After the worst season of his Verizon IndyCar Series career, Marco Andretti will look to get back on the right track in 2017.
Prior to 2016, the last time Marco Andretti finished in 16th in the Verizon IndyCar Series championship standings was in 2012. It was the first season that the DW12 chassis was used.
In 2012, Andretti finished in 16th in the championship standings, just as he did last season. However, in 2012, his highest finish was a 2nd place finish at Iowa. Last season, his highest finish was an 8th place finish at Sonoma.
What happened in 2013 is what is key to how Andretti rebounds this season. In the 15-race 2012 season, Andretti failed to finish three races. In the offseason from 2012 to 2013, he received driver coaching from Rob Wilson. He came out in 2013 on a tear. Despite not winning a race, he was the championship standings leader after five races having not finished lower than 7th in any of them. He ended up finishing all but one of the 19 races in 2013, and he finished in a career high 5th place in the championship standings.
The 2017 season could be much like the 2013 season. Marco Andretti is going to come out with something to prove like he did four years ago. As bad as his 2016 season was, he already started laying the groundwork for a big year. Unlike 2012, when he failed to finish three races, Andretti finished all 16 races last season. He ended the season with his season-best 8th place finish.
No, an 8th place finish as a driver’s top finish is not good whatsoever. But it can be a confidence booster, especially since it happened in the final race of the season. In 2012, Andretti’s third and final top 10 finish of the season came in the series finale at Fontana. He finished in 8th place, which was tied for his 2nd best finish of the season. He was able to carry that momentum into the 2013 season and establish himself as a contender early.
Can he repeat history?
If he can carry momentum into this season from last, we could be looking at an entirely different Marco Andretti. We could be looking at a Marco Andretti that is ready to get himself back into the championship picture like in 2013. We could be looking at a Marco Andretti that is ready to win his first race since 2011 (92-race win drought), before the day of the DW12 chassis.
While I won’t say we could be looking at a Marco Andretti that is as good as his father Michael or his grandfather Mario was, we could be looking at a Marco Andretti that looks more like his father and grandfather than he ever has before.
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One thing is for sure. Marco Andretti is definitely ready to bounce back like never before. As a driver who has proven he can do well in the series, it would be not be surprising if he did much better this season compared to last. If he does indeed come out much stronger like he did in 2013 compared to 2012, the other drivers in the field are going to have another serious contender to worry about that they did not have to worry about a season ago.