Mario Andretti is a highly accomplished American former racing driver, renowned for his success across various racing disciplines. He notably won the Formula One World Drivers' Championship in 1978 and achieved 12 Grand Prix victories. In American open-wheel racing, he secured four IndyCar National Championship titles and triumphed at the Indianapolis 500 in 1969. His accomplishments extend to stock car racing with a Daytona 500 win in 1967 and endurance racing with three 12 Hours of Sebring victories, solidifying his legacy as one of the most versatile and successful racers in history.
Mario Andretti shares advice for his grandson, Marco, regarding winning the Indy 500. The Andretti family's deep racing roots and Mario's sacred May tradition are explored, highlighting the rich legacy within motorsports.
On February 28, 1940, Mario Gabriele Andretti was born. He became an American racing driver and businessman.
In 1947, the Treaty of Paris transferred the territory where Andretti's family farm was located to communist-controlled Yugoslavia.
In 1948, the Andretti family joined the Istrian–Dalmatian exodus, losing their land and possessions.
The twins used money they made to refurbish a 1948 Hudson, using a stolen beer barrel as a fuel tank. The car was ready to race when the twins were 19 years old.
In 1954, Mario Andretti and his brother watched the Mille Miglia won by Alberto Ascari. They also visited Monza for the Italian Grand Prix, where Andretti saw Ascari race against Juan Manuel Fangio, being mesmerized by the sound and speed.
In 1955, Mario Andretti and his family emigrated to Nazareth, Pennsylvania.
In 1955, the Andretti family moved to the United States after a three-year wait for visas, arriving in New York Harbor on June 16 with just $125 and settling in Nazareth, Pennsylvania.
In 1957, the first car Mario Andretti regularly drove was his father's 1957 Chevrolet, which he and his twin brother upgraded.
From 1960 to 1961, Mario Andretti had early successes in sportsman racing, picking up two wins after their first four races.
In 1960, the Indianapolis 500 was dropped off the Formula One calendar, but some teams continued racing at Indianapolis.
From 1960 to 1961, Mario Andretti won 21 out of 46 modified stock car races.
From 1961 to 1963, Mario Andretti started racing midget cars in the American Racing Drivers Club (ARDC) series.
In March 1962, Mario Andretti won a midget race, which he dubbed "my first victory of any consequence."
In 1963, Mario Andretti raced in over one hundred events, scored 29 top-five finishes in 46 ARDC races, and finished third in the season standings. He also won three feature races on Labor Day.
In his 1970 biography, Mario Andretti stated that he became a naturalized U.S. citizen on April 15, 1964.
In 1964, Mario Andretti progressed to USAC Championship Car racing.
In 1964, Mario Andretti spent the first portion of the season trying to find a full-time IndyCar drive. He was initially turned down by DVL, and forced to sit out the 1964 Indianapolis 500.
In 1964, USAC team owner Rufus Gray gave Mario Andretti a full-time drive. He won one race at Salem and finished third in the season standings. He also worked at a golf cart factory.
Mario Andretti's father didn't watch him race until Andretti reached IndyCar in 1964.
Midway through the 1964 season, Mario Andretti got his big break with DVL, after impressing Brawner. He completed the final eight races, finishing 11th in the season standings and was named IndyCar Rookie of the Year. After the season, Brawner agreed to make Andretti his permanent driver.
Mario Andretti later revealed that he actually obtained U.S. citizenship on April 7, 1965.
At the 1965 Indianapolis 500, Jim Clark won and Andretti finished third as the top-placed rookie. Clark recommended Andretti to Colin Chapman, who invited Andretti to race in Formula One.
At the height of his IndyCar career, Andretti made thirty appearances in top-level stock car racing starting in 1965.
From 1965 to 1969, The Andretti-Brawner combination attracted technical and financial support from Firestone and Ford.
In 1965, Andretti scored one win and eight top-five finishes in sixteen USAC races.
In 1965, Mario Andretti continued to race in sprint cars after progressing to IndyCar. He won once at Ascot Park and finished tenth in the season standings.
In 1965, Mario Andretti's first full season with DVL, he drove the Brawner Hawk. He finished third at the 1965 Indianapolis 500, earning Rookie of the Year. He also won the Hoosier Grand Prix. Despite only one race win, he consistently scored well, becoming the youngest IndyCar champion at age 25.
At the peak of his statistical dominance, between 1966 and 1969 Mario Andretti won 29 of 85 USAC championship races.
In 1966, Andretti secured his second consecutive USAC title, dominating with eight wins out of fifteen starts. He led a significant number of laps, showcasing his strong performance throughout the season.
In 1966, Mario Andretti won a second consecutive USAC title.
At the end of the 1967 season, DVL owner Al Dean died and his team was wound up. The team's assets were sold to Andretti, who became an owner-driver under the name Andretti Racing Enterprises.
In 1967, Andretti lost the USAC championship to A. J. Foyt. Although Andretti won eight races, Foyt won the 1967 Indianapolis 500. Goodyear arranged for Foyt to commandeer Roger McCluskey's car to prevent Andretti from winning, leading to Foyt winning the championship by 80 points. Andretti also received his first Driver of the Year award in 1967.
In 1967, Mario Andretti achieved his best season performance in USAC, competing in eight races, winning at Mosport, and finishing seventh in the standings.
In 1967, Mario Andretti entered only three sprint car events, winning two of them.
In 1967, Mario Andretti raced against his twin brother Aldo at Oswego Speedway; Mario won, and Aldo finished 10th after a brake failure.
In 1967, Mario Andretti won the Daytona 500 with Holman-Moody and also secured his first major sportscar racing victory at the 12 Hours of Sebring with Ford.
At the end of the 1968 season, Chapman offered Andretti a full-time Formula One drive to replace Clark, but Andretti declined, wishing to continue his USAC career.
In 1968, Andretti debuted at the United States Grand Prix, taking pole position. Jackie Stewart overtook him on the first lap, and he retired with a clutch failure.
In 1968, Andretti joined Lotus for the Italian Grand Prix. He beat the Monza lap record in testing but was later disqualified for flying back to America for a race.
In 1968, Andretti lost the title at the final race of the season at Riverside. Despite holding a lead over Bobby Unser, his engine failed, leading to Unser winning the title by 11 points. Andretti set records for second-place and podium finishes in a season.
In 1968, Andretti's last USAC race, he scored one win and eight top-five finishes in sixteen races from 1965 to 1968.
In 1968, Mario Andretti began competing in Formula One.
In 1968, Mario Andretti debuted in Formula One at the United States Grand Prix with Lotus, qualifying on pole position.
At the height of his IndyCar career, Andretti also made thirty appearances in top-level stock car racing, ending in 1969.
Following the 1969 title season, the core of the team split up when Goodyear persuaded STP mechanics Clint Brawner and Jim McGee to start their own team.
In 1969, Aldo, Mario's twin brother, suffered a career-ending accident.
In 1969, Andretti won nine races, including the 1969 Indianapolis 500 and the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb. He won his third title, was named ABC's Wide World of Sports Athlete of the Year, and broke USAC point records.
In 1969, Mario Andretti won his third USAC title and the Indianapolis 500.
In 1969, Mario Andretti won the Indianapolis 500.
In 1970, Al Unser led 66.8% of all laps, breaking Andretti's record of leading 54.5% of all laps in 1966.
In 1970, Andretti collected his first Formula One podium at the Spanish Grand Prix after several drivers retired with mechanical issues.
In 1970, Andretti settled for a fifth-place finish. The STP Formula One team shut down after one season.
In 1970, Andretti's STP-March team had experimented with sidepods in 1970.
In 1970, Mario Andretti took his maiden podium finish at the Spanish Grand Prix with STP driving a privateer March 701 and signed for Ferrari, also winning at Sebring again.
Mario Andretti's biography was published in 1970.
In March 1971, Andretti scored his first podium since March 1971, at the Dutch Grand Prix. He finished the season strong and ended up 6th in the Drivers' Championship.
In 1971, Andretti signed with Scuderia Ferrari. He won his maiden Grand Prix at Kyalami after race leader Denny Hulme's engine failed.
In 1971, Andretti's performance declined. He fell to ninth in USAC's paved track championship and scored no points in the dirt track standings.
In 1971, Mario Andretti secured his first victory in Formula One at the season-opening South African Grand Prix, debuting for Ferrari.
In 1971, USAC split off its dirt-track races into a separate National Dirt Car Championship, while the pavement championship retained the name USAC Championship Car Series.
During this period Mario Andretti made guest appearances in Formula One with Ferrari in 1972.
For the 1972 season, Andretti left STP and joined Vel's Parnelli Jones Racing, IndyCar's dominant team at the time. He persuaded the team to hire Lotus designer Maurice Philippe, and Jim McGee also joined the team.
In 1972, Mario Andretti achieved his third Sebring victory.
In 1972, Mario Andretti finished 11th in his first full-time IndyCar season with Parnelli, while his teammate Leonard won the title.
In 1972, Mario Andretti was featured in and partially narrated The Speed Merchants, a documentary about the 1972 World Sportscar Championship, in which his Ferrari won the constructors' championship.
In 1972, following the Questor win, Enzo Ferrari offered to make Andretti his No. 1 driver for 1972, but Andretti declined. He also raced five times but scored no podiums.
In 1973, Andretti did not compete in the Formula One season.
In 1973, teammate Al Unser beat Andretti even though Andretti won two out of three races.
During this period Mario Andretti raced in Formula 5000 in 1974.
In 1974, Mario Andretti had a part-time role for Parnelli.
In 1974, Mario Andretti secured the dirt track title by winning three out of five races.
In 1974, Parnelli ran Andretti in the two North American end-of-season races. He also ran Andretti in the North American Formula 5000 series, finishing second to Brian Redman.
In 1975, Andretti stopped competing full-time in IndyCar, instead driving full-time for the Parnelli Formula One team, and raced in Formula 5000.
In 1975, Andretti wrote the foreword to Brawner's autobiography, reflecting on their working relationship and the reasons for their operation falling apart.
In 1975, Mario Andretti became a full-time Formula One driver but was disappointed with the Parnelli VPJ4 due to its design and the withdrawal of sponsor Firestone, which led to poor performance and frequent brake failures. At the Spanish Grand Prix in 1975, he qualified fourth and briefly led after a crash but retired due to suspension damage. He nearly died at the Swedish Grand Prix due to brake failure, finishing fourth in the backup car. He finished 14th in the Drivers' Championship, scoring five points.
In 1975, Mario Andretti joined Parnelli full-time after finishing runner-up in the SCCA Continental Championship.
In 1975, Parnelli also ran Andretti in the North American Formula 5000 series in 1975, finishing second to Brian Redman.
Since mid-1975, Lotus had been trying to shape the car to generate downforce (making the car faster in the corners) without a large rear wing (whose drag would make the car slower on the straights).
From 1976, Andretti made sporadic IndyCar appearances with McGee's new team, Penske Racing.
In 1976, Andretti started the year with Lotus, returning to Parnelli for two races before Parnelli withdrew from Formula One after round three due to sponsor Viceroy withdrawing funding. Andretti learned about the decision from a reporter.
In 1976, Mario Andretti moved back to Lotus, winning the season-ending Japanese Grand Prix and helping develop the 78.
In early 1976, after quitting Formula One, Parnelli released Andretti from his USAC contract so that he could focus on Formula One.
In 1977, Andretti endured a difficult season, suffering engine failures while leading at Spielberg, in second at Silverstone, and battling for third at Zandvoort. His engine also failed at Hockenheim. He also ran out of fuel at three races and retired in third at Interlagos with an electrical failure, and crashed at Zolder while fighting for the lead. Andretti finished third in the Drivers' Championship.
In 1977, Mario Andretti made a cameo appearance in the movie Bobby Deerfield.
In 1977, Mario Andretti won four Grands Prix, finishing third in the World Drivers' Championship.
In 1977, the Lotus 78 was one of the fastest cars, and Andretti won four races, more than any other driver. At Zolder in 1977, Andretti took pole by 1.54 seconds.
Following the 1978 title season, lead sponsor Imperial Tobacco pulled funding. In 1979, the Lotus 80 was rolled out, with downforce overwhelming the car's suspension.
In 1978, Andretti dominated the season, winning five of the next eight races, while teammate Peterson finished second with two wins. Lotus had four 1–2 finishes, and Andretti won them all, leading to speculation about team orders.
In 1978, Andretti won his first and only Formula One World Drivers' Championship. Before the season, Ronnie Peterson joined the team and was made the highest-paid driver in Formula One.
In 1978, Mario Andretti won the Formula One title after achieving six victories, becoming the second World Drivers' Champion from the United States.
In 1979, Mario Andretti had a winless campaign with Lotus.
In 1979, the IndyCar World Series was established by CART, displacing the USAC championship. Andretti sporadically competed in CART during the 1979 and 1980 seasons, winning one race at Michigan in 1980.
In 1979, the Lotus 80 had porpoising issues, and the weak chassis popped out rivets while driving. Andretti scored a podium in the car's debut but returned to the Lotus 79 after only three races. Andretti finished 12th in the standings.
In 1980, Chapman tried to solve the problems with the Lotus 80 by developing the Lotus 88, a complex and innovative carbon-fiber, dual-chassis structure. The team used a transitional car, the Lotus 81, for 1980, while Chapman developed the 88. Andretti scored only one point all season.
In 1980, Mario Andretti experienced another winless campaign with Lotus.
In 1984, the Lola T800 effectively utilized the ground effect technology that various CART teams had been attempting to develop since 1980.
For the 1981 season, Andretti signed a sponsorship deal with Marlboro and joined the Alfa Romeo team. Andretti finished fourth on his debut at the United States Grand Prix West, but the team was otherwise uncompetitive. He finished 17th in the Drivers' Championship.
In 1981, Andretti left Lotus at the end of the 1980 season, shortly before Chapman was about to unveil the Lotus 88. After his departure, the FIA banned the Lotus 88 in 1981.
In 1981, Andretti switched to Patrick Racing, reuniting him with STP Corporation and Jim McGee. He did not win a race but recorded five top-five finishes. At the 1981 Indianapolis 500, Andretti was controversially stripped of the win four months after the race.
In 1981, Mario Andretti moved to Alfa Romeo.
After leaving Alfa Romeo, Andretti joined CART full-time for the 1982 season. He finished third in the season standings, with six podiums in 11 races.
During the 1982 season, Andretti briefly raced for Williams at the United States Grand Prix West after Reutemann abruptly quit. He damaged his suspension and retired.
In 1982, following fill-in appearances for Williams and Ferrari, Mario Andretti retired from Formula One with 12 wins, 18 pole positions, 10 fastest laps, and 19 podiums.
In 1984, the Lola T800 effectively utilized the ground effect technology that Formula One had just banned in 1982.
Mario Andretti's Formula One career ended in 1982.
In 1983, Andretti joined the new Newman/Haas Racing team, set up by Carl Haas and Paul Newman. The team used cars built by Lola, and Andretti spent the rest of his full-time racing career with the team.
In 1983, Andretti worked with the team to develop the Lola T700. He took the team's maiden win at Elkhart Lake and scored another win in Las Vegas. He recorded eight top-five finishes in 13 starts.
In 1983, Mario Andretti finished third again with Newman/Haas.
Andretti agreed to serve as Renault's reserve driver for one U.S. race in 1984.
In 1985, Newman/Haas agreed to distribute the Lolas to more competitors, watering down its technical advantage. After a fast start, Andretti recorded only one more top-five finish and finished fifth in the standings.
In 1986, Andretti declined to be considered for a reserve role, effectively ending his Formula One career.
In 1986, Mario Andretti won the Pocono 500.
In 1991, Mario Andretti's Racing Challenge video game was released.
In 1991, Mario Andretti's son, Michael, won the CART title.
In 1993, Mario Andretti's victory at Phoenix made him the oldest winner in IndyCar history, aged 53, as well as the first driver to win a race in four different decades.
In 1994, Mario Andretti Racing video game was released.
In 1994, Mario Andretti retired from Newman/Haas.
In 1995, Jacques Villeneuve broke Mario Andretti's record becoming the youngest IndyCar champion which Andretti had held for 30 years.
In 1995, Mario Andretti and Joe Antonini saved a struggling Napa Valley vineyard, renaming it the Andretti Winery.
In 1996, Andretti Racing video game, in association with his sons, was released.
In 1997, Mario Andretti founded Andretti Petroleum, which owns a chain of gasoline stations and car washes in Northern California.
In 2000, Mario Andretti was inducted into the International Motorsports Hall of Fame.
In 2005, Mario Andretti appeared in the documentary Dust to Glory, which discusses a race in which he served as grand marshal.
In 2006, Mario Andretti had a cameo in Pixar's Cars, an animated film where he was represented by a sentient version of the Ford Fairlane.
In 2006, Mario Andretti participated in the Bullrun Rally from New York to Los Angeles.
In 2007, Mario Andretti was interviewed about his winemaking activities for the documentary A State of Vine.
In 2012, Mario Andretti became the official ambassador for the Circuit of the Americas (COTA) and the United States Grand Prix.
In 2013, Mario Andretti voiced the traffic director at Indianapolis Motor Speedway in DreamWorks' Turbo.
In November 2015, Mario Andretti appeared on the first season of TV series Jay Leno's Garage, driving Leno in fast cars and discussing his racing career.
In 2016, Mario Andretti admitted that he and his brother fabricated a story about racing in junior formulae back in Italy to intimidate their opponents.
In 2018, Andretti reflected on the death of Peterson at the Italian Grand Prix in 1978, stating he could never truly celebrate his championship win due to the tragedy.
As of the 2022 season, Andretti's 1966 record of leading 54.5% of all laps is still the second-highest figure in history.
From its debut 2026 season onwards, Mario Andretti is set to serve on the board of directors of Cadillac in Formula One.
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