Max Verstappen has revealed he is not interested in trying out an IndyCar despite an offer from Mario Andretti.
The 83-year-old Formula 1 world champion of 1978 announced his intention to bring the reigning F1 champion to the States and he was adamant he could convince him.
But Verstappen, who extended his championship lead in Monaco, doesn’t see himself in the ‘Greatest Spectacle in Racing’ anytime soon, if at all.
When asked by Total-Motorsport whether he would like to try the Indy 500 off the back of Andretti’s offer, Verstappen said: “No, I like watching it. He (Andretti) might have to wait until he’s 89 or 90.
“I respect them a lot and I have some friends doing it but I’m not interested at the moment, no.”
The big F1 problem
While Verstappen is not so keen on taking on the Indy 500, there would likely be a decent portion of the grid willing to give it a crack, especially after seeing Marcus Ericsson win it in 2022.
But even if they did want to try it, the congested F1 calendar means that it’s impossible to do so right now. The Monaco GP has always fallen on the same weekend but the drivers would need two weekends to qualify as the grid is set one week before the green flag drops.
If F1 and IndyCar could agree to a two-week grace period in May to allow any F1 drivers who wish to participate to do so, you could see a huge number of new people drawn to watch the show.
That could only be the start of the relationship between the two headline-making series. If F1 wanted a support race for one of their three American races, IndyCar could be the perfect answer.
Where is the next F1 2023 race?
With the F1 circus finished in Spain, the next race is the 2023 Canadian Grand Prix which will be held at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve in Montreal over the weekend of June 16-18.
