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Marco Andretti is the first of his rich circle of racing relatives to qualify for the most sensible Indy 500 since 1987.
By Jerry Garrett
Mario Andretti, sitting in his favorite chair Sunday at the house in Nazareth, Pennsylvania, practicing anticipation control when his grandson Marco arrived for a four-lap qualifying race for the 104th edition of the Indianapolis 500.
“To be honest, after his 3 Andretti Autosport teammates came out and didn’t find the speed they were hoping for, “Well, that’s what it is,” said Andretti, 80, who won Indianapolis in 1969. . Array “But when I heard Marco’s lap times, I jumped out of my chair. I didn’t know he was so nimble anymore. He’s my boy! “
Marco Andretti beat Scott Dixon for the coveted starting No. 1 in the 33-car box through two hundredths of a second, fitting Andretti’s first pole position at Indy since 1987.
“I knew it was going to be difficult,” said Marco Andretti, 33, who will begin his 15th race in Indianapolis on Sunday. “The car was sliding, the wind was blowing, but I hit a big gust in the back stretch precisely in my favor. A stable crosswind interrupted cars and their drivers.
Before his career, his father, Michael, had reminded Marco of an old circle of relatives running the adage: “The wind can scare you. But you probably wouldn’t be overwhelmed.”
Still, his father, watching from the pits of the track, said, “I don’t think there’s a way. After his first round, I think, “Hmm, pretty well.” After the round of the moment, I began to panic. Third round, I’m sweating. For the fourth round, I could not tell you, perhaps sweating with blood.”
He added: “We may see the telemetry on board the race, and the car was so loose, slippery, about to crash, but it never dropped the throttle.”
Marco Andretti said: “The throttle line directly in telemetry. But the guide wheel is not entirely straight.
The last two laps, Andretti said, were natural dexterity and courage at work. “I mark 10 percent the difference, not the car, not the engine, ” he said. “It’s the only way to do it.”
The qualifying procedure for the Indy 500, 4 laps around the 2.5-mile Indianapolis Motor Speedway is believed to be through the competition the sport’s ultimate stressful.
“I’ve never been able to win the pole,” said Michael, who ran in Indianapolis 16 times. Mario started the race 29 times and won 3 poles, the last in 1987. So it was a long drought for Indy’s royal family.
The duration is even longer as one of them won the race. Andretti’s only victory out of a total of 60 begins in 1965 and Mario’s in 1969, more than 50 years ago.
Marco almost earned it in his rookie year, 2006, wasting six hundredths of a moment when Sam Hornish Jr. crossed it to the baseline. Despite those bright beginnings and high expectations, his career passed as he expected.
“Marco lashed out,” Mario said, “because his record doesn’t talk about his talent.”
He has only won two IndyCar races, no championships and has few treasures to exhibit 15 years of excavation. Mario and Michael won 94 IndyCar races among them.
“I’m sure he feels three times more confident than me as Mario Andretti’s son,” Michael said. “But you can do what you can do, you know? That’s how I controlled it.
“I know other people say he’s here on this team because he’s my son. But he was given a lot of talent. It’s even though it’s all starting to show it. He deserves to have won at least 10 runs in that series now, and probably two 500.
Although Marco is said to be brutally himself when things happen on the track, his father said that many disappointments can be attributed to the team.
“Now we have to keep aiming for Sunday’s race and take it to the Victory Circle,” Andretti said. “Minimize errors, no mistakes, in fact, the best pit stops, every single time. We have the car, we have the speed, we have the driver.
Honda has the merit of the engine strength so particularly this year that it ranks 8 of the nine most sensitive starting spots in the peloton. “All the credits go to Honda,” Michael said. “Last year we were sitting where Chevy is this year. Chevrolet is the only other engine supplier in the series.
For the configuration of his car, Marco re-paired with an old friend, Garrett Mothersead, who with Marco in 2013, when he had his most productive overall year in the sport. Mothersead was also Takuma Sato’s engineer when he won in 2017.
“I’ve had confidence in Marco’s talent,” Mario said. “He had those moments of brilliance. Something’s going to come up now. It’s quiet. He’s calm and serene, and he trusts a big C.”
Mario added: “I hope you enjoy this coming week, being on the pole in Indy. It’s the thing you have to do to win.”
Marco agreed: “It’s like a victory.”
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