Ok, this may be the shortest thread in Fchat history but I do not understand -- aside from his name -- why this guy has been racing this long. He hasn't won a race in 8 years. EIGHT YEARS. Now, we aren't talking F1 here when only the top 2 or 3 teams ever win. We are talking Indy cars where there's pretty much a level playing field. And he's been with one the the top, well funded, and most experienced teams. Of all those I think he may have been "close" only a few times. He finished in the 500 today last of the runners -- 5 laps behind while his teammate finished second by less than a second.
Being a son/grandson of Mario, is a hard act to follow. But you are right, not one win ? If you have enough money, or the right family name, you can do this for as long as you want.
the right last name is gold in racing. plus, he attracts a lot of sponsorship money, and from everything I've heard he's a genuinely nice guy and good teammate. those two go a long way, even if you don't have a good last name.
^^Yep. It's a lot about marketing and bringing in $$$ with name and recognition just like Danica did regardless of wins.
The trauma of being overtaken by Sam Hornish at the last instant may never have worn off. Same was with Scott Goodyear and Al Unser, Jr. Some seem to have issues with losing out by such a slim margin just when they think they're got it sewn up. Imagine poor Hilebrand, all he had to do was get through Turn 4 and stroke it home and he lost it allowing Dan Wheldon past. May make for an interesting documentary study. BHW
All these guys have a ton of talent. Marco was 1 mph slower than the Pole 228mph vs 229mph over 4 laps (10 miles) and started in row 4 on the starting grid. I'd say he not only has talent but deserves to be there.
But he was no where in the race and almost immediately in trouble with his set up. He may know how to put together a lap or two but he's proven not to have much of a technical sense when it comes to telling his engineers what the car needs. Where'd he end up, last of the runners 4 or 5 laps down? BHW
I'd say that Marco's race engineer was the culprit. They got the settings wrong before the start and never could solve their issue. I suspect that unlike at Penske, where the various car teams seem to share data to make all the cars competitive, at Andretti the car teams are run independently so that if one team finds a good combination, the other teams don't necessarily benefit. When one car nearly wins the race and another finishes five laps down, something is clearly wrong. I'm not saying that Marco is as good a driver as Rossi, but I think that yesterday he was screwed by his father's organization!
'Did a little research and in his 13 previous years in IndyCar these are his standing in the championships for the years 2018 - 2006: 9, 12, 16, 9, 9, 5, 16, 8, 8, 8, 7, 11, 7. None too exciting. edit: Duuuhhhh. This woulda' been easier.... https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marco_Andretti#IndyCar_Series_2
Hinchcliffe's aren't much better and he's a star. if racing were truly only about performance, things would be a lot different.
Scott Goodyear missed winning the 500 by a whisker on two occasions--the 1992 crash fest and in 1995 by passing the pace car on a restart. He never seemed to recover after the 1995 blunder. Imagine the headlines: Goodyear wins Indy on Firestones.
So we crucify the sibling for the actions of the parent? And we wonder why the sport can't find a new audience? Punish the innocent for the actions of another. It's so metoo.
do you not recall Conor Daly LOSING A RIDE because his dad may have said something that could be construed as racist 20 years ago? I didn't say it was fair, but it happens. and family names get tarnished in all walks of life. and I'm not sure why that would make a difference on attracting a new audience.
Marco and Graham Rahal are mid-pack, journeymen drivers who are still in the sport because of their last name. Period
They're not so much journeymen when they continue to drive for their father's teams year after year after year. BHW
Hugely disagree. Graham Rahal is one of the very best drivers in IndyCar. Just look at where he qualifies and finishes. The Detroit doubleheader is coming up this weekend. A couple of years ago, he won BOTH Detroit races.
Bigger fields make for a better sport. If they can find a way to finance it and be competitive, it good for the sport. What most people dont realize is in all car racing other than F1 and NASCAR, it is a big financial loss to run a car-- yes even in INDY. There is someone paying a multimillion dollar bills for the love of the sport. Accordingly if the Series can get a driver and team to participate they will. Nothing wrong with that. In events that have more entries than the max they allow in the race there is qualifying to select the best entries so that they select the best on merit. Nothing wrong with that either. IF you have someone better and can finance it, they can try as well. That is the nature of car racing.
Might have something to do with the amount of Indy 500 wins. At last count they have 9. I believe that the Andretti clan falls a little short at only one. Now who is the royalty here?
So he is the Sergio Perez of Indy car of some sort, never brilliant, always average? Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Andretti’s own a highly successful team and deep ties to the series, what do the Unsers have these days?
9 Indy 500 wins. I think it counts for something. They may not choose to be car owners, but their success is without question. Not to mention some of the innovations thery have inspired.
