Andretti conflicted about son's future

Following Marco Andretti's debut F1 test for Honda Racing at Jerez last week, speculation has pointed to the IRL Rookie of the Year abandoning his career in America in the future to try his hand at Grand Prix racing.

And although Michael Andretti has said that as a father he would not stand in the way of his son's ambitions, he has confessed to autosport.com that as team boss of Andretti Green Racing he would be reluctant to lose him.

"Of course as a father if he wants to pursue F1 then I would be happy for him," said Andretti, who raced for McLaren in 1993. "But as a team owner, it is not that easy.

"He is an asset to the team. He is a true championship contender, and he has a high value to the series as well. So I have to think long and hard about it. It will be a difficult decision.

"I am not sure what he wants to do at the moment, but he is definitely more focused on what he is doing now."

Andretti flew over to Jerez to oversee his son's test and thinks that the 19-year-old did a good job considering it was his first time in the car.

"I am glad he enjoyed it. He made no mistakes and tested some components for the team, so I am very proud. I am glad I came over.

"I have to admit that I was nervous the night before and even on the morning of the test, but once he had done a few laps then I was Ok. He did really well.

"I think he had a fun day, and he took everything in. He was learning everything, and now that he has had a taste of it I am sure he will nag me on it in the future."