Andretti Autosport is the leading Honda team heading into the 2015 season. Three drivers return for 2015 as the defending Indianapolis 500 winning team looks for their fourth victory in that event and fifth championship. Ryan Hunter-Reay will lead the way with Carlos Muñoz and Marco Andretti being the other holdovers from 2014. Entered for at least St. Petersburg is Simona de Silvestro as the team explores a fourth car with a driver rotation and possibly even a fifth car.
2014 Andretti Autosport Review:
Wins: 3 (Barber, Indianapolis 500, Iowa).
Poles: 1 (Long Beach)
Final Championship Position: 6th (Ryan Hunter-Reay), 8th (Carlos Muñoz), 9th (Marco Andretti), 12th (James Hinchcliffe), 25th (Kurt Busch), 36th (Franck Montagny).
2015 Drivers:
Ryan Hunter-Reay
Coming off his Indianapolis 500 victory, Ryan Hunter-Reay is the leading horse out of the Honda stables. His championship hopes in 2014 were dashed with a few poor races, some of his own doing (Long Beach, Belle Isle 1 & 2, Fontana), others because of mechanical failures (Texas, Milwaukee). He finished just two points outside the top five but improved from his seventh place finish in 2013.
Numbers to Remember: 5. Hunter-Reay has finished in the top ten of the championship 5 consecutive seasons.
6. Hunter-Reay is 6 starts away from career start 175.
19. Hunter-Reay is 19th in IndyCar victories amongst American drivers.
Predictions/Goals: Depending on aero kits, Hunter-Reay should get a victory or two and could be a championship contention but he has to limit the amount of mistakes. At the same time, Andretti Autosport has to limit the amount of mechanical issues. In the DW12-era, Andretti Autosport has had far more mechanical failures take their cars out of races than the likes of Penske and Ganassi. Since winning at Toronto in 2012, he has struggled on the street circuit, granted the last two years Toronto has been a doubleheader. Hunter-Reay has another shot at the Indianapolis 500 victory; a championship and improving at Toronto should be his goals for 2015.
Carlos Muñoz
The Colombian won the 2014 IndyCar Rookie of the Year and finished head and shoulders above his fellow class of 2014 alumni. Although Carlos Muñoz did not lead a lap in 2014 but had three podiums with another great run at the Indianapolis 500. Muñoz did have his fair share of rookie mistakes (Houston 2 and Milwaukee) but he showed that those few starts he made in 2013 were not a fluke.
Numbers to Remember: 1. Muñoz made one Firestone Fast Six appearance in 2014.
4. Muñoz has four top ten finishes in five 500-mile race starts.
2. Only two of the six Rookie of the Years since reunification have gone on to win an IndyCar race. They are James Hinchcliffe and Simon Pagenaud.
Predictions/Goals: Muñoz should be going after his first career victory. He had plenty of good results, now he needs to show that he has what it takes to be a race winner. Should he start all 16 races, Muñoz will have made 37 starts in his career. The Colombian is only 23 years old but getting that first victory is crucial. He should aim to stay in the top ten of the championship and cement himself as Andertti Autosport's number two driver.
Marco Andretti
The third-generation driver started off the season with two podiums from the first five races and was fifth in points but Marco Andretti slowly slid down the championship standings. While amassing nine top tens from 18 races, Andretti's final podium and top five finish was third in the Indianapolis 500. He had three eighth-place finishes, two ninths and a tenth in the final thirteen races. While he did manage to finished ninth in the championship, his seventh finish in the top ten of the championship in nine seasons, he finished 20 points behind Muñoz.
Numbers to Remember: 12.66. Andretti's average finish on ovals in 2014.
5. Andretti has at least one podium in five consecutive seasons.
60. Andretti has made 60 starts since his last victory at Iowa in 2011.
77. Andretti went 77 races between his first career victory at Sonoma in 2006 and Iowa 2011. That is the second most starts between victories. Johnny Rutherford holds the record at 97 starts.
3. Only three times has a driver gone more than 60 starts between victories. You know about Rutherford and Marco Andretti. Mario Andertti is the other. He went 74 starts between victories (Cleveland 1988 and Phoenix 1993). The next most starts between victories is 59 by Jim McElreath from Phoenix 1 1966 and Ontario 1970.
Predictions/Goals: Despite what people think of Marco Andretti, he has talent and can consistently finish in the top ten but if he wants to become a championship contender he will need to consistently finish on the podium or top five and pick up a handful of victories. His best chances at victories are on ovals but with the lack of oval races, I don't see him ending his victory drought. A podium or two is possible and he should be on the edge of the top ten of the championship for another season.
Simona de Silvestro
She's back! After a sabbatical to pursue her Formula One dream, Simona de Silvestro will return to IndyCar, however, she is only slated to compete at St. Petersburg but more races could follow. The Swiss driver ran four seasons in IndyCar, three with HVM Racing. Her final season was with KV Racing Technology. In her 2013 season, de Silvestro finished a career-high 13th in the championship, scored her first career podium at Houston 2, scored her first career top ten on an oval at Fontana and finished with a career-highs in top fives (2) and top tens (9) in a season.
Numbers to Remember: 526. Amount of days between de Silvestro's last IndyCar start (Fontana 2013) and St. Petersburg.
12.5. De Silvestro's average finish in four St. Petersburg starts.
5. De Silvestro's average finish in St. Petersburg races held in an odd-numbered year is 5th. She finished 4th in 2011 and 6th in 2013.
5. Amount of consecutive top ten finishes de Silvestro has in IndyCar.
5. Amount of laps led in de Silvestro's IndyCar career.
1302. Amount of days between the last race de Silvestro's led a lap in (Baltimore 2011) and St. Petersburg.
Predictions/Goals: Her goal is similar to Sage Karam's. Win St. Petersburg and make it difficult for any sponsor and Michael Andretti not to support her for a full season.
The 2015 Verizon IndyCar Series seasons gets underway on Sunday March 29th. ABC's coverage will begin at 3:00 p.m. ET with green flag at 3:30 p.m. ET.
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