the poor weather conditions today, Marco drove for the first time in the wet and adapted very well to the difficult track conditions without making any mistakes.”