1978 Formula 1 World Champion Mario Andretti has revealed that he’s going to “persuade” Max Verstappen to compete in the famous Indy 500, when the Dutchman has won “eight world championships”.
Last Sunday was an iconic day on the motorsport calendar, with the Monaco Grand Prix being followed by the Indy 500.
Verstappen claimed his second ever victory at the Circuit de Monaco to extend his lead in the Drivers’ Championship to 39 points, following a sensational display in challenging conditions.
In the Indy 500, Josef Newgarden claimed his first win in the legendary race after overtaking ex-F1 driver Marcus Ericsson on the final lap, with the Swede having been pushing for back-to-back wins at Indianapolis.
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Both races form part of the so-called ‘Triple-Crown’, which is awarded to a driver once they’ve won the Monaco GP, the Indy 500 and the Le Mans 24 Hours.
Whilst Verstappen is supposedly interested in competing at Le Mans in the future, the Indy 500 isn’t a race which he fancies participating in, meaning the 25-year-old will never claim the famous crown.
Fernando Alonso on the other hand, is eager to join Graham Hill as a ‘Triple-Crown’ winner, with the Spaniard only requiring victory across the pond to win the award.
The 41-year-old has attempted to win the Indy 500 three times in total; however, victory continues to elude him.
Andretti is keen to get Verstappen to Indianapolis in the future to show him what IndyCar is all about, perhaps to show the Red Bull driver that there is so much more to racing than just F1.
“Motor racing is a big happy family if you will, all the different disciplines,” Andretti told Dutch broadcasters Ziggo Sport.
“But for me, I was interested and curious about riding it all, as you can see. I had the passion for all the top disciplines in our sport. And I’ve friends everywhere.”
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The 1969 Indy 500 winner is confident that he will convince Verstappen to race in the Indy 500, with it being a conversation that Andretti plans to have with the two-time World Champion.
“I will persuade him,” Andretti admitted.
“So one of these days, I’m going to speak with Max Verstappen after he wins eight world championships to come here and win the Indy 500!”