Mario Andretti Will Drive a Modern McLaren F1 Car at Laguna Seca this Weekend

The promise made by McLaren Racing CEO Zak Brown to give Mario Andretti a run in a modern McLaren Formula 1 machine will be fulfilled this weekend in Monterey.

For the 1969 Indianapolis 500 winner and 1978 F1 world champion, the second edition of the Velocity Invitational vintage racing event at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca will thrust the 82-year-old icon into action at a track that played home to many memorable drives and his Farewell to IndyCar in 1994.

“It was two years ago when we were at Goodwood and I sat in a current Formula 1 car they had there, and that was amazing,” Andretti told Road & Track. “I said, ‘I’d love to give it a go in this, and Zak said, ‘Well, I’m gonna make it happen for you.’ But then we left it there. And we sort of kidded around a bit about it whenever we saw each other, and then at Miami, in front of Martin Brundle, he says it again, and now it’s in front of the world. So I guess he’s gonna have to pony up!

“And so Zak organized it this weekend. I’ll have a couple sessions. What he told me is that it would be a hybrid-era car, which would probably be from 2014 or something like that. I want to get the feel of the hybrid power, see what the car feels like. You can hustle it but have to be careful. You’ve got to bring it back!”

In an F1 career that began in 1968 and continued through 1982, Andretti drove for Lotus, Ferrari, Alfa Romeo, Williams, and others, but across those 12 wins and 128 starts, the greatest all-rounder the sport has known never found himself in a McLaren chassis. Andretti wielded a few McLaren-built Indy cars in the 1970s, but the British constructor is the only major name missing from his F1 CV.

“They’re true professionals, just the way they run their staff and they’re organizing everything for me, all the details and you have no idea how much I appreciate this effort,” he said. “You know, it’s something that I have to check off my bucket list.”

Andretti’s kept busy for many years on the IndyCar circuit as one of the featured drivers in the two-seater program that takes various guests and dignitaries for high-speed rides in an Indy car that’s been converted to carry a passenger.

Quite a bit different than the Indy two-seater Mario has driven in recent years.

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But compared to a modern F1 car, the technology found in the two-seater is nothing like what awaits him in California which could present a steep learning curve for Andretti as he learns about all of the buttons, levers, and controls he’ll need to manipulate in the McLaren’s cockpit. It turns out the father of 1991 IndyCar champion Michael Andretti–who also owns the Andretti Autosport IndyCar team–has plenty of experience using the latest hand-clutch technology and other key functions found on the latest open-wheel steering wheels.

Pulling away from the pits and getting down to business in a hybrid McLaren-Mercedes should pose no problem for the legend among legends.

“I’ve done some testing for Michael that a lot of people don’t know about and the Indy cars have got basically the same type of wheel where you operate the clutch and all that,” he said. “So that’s no big deal. It’s a lot easier than trying to work a six-speed gate; you have no idea how much easier this is. You never take your hand off the wheel, which I think helps. Especially under hard braking, and turning in and all that. That’s the ultimate way of going about driving a race car. I like that.”

Invitations to drive his former cars are common for Andretti, who straps into many of his most famous Indy cars and F1 cars from yesteryear. The chance to sample something new and recent and blindingly fast is a game changer for the man who’s driven everything.

“A lot of them, it’s going out on a date with an old girlfriend,” he said. “But this, it’s like a date with a 25 year old. I’ve never done that, but yeah, I’m willing to experience it with this car.”