Driver Focus - Mario Andretti

Mario Andretti is one of the most iconic men in motorsport. In Europe, Michael Schumacher may be the name that embodies racing but across the Atlantic there is nothing bigger than the Andretti name.

​Twin brothers Mario and Aldo Andretti were born in Istria, Italy in 1940 and were forced to spend the first few years of their lives in a crowded camp as World War II forced the family out of their home. When the war ended, Istria was handed over to Communism and became part of Yugoslavia. The family moved to Lucca, Tuscany where the brothers became aware of racing and were immediately hooked.

The Mille Miglia passed through Lucca and Mario would cycle with his brother to watch the cars hurtle past. However, the real beginning of Mario’s journey through motorsport started with a trip to Monza in 1954 for the Italian Grand Prix where he watched in awe at the great drivers from the early years of Formula One - Fangio, Moss, Hawthorn and Ascari.

As an Italian, Alberto Ascari became Andretti’s idol and the driver’s death a year later became a big part of his determination to become a great driver. Only a few months after the Italian Grand Prix, Ascari was nearly killed in Monaco as he missed the chicane and was thrown into the harbour. He was able to swim to the shore but was killed a few days later at a test in Monza.

The Andretti family emigrated to America in the same year as Ascari’s death, in search of a new life. At the age of 18, Mario and Aldo began racing self-prepared stock cars on dirt track ovals near their new hometown in Pennsylvania. In 1959, Aldo crashed heavily and suffered serious injuries, after this he never raced again. But Mario continued, racing several times a week and sometimes as much as five times a day in anything he could get his hands on.

After making a name for himself on dirt tracks, he was given the opportunity to try his hand at open-wheel racing in Champ Car in 1964. He took his first win a year later at a road track in Indianapolis ahead of his making his debut at the infamous Indy 500. He took third to secure the Championship and Rookie of the Year. At 25, he was the youngest champion in the series’ history and by 1966 he also had the record for youngest back-to-back champion.

However, Formula One was always the ultimate goal. In 1965, Andretti met Lotus boss Colin Chapman and told him how desperate he was to race for him. After finishing third in the Indy 500, Chapman promised him: “When you are ready, call me.”

Andretti's Formula One debut for Lotus came at the US Grand Prix at Watkins Glen in 1968. Jim Clark, who had won the Indy 500 on the day Andretti met Chapman, had been killed in a Formula Two race earlier that year and Lotus were in need of a new full-time driver. He took pole position but was forced to retire on lap 32 with a clutch failure. Although Chapman was prepared to offer him a full-time drive, Andretti refused and continued to focus on his career in America.

Over the next few years he made several Formula One appearances in uncompetitive Lotus, March and Parnelli cars. His only Formula One success came in 1971 when he made a few sporadic appearances for Ferrari, taking victories in South Africa and in a non-championship US round.

It wasn’t until 1975 that Andretti committed to a full season in Formula One but the Parnelli team, which he had driven for in America, was new to F1 and he only managed five Championship points.

Parnelli left Formula One a year later and Andretti joined Lotus, who at that point were faltering but he grew stronger through the season, eventually taking victory at the final race of the year in Japan.

​Although the relationship with Colin Chapman was volatile, the two helped each other in the development of the Lotus 78 ground effect car which took him to third in the Championship. After five races of the 1978 season this was replaced by the innovative Lotus 79 which finally brought the Italian-American his first Championship.​

The next few years were disastrous. Colin Chapman’s Lotus cars were off the pace and prone to breaking. Over the next two seasons Andretti was forced to retire 18 times. He moved to Alfa Romeo but the team was no more successful and he left Formula One to return to America. Colin Chapman died of a heart attack in 1982 and it seemed Andretti would never race in Formula One again. Towards the end of the year, Enzo Ferrari lured him back with the offer of driving a Ferrari at Monza. At the age of 42, he qualified on pole and finished third. He made his last appearance at the following race at Caesar’s Palace in Nevada.

Andretti returned to race in CART in America where he took a further championship and 19 victories. He made brief returns to racing in Europe with a victory and two further podiums at the 24 Heures du Mans.

In 1994, Andretti eventually retired at the age of 54 but within a few years, Andretti Autosport was founded which now runs racing teams at all levels in America.

His youngest son Jeff became a CART driver and was Rookie of the Year in 1991, while Mario was still racing. His elder son Michael became a Formula One and CART driver and his grandson Marco now races in IndyCar. Although Aldo never raced again, his son John raced in NASCAR and CART while younger son Adam competed in several series throughout America.

It is hard to contemplate a world without an Andretti racing in motorsport. When writing a piece on the life of Mario, the difficulty is not in what to include, it is what to leave out.