Autoblog

Marco is set to become the third Andretti to get behind the wheel of an F1 car as he heads to the Jerez test track on Friday. The son of former McLaren driver Michael Andretti and grandson of the legendary F1 champ Mario Andretti, Marco has become a rising star in motorsports, named IRL rookie of the year.

Marco will test for Honda, whose engines power the Indy car he races. But that doesn't mean he'll be making the jump to F1 quite so quickly. He's contracted to Andretti Green Racing for the next two seasons, though somehow we can't imagine his dad holding him to it if Marco had a shot at moving up to the big leagues. But at 19, the youngest race winner in IRL history (short as it is), Marco's got plenty of time to dominate in Indy cars before switching to F1.

Still, just the idea of a third-generation Andretti coming anywhere near Formula One is an exciting notion. With Scott Speed just barely getting by in a back-marker team, F1 struggling to thrive with the US audience, and Honda competing with Toyota for the mantle of "most American" of Japanese carmakers, an exciting American driver behind the wheel of a Honda F1 car could be just what the doctor ordered.

[Source: GrandPrix.com]