Mario Andretti plugs grandson for American F1 ride

[February 25, 2009]  CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) -- Mario Andretti says his grandson, Marco, can fill a seat on the American team that plans to enter Formula One in 2010.

Peter Windsor and Ken Anderson unveiled their plans Tuesday for a team to be called USF1, and say they are committed to hiring two American drivers. They rattled off a list of candidates, including former F1 driver Scott Speed, IndyCar star Danica Patrick and NASCAR's Kyle Busch.

But Mario Andretti says his 22-year-old grandson would be perfect for the job.

"If I were to design a Formula One driver today, I would design Marco," he says of the current IndyCar Series driver.

[Associated Press]

Copyright 2009 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.