The RACER.com Guest Mailbag with Michael Andretti: Part 1

When we opened the gate for RACER.com readers to send questions to be answered by Michael Andretti, we assumed that we'd probably get a decent response. What we didn't expect was that the final document containing all of your questions would run to 21 pages.

But then when you look at his extraordinary driving career, the huge success he's achieved as a team owner, and the many other activities he's been involved in over the years, there's clearly a lot of ground to cover.

It also goes without saying that when you wake up in the morning and a five-car IndyCar team (with an occasional sixth for James Hinchcliffe) is only a slice of what you have to think about on any given workday, you have a lot of things competing for your attention, and we're grateful to Michael for finding time to answer reader questions.

Due to the volume of submissions and the amount of other stuff that Andretti has on his plate, we're going to publish the answers in installments, so look out for the next part of this Guest Mailbag soon. We also received a lot of questions that were very similar (1993, anyone?) and needed to trim out some repetitions, so if your question doesn't appear, it's very likely because somebody else asked the same thing.

And now, over to 1991 CART champion, 42-time CART race-winner (and still only 'semi-retired', according to Wikipedia), five-time Indy 500-winning and four-time IndyCar championship-winning team owner, and general man-of-many-race-programs Michael Andretti.

Q: Will we ever see you field a full-time or even a part-time IMSA or WEC sportscar program? And will we ever see you behind the wheel of a race car again? Please?

Frank from Rochester, NY

MICHAEL ANDRETTI: I’d really like to get the team back into sportscar racing. If an opportunity comes along that is a good fit, it’s something we would, for sure, explore. As for me back in a race car, I don’t think you’ll see that anytime soon. I’m pretty happily retired from driving.

Q: Michael, I have really enjoyed watching your team evolve and grow over the past 15 years.  Since you expanded into other series, do you anticipate an Andretti Autosport IMSA team in the near future, especially with the chance of racing at Le Mans?

Finally, you and Zak Brown seem to have a great connection and make a great combination. I foresee some potential partnerships with him in the future. What are your thoughts?

Thanks,

Rod, West Chester, OH

MA: I’d love to field an IMSA team again. It’s something that is on our radar and we are just looking for the right timing and opportunity. It’s exciting that the FIA has adopted the rules of DPi, so it opens up an opportunity. It’d be great to see an Andretti Autosport car at Le Mans!

Zak has been a great friend and is already a partner in our Walkinshaw Andretti United team. I think you can anticipate seeing some of those partnerships grow to other areas.

Q: Do you envision your team returning to top-line sportscar racing in IMSA, as you had with Andretti Green in the ALMS and the Acura P2 protoype? Any thoughts of a Marco/Jarrett pairing?

Thanks!

Terry Johnsen, Germantown, MD

MA: Sportscar racing for Andretti Autosport seems to be a hot topic! Glad to see there’s a fan appetite there because it’s something we would love to do when the time is right. Marco has always been strong in sports cars and Jarett is really coming on in the GT4 program. It would be cool to see two Andrettis co-driving.

Q: Big ‘if’ here -- if Formula 1 ever came in line with costs similar to IndyCar or even twice as much as IndyCar, would you have a team?

Best regards, Mark Ferrara

MA: I never say never. Always looking for opportunities.

Q: I’ve been following your career since 1992, and I drove 300+ miles from SoCal to Laguna Seca in 1992 specifically to watch you race in person before you left for Formula 1 with McLaren in 1993. It was awesome to see you take pole and win in the first CART/IndyCar race I ever attended!

My question is, Andretti Autosport currently has teams in IndyCar, Formula E, Supercars, etc. Have you ever contemplated having a Formula 1 team? Now that F1 has lowered its budget cap, the technical regulations change 2021 (2022), and the potential for customer cars? Maybe as a partner team with McLaren (now that Zak Brown is involved). Much like the Red Bull/AlphaTauri relationship.

Thanks, Al Palacio

MA: First, thanks for being a fan and making that drive in ’92! Formula 1 is still a great interest for us. But, as with any racing program, it has to make sense. The timing and opportunity needs to be right. It’s something we will keep an eye on.

The Andretti Green crew puts in a late shift on the LMP2 Acura at Sebring in 2007. Don't be surprised to see Andretti Autosport make an IMSA foray if the planets align. Image by Richard Dole/Motorsport Images

Q: This might be a touchy question, but here it goes:  What happened with McLaren in '93 to make things go so sideways?  I've heard bits and pieces through the years, but nothing concrete. Thanks for helping make IndyCar as great as it is!

Dallas from Gilbert, AZ

MA: Let’s just say that was a program destined to fail.

Q: You speak very little of your time in F1 driving for McLaren, but when you do you seem very discouraged. If I read between the lines, I get the sense that you feel you were sabotaged. If that's the case, could you speak more to what you believed was going on? This was at the height of IndyCar really beginning to threaten F1's market share, and here comes IndyCar's biggest star to their stage. Was this a matter of the team not wanting you to succeed over Senna, or was this about Bernie trying to prove an IndyCar star was not as good as their drivers proving F1 to be the better of the two formats?

Or was it simply a case of them having three drivers (you, Senna, and Mika) and you quickly became the odd man out? I would love to hear you elaborate more about what was going on. I'm fascinated by that point in your career. I know you feel it wasn't a highlight, but you should be proud about your adventure there. You were signed by one of the biggest teams, as one of America's biggest stars, to partner one of the greatest drivers of all time whom you proved to be on pace with, and against all odds finished third in Monza in spite of having little support. That is something I think you should wear as a badge of honor!

And to prove my point you came back and won at Surfers first race back, with basically a start-up team and beat their biggest star Mansell, who ironically was driving for your old team! What does that say about everything? You are a legend, Michael.

Thanks, Gonzo

MA: Thanks, Gonzo. Very interesting observation. Not sure I care to comment as it would probably come across sounding like sour grapes. But just know, as I’ve said, it was a program destined to fail.

Q: I have been a huge, huge fan of yours since you first entered CART. I have also been a big fan of Ayrton Senna’s since he entered F1. You can imagine how happy I was when I found out that my two favorite drivers would be teammates at McLaren in 1993.  I know things did not work out for you there, but how was it working with Senna?  Thanks, and good luck to your team.

Shannon, Arvada, CO

MA: One of the best parts of my F1 experience is that I got to be teammates with Ayrton. He was a great teammate; he was obviously a very good driver, but he was a good person as well. We became very good friends, but unfortunately, we were not able to carry on that friendship. I’m sure we would have done many other things together given the opportunity.

Q: What was it like to be Ayrton Senna’s teammate, and how was your relationship with him off the track? Thank you for taking questions.

Ralph, Indianapolis

MA: Senna and I got along great, we really pushed and helped each other as teammates. I don’t think the world got to see and understand how well we worked together.

Q: Out of all the drivers that have raced for Andretti Autosport, past or present, which driver came closest to having the same characteristics and mentality as you did when you were a driver?

Phillip Schmitz

MA: I had to really think on this one, but maybe Alexander Rossi. He’s a lot like me: he’s real quiet, but when he attacks – he just attacks, attacks, attacks. He’s focused.

Q: I've closely followed your career. You drove many different classes to get to the top rung. Do you think that the current Road to Indy is diverse enough? Would perhaps midget or sprint or any dirt help the new crop of drivers?

Diana Dyckman

MA: I think the Road to Indy is a perfect way to get to IndyCar. I think it’s great training and I think the record speaks for itself if you look at how many IndyCar drivers came out of Indy Lights.

Q: Do you think if Alonso had flown to Japan and apologized in person that he would be racing for you at Indy this year?

Ryan in West Michigan

MA: I don’t believe that issue was the case. We were just not able to come to terms.

Q: Do you get more satisfaction reflecting on your driving career, or as a team owner watching other drivers win races for your team?

Greg from Chicago

MA: It’s two different kinds of satisfactions. I worked hard as a driver and was fortunate to have a great career – but when I retired, I was ready to move on. Now I work hard as a team owner and have a great team around me. Both have been, and continue to be, satisfying in different ways.

Q: Assuming resources are not an issue, how many cars are too many cars for any one team to field in the Indianapolis 500? Could you make it happen if a sponsor approached you at the beginning May and says, ‘I want a car in the race,’ is willing to put up $2 million with no guarantees plus another $3 million if their car makes the race and wants your team to make it happen?  Who would you put in the car? The only conditions are that you can’t buy out of an existing driver/car entry or buyout an already qualified car if you don’t qualify for the race.

Best wishes to you, your team and drivers for a safe and successful season.

Joe Gangi, Libertyville, IL

MA: Let’s just say if someone came with that offer, we’d find a way! But realistically we think that we are pretty much at the max number. In the end, the problem is not always budget, it comes down to getting good people.

Andretti's relationship with Senna was a bright spot in his 1993 campaign with McLaren. Image by Rainer Schlegelmilch/Motorsport Images

Q: What was it like to fly on the Concorde? I'm sure you will be asked hundreds of questions about racing. I thought I'd try to break up the pattern a little. Hope you don't mind.

Phil Stoll

MA: The Concorde was really something. It was a great tool for me. I used it to get to every race and test – I could be in England in just 3.5 hours. Without it, I would not have been able to stay based in the U.S. I could get to England, from the U.S., quicker than Senna could get there from Monte Carlo.

Q: What was your motivation to come back to race in the Indy 500 in 2006 after three years out of the cockpit? Also, did you return in 2007 because you came so close to winning again in 2006? And was the decision to return in ’07 made shortly after the 2006 race, or later in the year? Thank you for answering my questions, and good luck this season.

Regards, Bryant Dunbar

MA: The decision in 2006 was, obviously, based on wanting to drive with Marco. I can now say I’m the only driver that has raced at the Indy 500 with both my father and my son. The decision for 2007 was pretty much decided after coming so close in 2006 – I was able to put a deal together maybe six months later with Motorola and Jim Beam.

Q: What were your favorite victories and toughest race losses both as a driver and an owner?

Dave Sutton, Indy

MA: Favorite victory as a driver is probably winning Australia after coming back from F1. My biggest disappointment as a driver as likely the ’92 Indy 500.

As an owner, I think maybe winning the championship with Ryan Hunter-Reay at Fontana – that was a big race. It was looking bad in the beginning and turned around to be great. Toughest loss as an owner was Marco being passed in 2006 at the end of the Indy 500, with only a few hundred yards to go.

Q: Hi Michael. I've been a fan of IndyCar since 1992, so I've watched a lot of your races and your foray into Formula 1. How do you like being an IndyCar owner versus being a driver? Do you miss driving, or is it something where you feel like you've accomplished what you've accomplished, and that's that?

Finally, if you could pick three drivers, past or present, to make a dream team, who would those drivers be?

Thanks and good luck this season.

Jonathan, Long Beach, CA

MA: Being an owner has been a lot of fun – and sometimes almost as great as driving. It keeps my competitive juices flowing. I loved being a driver, but I don’t miss it because of what you’ve said.

My three-driver dream team: Dad, Senna, Alonso

Q: With all your diversity in your racing series programs, have you ever looked at getting into NASCAR? Trucks? Xfinity? Cup? Maybe partnering with an existing team like Chip Ganassi did initially?

Dave, Putnam Connecticut

MA: I remain pretty open to any opportunity, in any series, if the timing is right and it makes sense. We’ve looked at NASCAR before, and have come close. Maybe it will work out someday when the timing is right again.

Q: How did Paul Harcus get the nickname Ziggy?

David Kapter

MA: I have no clue.

Q: Hi Michael. I read reports that it wasn’t Honda who was to blame for Alonso not running Indy with you. Any truth to that, and can you share what was the deal breaker? Any chance of you and Marco teaming up for an endurance race?

Jim

MA: We just weren’t able to get to an agreement this year.

You have a better shot of seeing Dad and Marco as teammates in a long-distance race than me and Marco.

Q: Huge fan of entire Andretti family of racers, and I know how difficult Marco’s struggles must be for you both (and your dad). Any thoughts on why things haven’t jelled for him yet?

David Spear

MA: It’s very, very frustrating. I believe Marco has equal-to-more talent than me and Dad. If anyone has the worst luck of us, it’s been him. Any time he’s been in a position to win a race circumstance has let him down. He should easily have at least 10 wins by now in his career otherwise.

Q: During the late stages in 2006 you were leading; Marco was second and Herta was third. I always felt that Herta allowed Hornish no resistance to get around him, like Little Al did to Sneva in 1983. And had Marco remained behind you and “Little Al’d” him, I believe you would have won that race. Why didn’t they do that? Just seems beyond unfair one of the greatest Indy 500 drivers never won that race.  And if the 2007 race had went the distance, do you think you and not Dario might have won?

Thirdly, did you ever consider a return to Indy after 2007? The cars that Hunter-Reay won with in 2014… many believe you can have won in it. And finally, would you, your dad and Marco consider running Le Mans so Mario can finally get that missing piece? Too bad you didn’t get Alonso for this year. Good luck with all your bullets this August.

Denny Miller

MA: The mystery still to me is where Hornish was able to run as fast as he did at the end of the race, with 40 laps on his tires. So, I don’t believe any of us could have really held him up because he was so fast.

If the rain would have held off another 10 minutes, I do believe I would have won the race because of the fuel strategy I was on. I felt like I was as fast as Dario in that race but got caught a lap down and stuck behind my cousin coming out of the pits. I had to fight my way back, but I believe that if it had gone the full distance, we would have had a shot.

Also, my driving days are over. I have too many other things going on to be able to dedicate the time to it.

Indy 2007. The speed was there, the fuel strategy looked good – and then the rain came. Image by Streck/Motorsport Images

Q: When I first started following IndyCar, you and your father as teammates. That team is my all-time favorite (I have a replica of your dad’s car in my home!) Now that Marco is a car owner (I have always rooted for him) will he transition to hiring a driver for the car?

Harvey, Payson, AZ

MA: Well, so far, he hasn’t wanted to fire himself. I don’t know what the future holds.

Q: Hey Michael, thanks for doing this. Tell us about the McLaren MP4/8 compared to the Lola T92/00 and Reynard 94i. What made each of them great? Which was your favorite, and why? Would you rather drive the McLaren at Road America, or the Lola or Reynard at Spa? And if you could drive any car in the history of auto racing that you never drove, which one would you choose?

Blake, Flower Mound, TX

MA: I would have to say my favorite was the Lola. It was a car that was pretty much designed around myself and my style. It would have been fun to drive the Lola at Spa.

Q: Huge Andretti fans here, Michael. My question is, how early on did you decide to become an owner?  Was this a thought all along, or was it a series of events once you stopped driving?

Mike DeQuardo, Waukesha WI

MA: When my father retired, I saw he was a bit of a fish out of water without racing. I started to think about what I was going to do beyond my driving years. Ownership seemed to be the natural progression. I really enjoyed the business side of racing, even while I was driving.

Q: Thank you for what you did for us IndyCar fans who very much enjoyed the latest iteration of the Milwaukee Mile. My question is: if you ever do relax these days, what do you do to do it?

Gary Emling, Dwight, IL

MA: Just hang out at home and spend time with family.

Q: To my mind as a fan, the CART era cars from the mid-'90s to early 2000s looked and sounded better than any other generation of IndyCar. What was your favorite chassis to drive? Also, would your team be open to making a sequel to Super Speedway?

Rob Peterson, Rochester, NY

MA: I think my favorite car was the ’95 Lola. I think I should have won 10 races that year – the reliability was not good, but it was a really good car to drive.

There was talk of a Super Speedway sequel a few years ago, but it ended up not happening. It’s disappointing too, because I thought I had a real shot at an Oscar.

Q: Did Ron Dennis share info between you and Ayrton? Did you share info with Senna’s team and vice versa? Thanks for all your motorsports efforts!

Refugee John, Lake George

MA: Yeah, there was no data held back. We shared.

Q: My question is regarding the Milwaukee Mile. I live near the track, attended many races there, and was heartbroken when racing at the Mile was discontinued. You did a wonderful job of promoting the IndyCar races there. So why wasn't the attendance better? In my opinion it was because the powers that be started the races too late in the day. You can't start a race at 3 p.m. on a Sunday and expect the fans from surrounding states to attend. I always thought John Menard should sponsor the race, or that the promoter of Road America should get involved.

Like all IndyCar fans I hope and pray that the Indy500 can safely be held and safely run this August.

Ron Ford, Muskego, WI

MA: Hey Ron, thanks for the support in Milwaukee. I wish I knew why it wasn’t attended better, to be honest. We would go out into the city to promote the race and fans would tell me how happy they were to have the race back; I’d ask them if they were coming and they’d answer ‘no’. If all the people that were excited about the race actually came to the race, maybe it would have been different. As for the start time, a lot of that is driven by the TV networks and the broadcast time windows.

Q: Are you still friends with President Trump after he inexplicably fired you and Adam Corolla from the Celebrity Apprentice even though you gave a clearly superior presentation to the other team?

Andrew H, Chicago

MA: Ha! I agree on your take of our presentation. But, no hard feelings in the end with Trump – and I can now say I’ve been fired by the President!

Q: I would love to someday be a part of the IndyCar paddock. Very soon, I will be graduating college with a degree in marketing and would like to hear your opinion on how to get involved with the sport in the future. I would be open to pretty much anything, as racing has always been a passion of mine. Thanks and good luck in 2020!

Brendan Wagner

MA: A lot of teams and tracks offer internships, so be on the lookout for those and take advantage of volunteer opportunities. Being open is to different opportunities and adapting to different positions is helpful as well. Send us your resume.

Q: First off, thank you for everything you have done for IndyCar and the Road to Indy. What I wanted to know is, of all the people you have raced against, who was the toughest to pass?

Thanks, Mel

MA: I have to say my dad. I swear when I would come up on him, I could see him get taller in the seat as he pushed the gas pedal harder!

Mario didn't place much stock in the 'blood is thicker than water' idea when battling Michael on the track. Image by Motorsport Images

Q: Did R.P. ever try and sign you for his IndyCar team? And what other teams in F1 wanted to sign you?

Thanks,

Jeff Laughlin, Irvine, CA

MA: We talked a few times with Roger, but unfortunately were never able to come to terms. If there is ever one regret in my IndyCar career, it’s that I didn’t driver for Roger.

As for F1, I had a contract with Ferrari for the 1992 season, but Carl Haas would not allow me out of my contract.

Q: Big fan of yours! You do more for the Road to Indy than any of the other owners. What do you think needs to be done to increase the participation of the other owners? I know it’s apples and oranges, but I’m envious of what NASCAR does with the Trucks, Xfinity Series and finally Cup. It’s easy to get to know the drivers and track their progress. Additionally, it gives great exposure for the Cup drivers doing guest commentary.

The racing is fantastic, I just wish there were more cars and coverage. I know, it goes back to dollars, but I’d love to hear your ideas on how to build on what’s already there.

Wally, Eden Prairie, MN

MA: I think there needs to be real incentives built into the rules for current IndyCar teams to field a car in Indy Lights, such as extra texting days and things like that.

Q: August 1985. Pocono. Helicopter. What was going through your mind?

Michael Bentle

MA: That was a horrible day. But in the end, I can say maybe the luckiest day of my life. Not only in the helicopter crash, but in the race, I took the lead right away and lost my right-front tire coming off of Turn 3 and made it to the pits safe. And then, later in the race, a piece of bodywork flew off another car and hit my right-front tire – it could have very well hit my head but didn’t. In the end, a very lucky day.

Q: Hello Michael. Do you ever get a chance to drive one of your Andretti Autosport Indy cars? Not necessarily competitively, maybe as a shakedown, or just for comparison to IndyCars of the past.

Thanks,

Tom H., Staten Island. NY

MA: I haven’t driven any of our cars since 2007, and I’m honestly OK with that.

Q: Did you give any thought to running Fernando Alonso for a full IndyCar season?

Dan, Lima, OH

MA: I’d be lying if I said I hadn’t given it thought. But the opportunity and timing -- for us or for Fernando -- just hasn’t been right to make it happen.

Q: Michael, first and foremost, thank you for the many years of great racing! We’ve all have seen the decline in attendance at races, less TV coverage… there’s no doubt we need to grow the sport and attract new fans. As a successful team owner, would you ever consider a reality show based in your shop in Indy with yourself, the engineers, drivers , decisions being made, technical information regarding how an IndyCar works, acquisition of sponsorship, design process, personalities, and of course, an occasional visit from Dad? I honestly believe the Andretti name and this team could offer an experience through reality television that could attract new fans.

Hisham Bate from Indy

MA: We would consider it and have looked at it before. We’ve had a couple opportunities to do something, but they just didn’t work out in the end. We may be a little limited on some of the technical information we share though – I’m sure you understand. Ha!