Andretti drives 2013 McLaren MP4-28a at age 82

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In the round-up: Mario Andretti, 1978 Formula 1 world champion, got behind the wheel of a 2013 McLaren MP4-28 at the Laguna Seca circuit at the age of 82

In brief

Andretti drives 2013 McLaren MP4-28a at age 82

McLaren Racing CEO Zak Brown offered Andretti the opportunity to drive the MP4-28 earlier in the season. Andretti was joined on the track by fellow world champion Mika Hakkinen, who drove a 1985 MP4-2B around the Californian circuit, and IndyCar driver Patricio O’Ward who lapped in a 1990 MP4-5B.

Andretti told Racer that the experience was “what I expected” and that it was a “sweet feeling” to drive the 2013 model. “The car just does what it should do in a big way, versus what I’ve experienced in my career,” he said.

Alonso protege Bortoleto wins second FREC race at Catalunya

Gabriel Borteloto won the second Formula Regional European Championship race of the weekend at Circuit de Barcelona Catalunya, ahead of R-ace team mate Hadrien David as the race finished behind the Safety Car.

Borteloto, who is managed by Fernando Alonso’s A14 Management venture, won from pole position, holding off Alpine junior driver David until a late Safety Car when Victor Barnier ended up in the gravel at turn five. Championship leader Dino Beganovic finished tenth, meaning the championship will be decided in the final round in Mugello.

Ferrari academy driver Beganovic has a 39 point advantage over Gabriele Mini, with Mercedes junior Paul Aron and David all fewer than ten points behind Mini.

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Social media

Notable posts from Twitter, Instagram and more:

@lastlaplucy

So much to keep track of! 🤯 Massive respect to commentators across motorsport, you’re all awesome! Watch out though Crofty I’m coming for your job now 😂😂 #silverstone #f1 #formula1 #motorsport #racing #commentator #behindthescenes #lastlaplucy @Silverstone

♬ original sound – Lucy 🏎 | @LastLapLucy

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Comment of the day

This weekend’s Caption Competition winner is @ninjabadger:

In a bid to prove Newey isn’t employed by RBR, the team have had to get creative with ways to sneak him into the garage.
NinjaBadger

Thanks to everyone who came up with caption idea this week and a special mention to Biskit Boy, frogster, EffWunFan and Luke S who all came up with particularly good captions.

Happy birthday!

Happy birthday to Harris and Evan!

Author information

Will Wood
Will has been a RaceFans contributor since 2012 during which time he has covered F1 test sessions, launch events and interviewed drivers. He mainly...

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27 comments on “Andretti drives 2013 McLaren MP4-28a at age 82”

  1. Proesterchen_nli
    17th October 2022, 0:41

    Doesn’t matter how much time you give them, there’s no next Max in there.

    1. Daruvala’s had so much time they’ve forgotten he’s still there.

  2. The Newey picture show how creative RB may have been with ‘catering costs’.

  3. I like Mario Andretti’s quote. He sounds like a guy who’d race anything – for free – just for the love of it.
    Pity that there isn’t anyone in F1 like that now. Except Latifi, perhaps.

    And just look and listen to that MP4/5….. It’s a car show all by itself.
    I honestly can’t see myself ever looking back on the current hybrid era of F1 with even remotely similar good memories.
    Sure, the actual racing was pretty garbage back then most of the time – but the engineering and technical diversity made up for it.

    1. The one above? Or “I’m trying to get some points for my Super License” at the end of the racer.com interview he did after the run….

      Which I think can be interpreted as a slight against the FIA points system that prevented Colton Herta from signing for Alpha Tauri. At least it is here in the US.

      1. Herta knows very well how to get more super licence points.
        If he wants to race in F1, he’d have to move to Europe anyway, wouldn’t he….

  4. Well done Mario – I don’t know what 82 years old feels like but there must be a few aches and pains. (He must be the oldest to drive an F1 car, surely?).

    It was probably a snug fit in the cockpit but I’m really happy for him, sounds like he enjoyed himself! Bravo!

    1. Probably the oldest yes. I thought Stirling Moss may have drove some classic F1 cars in his 80s but I might be wrong on that and can’t find anything to back that up.

    2. Anyone who thinks Alonso’s pushing his luck racing F1 at 41 – well, that’s twice his age… could be stuck with him for some time yet!

  5. Great story, well done Mario.

    But, I hate with a passion when they plaster a current livery on an old car. Awful.

    And a utterly crap livery at that.

    1. At least they didn’t try it with the 1990 car!
      (although the plain white doesn’t ring true either – it probably had a McLaren logo on it at Silverstone etc – what’s wrong with that?)

  6. Mario; what a LEGEND !

  7. FANTASTIC on-board footage from O’Ward driving the McLaren mp4/5b:
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pWqNDx9glUY

    Current IndyCar drivers are the best equipped drivers to driver those old F1 beasts today ;)

    1. Thank you for sharing, what a ride! 👍

    2. Oh how I wish F1 cars still drove like that

      1. And sounded like that!

      2. Pretty much looks like O’Ward driving his IndyCar. Much more entertaining than current super high downforce planted F1 cars.

    3. Thanks, that is great footage.

    4. petebaldwin (@)
      17th October 2022, 13:43

      Awesome video. Great to see someone pushing the car like that. Usually when we see it on track, whoever is driving is cruising around at walking pace.

    5. Great video footage of this. Thanks for sharing it. Car looks a bit of a handful but he handles it well.

      The circuit looks good as well. More exciting than say Las Vegas or Miami. I was not really familiar with it until seeing this.

      1. Laguna Seca is a classic, The Corkscrew complex is as famous as Spa’s Eau Rouge / Radillion. It just never got on F1’s radar – which is probably for the best, because they’d ruin it completely.

        There are some truly spectacular circuits in North America – Road America, Watkins Glen, VIR, Barber… I suggest you check out IndyCar and / or IMSA when they race there.

      2. IndyCar races there every year.

    6. I get that it’s noisy but damn, those old cars slow.

  8. What MP4-28a? Only MP4-28 has ever existed without the ‘a’ at the end.

    1. @jerejj ‘a’ for Andretti :D

  9. Is it Bortoleto or Borteloto?

  10. I thought Andretti wanted to drive a hybrid?

Comments are closed.