Mario Andretti Christens Circuit of the Americas

At an event during the weekend, iconic American racing driver Mario Andretti christened the Circuit of the Americas and drove the track along with a group of other VIP drivers. 

Andretti drove the Lotus 79Lotus 79 CosworthUnited Kingdom, 1978 > present2 photos
in which he won the 1979 Formula 1 World Drivers' Championship.

"It's everything I expected and more. The track is phenomenal.

"It has all the features that you are looking for, giving you the opportunity to overtake, while negotiating some tighter corners. You can tell a lot of thought has gone into it," said Andretti. 

Lotus test driver Jerome d'Ambrosio drove the 2010 Renault R30Renault R30France, 2010 > present4 photos
around the track. The car gave Renault a 5th place finish in the World Constructors' Championship that year. 

"It's a very enjoyable layout with a couple of really good places for overtaking, some long fast sweeping 'S' corners, and some really good high speed changes of direction like 'Becketts' in Silverstone," said d'Ambrosio. 

The first race at the Circuit of the Americas will be the United States Grand Prix on November 18. 

Below is Andretti's lap: 

Source: Autosport