Okay, so we're gonna get strapped in. And you'll teach me the basics once we get in, right?

I've done this before and it never It's never What's up guys? Leslie Robbins here for Young Hollywood back at the Long Beach Grand Prix covering all the action.

I'm thinking to myself, I wanna see Mario Andretti again because you are one of the sweetest men around, one of the sweetest athletes I've interviewed.

Does it ever get old for you or how do you keep it alive every time?

You know, fans are so important and uh I obviously we exist because of that in our business and But you know, if I can bring a smile to anyone it brings to me a smile as well.

Okay, Tristan, we just came from the Indy car nook of the track.

Talk about your car.

It kinda looks like an Indy car except it's got a lot more body work and a roof over it.

So what's the difference between Indy and your circuit?

The biggest difference is there's two drivers or three drivers in the car at once.

Takuma.

Yes.

This is amazing.

What are they doing right now to the cars?

They look very busy.

Oh yes, it is always busy.

Yes.

Everything is tiny, tiny details but that makes car go faster.

Okay, you actually look really cool standing in front of the pace car.

Is this natural or you're posing for me?

No, no, it's not.

Years of practice.

How do I do it cause I wanna look cool like you?

Oh yeah, here we go.

So you'll be a little tricky but like yeah, there you go.

Yeah, yeah.

Another rookie with an accent who comes from Formula 1.

How's the transition going into Indy?

It's good, it depends what you think's an accent.

I think you've got an accent and I haven't so you know, yada yada.

I feel like you guys are the first family of racing at this point.

Congratulations.

Merging our family, the Rahals with the Forces and obviously two completely different types of racing, uh drag racing versus Indy car but yeah I think probably.

Your name is officially on the car.

Yes it is and in a permanent fixture.

It's amazing.

How does that how does that feel and how did you get here?

Walk me through it.

Oh it's great.

I mean it's it's the best feeling in the world, you know.

There's not a lot of people who get to do this and um, you know, it took a lot of work, a lot many years of trying to get to this point and uh and great partners to to come on board and you know, finally all the pieces of the puzzle that were lost for years finally all came together.

Okay, so we're gonna get strapped in.

Yes.

And you'll teach me the basics once we get in, right?

Yes ma'am.

Okay, let's do it.

Um I've done this before and it's never So I'm interviewing a lot of rookies this time around.

What advice are you passing down to the newbies?

Well, you know, it's just like anything else just pay attention to uh see what the veterans are doing.

You know, just every day, you know, it's it's a process, it's a long process.

How do you bring your game up?

How do you learn new tricks?

You know when you're at the limit.

Yeah.

And you gotta be there at all times.

Otherwise, you can't relax.

So uh it's just a matter of just learning how to how to deal with it.

You are 20, you are one of the youngings around here.

What's the best advice some of the veterans have taught you?

Be on earth.

You know, that's that's the biggest thing.

Don't burn any bridges and uh just be yourself.

Don't try to be anything you're not and uh go out there and always put a smile on.

So now you are the only Japanese driver on the circuit.

Right, just right now, yes.

Wow.

That's a lot on your shoulders, no?

Uh, well, yeah, a little bit but that's that's what's really always beaming.

And um, I've done it racing in New Europe and you know, now in in the States and uh it's it still keep on going and I really appreciate all the support.

Biggest difference between Formula 1 and Indy?

Tracks.

Tracks, cars, people.

The great thing about Indy car that you don't have in Formula 1 is the fact that the fans can get up close and check it out whereas in Formula 1 it's all very restricted.

It's really fan friendly.

The fans get to come up real close.

We have this um this fan walk here that they can actually come up and see the cars really up close.

Uh interact with the drivers and I I I really like that personally.

I like having a um an interaction with the fans.

She's ready to go racing.

Okay.

So a little tight, yeah?

Gotta have a little too chic.

This never gets old people.

How many times have you gone to the bathroom in this car?

Never.

You have to go it before jump into the car.

You've gone to the bathroom in this car.

No, no, no.

This is way more intricate.

Yeah, there's a lot of buttons here.

How many times have you peed in this seat?

Never once.

You know, when you're Are you lying to me cause I'm sitting in it?

No, no I promise you.

I promise.

Okay.

Okay.

And being in Long Beach at the Grand Prix it's kind of just another race for you guys, right?

Yeah.

It is.

This is my off weekend, that's why I'm able to come out here and support him but it's it's a lot of fun for me to come out and watch him race this event uh particularly because I'm from California.

So I live right down the street, a lot of our friends are coming out this weekend so it's it's great to be out here and just kind of be a supporter of his and just to to be here to watch.

You love something.

I love it, yeah, yeah.

The sun, I mean beautiful women, beautiful places, beautiful everything, great food, fast cars.

Oh, that sounds kinda like you're a guy.

Yeah.

Cars, women, high life.

Yeah.

That makes sense.

Makes sense.

You're a guy, yeah.

Speaking of relaxing, little quiz here.

How does Mario Andretti relax?

Ideal night.

What's it for you?

Oh, just a nice dinner somewhere with a glass or two of wine.

Just all the normal thing.

Yeah.

Uh probably on my simulator for about an hour or so uh just so I can uh get in tune with the next track and then uh watch some Netflix.

Um with friends, uh dinner, go out, then Taco Bell.

Taco Bell.

So that's how you as an athlete's a championship is a Taco Bell?

Well no, I'm saying an ideal fun night, not an every night.

Oh, good to say.

All right.

Barbecuing at home.

I knew she was gonna say that and I'd probably say the same.

Like we like to get friends over and uh cook out and grill out out back and have some fun.

I love uh EDM music.

So any sort of festival or night with Dylan Francis or Dead Mouse or any any of those guys, Zedd, that'd be pretty wild.

I like that stuff.

Hamburger or hotdog?

Uh both.

Uh I'll have a steak and shake steak burger.

I I'd probably go with the burger as well.

Having a normal conversation, not talk to the hamburger.

Hamburger.

What emoji are you loving these days?

Oh, you know always the one with the smile in the tears.

Favorite emoji?

I guess it's the one with the hearts in the eyes.

I don't know how to explain it.

Can you make the face now?

I guess I I don't know.

I'll probably use the American flag the most.

The uh the one that winks and has the tongue out.

That one.

What's a family dinner like in the Andretti household?

If it's after a race, if things go well, ooh, everybody just celebrating.

If it's not, it's a bit somber, you know, but um, I'm just so happy, so actually proud to have a third generation uh in Marco driving.

So it's a family business period.

It seemed like we don't know anything else but, you know, we know a little bit about this.

So we stay at it.

She's in there knitting.

Can we go crash and and

Of course, yeah, come meet her.

Yeah, come in.

Okay, cool.

She's literally knitting.

You're now keep knitting.

You were dating all through college, so university.

College, isn't it?

College.

I left school at 16 and then focused always on racing and I met Chloe a year after I sort of set off fully full-time to become a racing driver.

She never expected me to get to Formula 1.

So she it was a really nice process and then um and then she's now come with me to America, so.

That makes you sound really mean.

I never expected you to get to Formula 1.

It's just one of those things that you You thought it was more of a hobby and then she realized it was a profession.

Yeah, I wanna get to F1, I used to be like, yeah, cool.

And then yeah.

Then I made it.

So if you weren't a race car driver, what would you be?

Um I'd love to be a professional golfer.

I'm not good enough to be a professional golfer but I love that sport.

I love that way of life.

I think golf courses are the most amazing places.

I can knit you all those little hats that the gold

For the golf club.

Yeah, it would be great.

I'd be selling cars.

Cars?

I love cars.

You love cars.

Yeah.

I still hope to find a way to come to the racing.

I love it.

Good answer.