Former racing driver Mario Andretti is widely regarded as one of the greatest American drivers in F1 history and in motorsport. He competed in Formula One from 1968 to 1982 and secured the 1978 Drivers’ Championship with Lotus. He also achieved tremendous success in American open-wheel racing, winning four IndyCar National Championships and winning the prestigious Indianapolis 500 in 1969. He won the 1967 Daytona 500 in stock car racing, and in endurance racing, he triumphed in the 12 Hours of Sebring thrice.
| Nationality | American |
|---|---|
| Born | Mario Gabriele Andretti 28 February 1940 Montona, Istria, Kingdom of Italy (current day Motovun, Croatia) |
Born in the Kingdom of Italy, Andretti emigrated to the United States at 15. Over his career, he accumulated numerous titles, including the Formula One World Championship (1978), four IndyCar titles—three under USAC sanctioning and one in CART—and significant victories in a wide range of motorsports. Andretti remains the only driver to have won the Indianapolis 500 (1969), Daytona 500 (1967), and the Formula One World Championship. Along with Juan Pablo Montoya, he is one of the few to have won races in NASCAR’s Cup Series, Formula One, and the Indianapolis 500. His career includes 109 major circuit victories across various motorsport series.
Andretti’s Formula One career began in 1968 when he made a strong debut by securing pole position at the 1968 US Grand Prix. Although his early F1 career was part-time, racing sporadically with teams like Lotus, Ferrari, and March, he secured his first victory at the 1971 South African Grand Prix. His full-time drive came in 1975 with Parnelli, followed by a successful stint with Lotus.
Andretti’s peak came in 1978 when he won the Formula One World Championship, driving the innovative Lotus 79. That year, he dominated with six victories, aided by the car’s pioneering ground-effect design. However, the season ended on a sombre note with the tragic death of his teammate Ronnie Peterson.
Andretti continued racing in F1 until 1981, with a brief return in 1982 for Ferrari and Williams. His final win came at the 1978 Dutch Grand Prix, and his final race was the 1982 Caesars Palace Grand Prix.
He became the only person named United States Driver of the Year in three decades (1967, 1978, and 1984). Additionally, Andretti is one of the few drivers to win major races on road courses, paved ovals, and dirt tracks in a single season—a feat he accomplished four times. In 1993, with his final IndyCar victory, Andretti became the first driver to win IndyCar races across four different decades and the first to win automobile races in five.
In American motorsport fandom, Andretti’s name has become synonymous with speed, akin to Barney Oldfield in the early 20th century and racing legends like Michael Schumacher and Lewis Hamilton in Europe.
Mario Andretti Formula One World Championship career
| F1 Career | 1968–1972, 1974–1982 |
|---|---|
| Teams | Lotus, March, Ferrari, Parnelli, Alfa Romeo, Williams |
| Entries | 131 (128 starts) |
| Championships | 1 (1978) |
| Wins | 12 |
| Podiums | 19 |
| Career points | 180 |
| Pole positions | 18 |
| Fastest laps | 10 |
| First entry | 1968 United States Grand Prix |
| First win | 1971 South African Grand Prix |
| Last win | 1978 Dutch Grand Prix |
| Last entry | 1982 Caesars Palace Grand Prix |
