The look on Michael Andretti’s face suggests dental surgery performed with forks and knives would be more pleasant than discussing his ill-fated Formula 1 season. IndyCar’s best driver, heading east in 1993 to test his mettle against F1’s titans, was shipped home early—three races shy of the finale—in embarrassing circumstances. A lone podium finish and a mountain of blame for stumbling on the sport’s biggest stage would soon be worn with the permanence of a bad tattoo.

Dredging up 1993 involves unstitching emotional wounds for Andretti. Given the decades that have passed, the intense bitterness that marked his McLaren experience has softened, but it’s lighter shades of the same disappointment. A full 25 years after the messy, life-altering encounter where his career nearly ran aground, Andretti was surprised to learn he’d reached its silver anniversary.