Marco Andretti has admitted he still has ambitions to race in Formula 1, although his focus remains on the Verizon IndyCar Series at present.
The American racer would be the third generation Andretti to race in F1 should he make the transition from IndyCar, and would follow in the footsteps of father Michael (who raced for McLaren in 1993) and grandfather Mario, the 1978 Formula 1 World Drivers’ Champion with Lotus.
Andretti tested a Honda F1 car back in late 2006 and again in early 2007 but did not make the move, instead remaining in America to concentrate on his IndyCar career. Now with the Haas F1 Team debuting in 2016, the spotlight has returned on American drivers racing in Formula 1, with Andretti insisting it would be like starting over again should he make that move.
“It depends on a lot of the logistics, for sure,” said Andretti. “Formula 1 is still the cream of the crop to me.
“Having said that, it would be tough to leave [IndyCar] because I feel like I’m just coming into my own as a driver.
“I think it took a little too long, but I feel I’m in a good place. I feel like we can compete anywhere we roll off. That’s a good feeling.
“Formula 1 would be like starting over. The expectations wouldn’t be high, maybe, with that [Haas F1] team.
“If you can go beat your team-mate over there, that’s what people look at.
“I would definitely take a strong look at it. My heart right now lies over here [in IndyCar]. Those cars are definitely fun, but this is what I’ve grown up doing.”
