AMERICA'S NEXT F1 STAR? Grandpa Mario thinks Marco Andretti has the right stuff.(Motorsports)

Byline: CURT CAVIN

Had Marco Andretti been so inclined, he could have been finishing his freshman year at some East Coast college this spring. Instead, he is learning on a stage that seems increasingly international.

Just where Andretti's recent Indianapolis 500 runner-up finish and subsequent strong showing on the Watkins Glen International road course vaults him remains to be seen, but it is clear the boundaries he drives within have expanded. And with a family tree that includes the 1978 Formula One champion, think the smart guys in Maranello aren't evaluating his progress?

If Ferrari isn't watching, Mario Andretti is campaigning to get its attention. At Watkins Glen, where the 19-year-old Indy Racing League rookie qualified third and was the star of the race before being knocked out by Eddie Cheever, the family patriarch made an F1 pitch for the rising star of the United States.

"From what I've seen, I don't know of any other driver that I would say has a better makeup of being a Formula One driver,'' said the man with 131 starts in the series, including his first, coincidentally at Watkins Glen in 1968. "He's perfect for that. He's the total package, a no-nonsense, get-on-with-it type of young driver.''

Mario first broached the F1 subject last summer, when Marco was taking quite well to the IRL's development series, now known as the Indy Pro Series. But there were still too many unanswered questions about the boyish-looking driver for Michael Andretti to send his son off to the grand prix wolves.

Instead, Michael argued Marco's educational path could be better controlled within the IRL team Michael owns with Kim Green and Kevin Savoree. A few months later, when Indy 500 winner and IRL champion Dan Wheldon bolted for Chip Ganassi's team, Marco had the opportunity to learn in an Indy car.