So far this year, Marco Andretti has been fast and has run upfront each week leading laps. However, there’s something missing so far this year – a win.
Despite sitting third in points and having led 244 laps so far this year, Andretti heads to the Honda Indy Toronto, looking to end a winless drought and pick up his first win of the season. Andretti’s last win came in 2011 at Iowa Speedway. Since then, Andretti has finished on the podium four times, but hasn’t found himself on the top step.
Everybody has noticed that Andretti has been running stronger this year than past years, whether oval, street course or road course. In the 11 races run so far this year, he has finished in the top five in four of those races.
He looked like he could possibly win the Indianapolis 500 after starting third and leading 31 laps, however would finish fourth in the final dash to the checkered with a caution coming out late. The three oval races that followed, Andretti was one of the quickest cars each week, however came up short each time. Last weekend at Pocono, he dominated, though had to conserve the fuel the final stint resulting in a 10th place finish.
Now will that win come this weekend at the Honda Indy Toronto?
His father and team owner Michael Andretti was successful on the temporary street course in the past, winning a record seven times. Now will that success pass down to his son?
So far this year on the road courses, Andretti has been consistant, finishing in the top 10 in each of them except for one where he finished 20th after some problems. In four past starts in Toronto, Andretti has finished eighth, eighth, fourth and 16th.
There’s something that has happened since a year ago, though – Andretti has learned more about his driving style.
Over the off-season, he spent some time with a driving coach to make himself a better driver. Andretti mentioned that from that experience, there’s a new word that’s part of his vocabulary as a driver – finesse.
“I think that was costing me,” he commented earlier this year. “I think that could have helped me at Indy just be a little more patient. Having looked back at it now I would have probably went for the most laps led, but we were just kind of watching fuel and being more patient than I probably would have been in the past at Indy. That is probably the only difference.”
The change in Andretti’s attitude is noticed by others, including his grandfather Mario.
“You can see obviously that I think he has buckled down and I think focused a little more on somewhat he really needs to work on,” Mario Andretti said. “Again, now of course by having the responsibility to be up there in the points… what they gone six races or so in the series a long way to go for sure, but at least right now he has something to protect and go for. He has got the team behind him and he has the experience now I think to carry it.”
So will he win this weekend? That’s the million dollar question that everybody is asking. It seems that Andretti is the driver behind the wheel to do it, Andretti Autosport has good cars. Now it’s about whether the team can put the package together.
