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'A lot of action' Andretti gives Indy's F1 track a rave review
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) - Mario Andretti likes the new Formula One road course at the Indianapolis Speedway, even if it's going in the opposite direction. The new 13-turn, 2.6-mile course uses part of the famed Indy oval, but the cars will be turning clockwise instead of the normal counter-clockwise route used for the Indy 500 and Brickyard 400. "It's a circuit that keeps your attention and, believe it or not, it's got a good rhythm," said Andretti, the 1969 Indy 500 winner who will be driving in the Porsche Supercup support races in conjunction with Sunday's inaugural U.S. Grand Prix. Andretti, the 1978 Formula One champion, recently tested the Speedway's new road course. "It's the kind of course that you start feeling good about as you get more laps. It invites you to shave all the little things and improve your way. You don't exit any corner the conventional way because you have to prepare yourself for the next one," he told The Indianapolis Star. You're always thinking of the next corner so it's a good thinking driver's course." Andretti reached speeds of 170 mph in his Porsche and said the Formula One drivers will be going a lot faster. "They will have maximum revs coming off turn 11 and I'm sure they'll be using seven gears, and I think they'll be running 220 mph at the end of the front straightaway," Andretti said. "They'll be in seventh gear from the short chute (in turn two) until they start braking for turn one." Supercup practice and qualifying will be on Friday. The Formula One practice and qualifying, along with the first Supercup race, will be Saturday. A second Supercup race and a Ferrari Challenge race will be Sunday morning, followed by the U.S. Grand Prix at 1 p.m. (EST). Because the Formula One cars are running opposite of Indy cars on the oval and using part of the second turn, the south short chute, turn one and most of the front straightaway, the Speedway's traditional first turn figures to be more difficult for drivers unfamiliar with it. "You don't take a turn like that lightly," Andretti said. "It's not going to be a piece of cake to set up for, in my opinion, and it will be interesting to see how the grooved tires handle a constant radius, high-speed corner. "It's going to be a full compromise with aerodynamics. It should get everyone's attention, but everybody is facing the same problems." Like many Formula One tracks, Indy will feature a high-speed straightaway that funnels into a slow, tight first turn. "The place that really invites passing will be Turn 1," Andretti said. "There will be a lot of slipstreaming there, so there will be a lot of action. On the infield straight, you're accelerating all the time so I don't think there will be any out-braking at the end of that straight. "You've got to reach terminal speed to be able to pass and there may only be one place to do that."
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