Marco to F1 in 2008?

Former world champion Mario Andretti says his grandson Marco could be ready to make the switch from IndyCars to Formula 1 as soon as 2008.

“He [Marco] can’t do it next year but maybe the year after," Mario told F1 Racing magazine.

“It would be a waste if he spent a season testing; if you’re a special talent and the team give you the right preparation, it can happen.

“Look at Jacques Villeneuve and Juan Pablo Montoya – Williams gave them thousands of miles of testing over the winter."

“He’s a road racer at heart," he said.

“His style and persona would make him a perfect F1 driver – he’s aggressive and a quick learner.

“I see so much within him that would work in Formula 1."

[Editor's Note: Won't happen unless Marco spends a season in a road racing series or as a F1 test driver. F1 teams do not view 100% throttle IRL racing as a true test of talent as other IRL drivers found out when they tried to land something in F1. Marco also has his Star Mazda season hanging over his head where he failed to win and was out run by other talented road racers such as Graham Rahal. As we said long ago, Marco should have spent a year in Champ Car Atlantic where he could have developed better road racing skills and measured his abilities against some very talented drivers.]