Mario Andretti
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| Nation: |
 United States
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| Automobile / Formula 1 world championship | |||||||||
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| First start: | 1968 USA Grand Prix | ||||||||
| Last start: | 1982 Las Vegas Grand Prix | ||||||||
| Constructors | |||||||||
| 1968–1969 Lotus • 1970 March • 1971–1972 Ferrari • 1974–1976 Parnelli • 1976–1980 Lotus • 1981 Alfa Romeo • 1982 Williams • 1982 Ferrari | |||||||||
| statistics | |||||||||
| World Cup balance: | World Champion ( 1978 ) | ||||||||
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| World Cup points : | 180 | ||||||||
| Podiums : | 19th | ||||||||
| Leadership laps : | 798 over 3573 km | ||||||||
Mario Gabriele Andretti (born February 28, 1940 in Montona , Italy , now Motovun , Croatia ) is a former American automobile racing driver . He started both in the European Formula 1 World Championship, which he won in 1978, and in the US Indy Car series, where he won the title in 1984. In 1969 he also won the Indianapolis 500 mile race .
family
Mario Andretti and his twin brother Aldo Andretti were born in Istria . At the time of his birth, Istria belonged to the Kingdom of Italy, but was assigned to Yugoslavia after the Paris Peace Conference in 1946 . The Andrettis family first fled to Lucca, Italy , in the course of the expulsion of people of Italian origin . In 1955 the family emigrated to the United States and settled in Nazareth (located in the US state of Pennsylvania ), where Andretti was finally naturalized in 1964 .
Andretti was born in 1961 with Dee Ann. Hoch (1942–2018) married. The three children Michael, Jeff and Barbie Dee Andretti came from the marriage. His sons Michael Andretti and Jeff Andretti and his grandson Marco Andretti are / were also racing drivers.
Racing career
USAC and CART championships
Andretti and his twin brother Aldo became interested in motorsport from an early age. From 1959, the two midget car races began to drive on local oval courses ; Mario won the championship in 1964. Andretti made his USAC debut in 1964 . When he resigned in 1994 after 30 years of participation - the racing series had long been known as the ChampCar - he had contested 407 races, won four championships, achieved 52 victories (only AJ Foyt won more than Andretti with 62 successes) and led 7,587 laps. Further records: 66 pole positions , and he was also involved in the closest race result in a circuit race (the US monoposto series is mostly held on oval courses ): in 1986 he won in Portland with a margin of 0.07 seconds.
He celebrated his first victory on July 25, 1965 in a Hawk - Ford at Indianapolis Raceway Park . Its competitors in the 1960s were drivers such as Al Unser , Bobby Unser , Lloyd Ruby , Don Branson , Johnny Rutherford , Gordon Johncock , Joe Leonard and AJ Foyt. In his last win on April 4, 1993 at Phoenix International Raceway , he drove against Nigel Mansell , Al Unser junior , Emerson Fittipaldi , Paul Tracy and his son Michael .
In 1965 he won his first championship, a success that he was able to repeat a year later. In 1969 he won the championship on a Kuzma - Offenhauser and also drove a race with the Brabham BT25 . He won his fourth and final title in 1984 - when the racing series was held as the CART championship - on a Lola T800 for the Newman / Haas Racing team.
Indianapolis 500 Mile Race
In 29 starts, Mario Andretti was only able to win the 500-mile race once - in 1969 . The abundance of incidents and near-successes in the USA led to the fact that in connection with the Andrettis - his son Michael and his nephew John were always unlucky in Indianapolis - and the 500 mile race from the “Andretti Curse “Spoke. According to the US press, this curse goes back to the “winner's kiss” from Andretti's team boss Andy Granatelli after the 1969 victory run.
On his debut in 1966 he led for 16 laps before a valve failure threw him out of the race. A year later he lost a bike and had to give up after 58 laps. In 1968 a damaged piston stopped him after just two laps, and although he switched to his teammate Larry Dickson's car , he was already hopelessly behind and had to give up after 24 laps with another piston damage. In both years he started the race from pole position.
In 1969 Andretti switched to Andy Granatelli, who in the two years before had not been lucky either with turbine racing cars like the Lotus 56 . In training, he had a serious accident, destroying the revolutionary all-wheel - Lotus-64 entirely. Mario Andretti suffered burn injuries on his face, which is why his twin brother Aldo had to represent him in the usual group photo. A week later he qualified for the front row and won the race in a Hawk-Ford. In 1970 he finished sixth on McNamara and in 1971 he had an accident after just eleven laps. In 1972 he was clearly in the lead when he ran out of gas with six laps to go and dropped to eighth place. In 1973 and 1974 it only got four and two laps respectively due to failures triggered by valve or piston damage. By the end of the 1970s, the races ended again due to failures.
In 1981 he finished the race eight seconds behind the winner Bobby Unser in second place. A day later, Unser was given a penalty loop for passing under the yellow flag. Mario Andretti was able to celebrate his second Indy 500 victory for a month before the objection from our team boss Roger Penske was successful and the penalty was lifted by Unser. In 1982 and 1983 he had early accidents. In 1984 he set a record on his first qualifying lap, in the race he was in the lead for a long time, but had to retire due to technical problems.
In 1985, Danny Sullivan spun shortly after ousting Andretti from the lead. After the caution period, Sullivan passed the leading Andretti again and drove to victory. Andretti said afterwards, "he had a great chance of winning, but didn't take it". After a failure on the 19th lap in 1986, he dominated the race in 1987. He led 170 of the first 177 laps and had to give up the race 23 laps before the end with damage to the electrical system.
In 1992 the race was overshadowed by two serious Andretti accidents. After losing a lot of time in the pits, Mario had an accident in which he broke a few toes. It was worse for his son Jeff , who broke both legs and practically ended his career. In 1993, Andretti had the most leading laps as well, but had to be content with fifth place at the finish. In his official farewell race, he retired early due to engine failure.
In 2003 Andretti made a surprising comeback in Indianapolis, which ended almost fatally. During the test day, the 63-year-old American was so fast that speculation arose that he might also take part in the race. Actually, however, he was only supposed to take over the test work as a substitute driver for the injured Tony Kanaan . Kenny Bräck had an accident two minutes before the end of the session . Andretti, driving just behind, drove over wreckage at high speed and lost the downforce under his Andretti Green racing car. The car got on and overturned several times along the boundary fence. Andretti's luck was that the car did not fly over the fence and remained on its side after the rollover. Unharmed, he announced his final resignation a day later.
NASCAR & IROC
At the same time as his activities in the monoposto series, Andretti also competed occasionally in races in the NASCAR series; his greatest success here was winning the prestigious Daytona 500 in 1967 in a car belonging to the then dominant Holman Moody team. This makes him the only rider born in Europe who managed to do this. In addition, Andretti was able to win the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb in 1969 . He also competed six times in the International Race of Champions season.
formula 1
Andretti came in 1968 in the Formula 1 . He made his debut at the US Grand Prix at Watkins Glen with pole position . In the race he retired with a clutch damage on the Lotus 49 B. His first place in the points was also his first podium. Andy Granatelli financed a March 701 with which Andretti finished third in the 1970 Spanish Grand Prix .
Luigi Chinetti , for whose North American Racing Team Andretti had already driven sports car races in the 1960s, put him in contact with Scuderia Ferrari . Andretti received a works contract which, in addition to assignments in sports cars, also included occasional assignments in the Formula 1 World Championships in 1971 and 1972 . The American was unable to contest a full season because of his involvement in the USAC Championship Car Series. He won the South African Grand Prix in 1971 when he was racing the Ferrari 312B for the first time . The low point of the year was the Monaco Grand Prix , at which he was unable to qualify for the race.
Only at the end of the 1974 season did he return to Formula 1 with Parnelli Jones . The success of the Parnelli VPJ4 remained modest, so Andretti switched to Lotus after three races in 1976 . He won the last race of the season in Japan with the Lotus 77 . In 1977 he was victorious in four races with the successor model Lotus 78 . World champion was Niki Lauda, who achieved three wins and scored more reliably over the course of the season.
1978 was his strongest year in Formula 1. Together with his teammate Ronnie Peterson , he dominated the season in the Lotus 79 and secured the driver's title. Since both the Lotus 80 and the Lotus 81 were faulty designs, the following two championships turned into lost years.
In 1981 he moved to Alfa Romeo . The Alfa Romeo 179 C was a fast racing car that was prone to breakdowns. The first points, achieved by finishing fourth at the start of the season in Long Beach, remained the only ones for the entire season. At the end of the year Andretti announced his retirement from Formula 1, but returned in 1982 for three races.
After he was a substitute driver for Williams in Long Beach , he stepped in for the injured Didier Pironi at Ferrari from the race in Monza . Starting from pole position, Andretti finished third in the race behind Renault driver René Arnoux and his team-mate Patrick Tambay . He drove his last Formula 1 race at the Las Vegas Grand Prix , from which he retired early.
More Achievements
Although he ended his professional career in IndyCar racing in 1994 in the form of the Arrivederci Mario Tour , he was drawn to Le Mans again and again in the following years , as he has only been able to take second place there in the 24-hour race (1992). In 2003 he drove a car on test drives for the Indianapolis 500 in the team of his son Michael Andretti . There was an accident in which he rolled over several times, but remained uninjured. This trip was a high point of his career, as he now surpassed the reigning record holder AJ Foyt (1957-1992) with 38 years of professional experience (1965–2003) .
statistics
USAC / CART championship
- 1965 USAC Championship Car Series champions
- 1966 USAC Championship Car Series champions
- 1969 USAC Championship Car Series champions
- 1969 Indianapolis 500 winner
- 1984 Champion Championship Auto Racing Teams (CART)
NASCAR
- 1967 Daytona 500 winner
Statistics in the automobile / Formula 1 world championship
Grand Prix victories
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World Championship 1978
- Team: John Player Team Lotus
- Vehicle: Lotus 78 / Lotus 79
- World Cup points: 64
- World Cup placement: 1.
- Teammates: Ronnie Peterson , Jean-Pierre Jarier
| date | Grand Prix | qualification | run | comment | Fastest lap (lap) |
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| 15.01. |
 Argentina ( Buenos Aires )
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1 | 1 | –– | –– |
| 29.01. |
.svg){kind=small} Brazil ( Jacarepaguá )
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3 | 4th | 4th gear got stuck | –– |
| 04.03. |
.svg){kind=small} South Africa ( Kyalami )
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2 | 7th | –– | 1'17.09 min / 191.65 km / h (2nd) |
| 04/02 |
USA West ( Long Beach )
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4th | 2 | –– | –– |
| 07.05. |
 Monaco ( Monte Carlo )
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4th | 11 | Fuel gauge / pit stop | –– |
| 05/21 |
 Belgium ( Zolder )
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1 | 1 | –– | –– |
| 04.06. |
.svg){kind=small} Spain ( Jarama )
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1 | 1 | –– | 1'20.06 min / 153.08 km / h (5). |
| 06/18 |
 Sweden ( Anderstorp )
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1 | DNF | Engine damage / piston | –– |
| 02.07. |
 France ( Le Castellet )
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2 | 1 | –– | –– |
| July 16 |
 Great Britain ( Brands Hatch )
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2 | DNF | Flat tire / pit stop / engine failure | -– |
| 07/30 |
 Germany ( Hockenheim )
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1 | 1 | –– | –– |
| 08/13 |
 Austria ( Zeltweg )
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2 | DNF | Collision with Reutemann / accident | –– |
| 08/27 |
 Netherlands ( Zandvoort )
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1 | 1 | –– | –– |
| 10.09. |
 Italy ( Monza )
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1 | 6th | Penalty minute wg. Early starts | 1'38.23 min / 212.56 km / h (33rd) |
| 01.10. |
USA East ( Watkins Glen )
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1 | DNF | Engine failure | –– |
| 08.10. |
 Canada ( Montréal )
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9 | 10 | Collision with Watson / Dreher | –– |
Single results
| season | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4th | 5 | 6th | 7th | 8th | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14th | 15th | 16 | 17th |
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| 1968 |
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| 1969 |
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| DNF | DNF | DNF | |||||||||||||||
| 1970 |
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| DNF | 3 | DNF | DNF | DNF | |||||||||||||
| 1971 |
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| 1 | DNF | DNQ | DNF | 4th | 13 | DNS | |||||||||||
| 1972 |
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| DNF | 4th | DNF | 7th | 6th | |||||||||||||
| 1974 |
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| 7th | DSQ | ||||||||||||||||
| 1975 |
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| DNF | 7th | 17 * | DNF | DNF | 4th | 5 | 12 | 10 * | DNF | DNF | DNF | ||||||
| 1976 |
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| DNF | 6th | DNF | DNF | DNF | DNF | 5 | DNF | 12 | 5 | 3 | DNF | 3 | DNF | 1 | |||
| 1977 |
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| 5 * | DNF | DNF | 1 | 1 | 5 | DNF | 6th | 1 | 14 * | DNF | DNF | DNF | 1 | 2 | 9 * | DNF | |
| 1978 |
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| 1 | 4th | 7th | 2 | 11 | 1 | 1 | DNF | 1 | DNF | 1 | DNF | 1 | 6th | DNF | 10 | ||
| 1979 |
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| 5 | DNF | 4th | 4th | 3 | DNF | DNF | DNF | DNF | DNF | DNF | DNF | 5 | 10 * | DNF | |||
| 1980 |
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| DNF | DNF | 12 | DNF | DNF | 7th | DNF | DNF | 7th | DNF | 8th* | DNF | DNF | 6th | ||||
| 1981 |
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| 4th | DNF | 8th | DNF | 10 | DNF | 8th | 8th | DNF | 9 | DNF | DNF | DNF | 7th | DNF | |||
| 1982 |
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| Legend | ||
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| colour | abbreviation | meaning |
| gold | - | victory |
| silver | - | 2nd place |
| bronze | - | 3rd place |
| green | - | Placement in the points |
| blue | - | Classified outside the point ranks |
| violet | DNF | Race not finished (did not finish) |
| NC | not classified | |
| red | DNQ | did not qualify |
| DNPQ | failed in pre-qualification (did not pre-qualify) | |
| black | DSQ | disqualified |
| White | DNS | not at the start (did not start) |
| WD | withdrawn | |
| Light Blue | PO | only participated in the training (practiced only) |
| TD | Friday test driver | |
| without | DNP | did not participate in the training (did not practice) |
| INJ | injured or sick | |
| EX | excluded | |
| DNA | did not arrive | |
| C. | Race canceled | |
| no participation in the World Cup | ||
| other | P / bold | Pole position |
| SR / italic | Fastest race lap | |
| * | not at the finish, but counted due to the distance covered |
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| () | Streak results | |
| underlined | Leader in the overall standings | |
Le Mans results
| year | team | vehicle | Teammate | Teammate | placement | Failure reason |
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| 1966 |
Holman & Moody
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Ford GT40 Mk.II |
Lucien Bianchi
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failure | Cylinder overheated | |
| 1967 |
Holman & Moody
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Ford Mk.IV |
Lucien Bianchi
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failure | accident | |
| 1983 |
Porsche Kremer Racing
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Porsche 956 |
Michael Andretti
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Philippe Alliot
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Rank 3 | |
| 1988 |
Porsche KG
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Porsche 962C |
Michael Andretti
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John Andretti
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Rank 6 | |
| 1995 |
Courage Compétition
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Courage C34 |
Bob Wollek
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Eric Helary
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Rank 2 and class win | |
| 1996 |
Société Courage Compétition
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Courage C36 |
Jan Lammers
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Derek Warwick
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Rank 13 | |
| 1997 |
Société Courage Compétition
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Courage C36 |
Michael Andretti
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Olivier Grouillard
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failure | accident |
| 2000 |
Panoz Motorsport
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Panoz LMP-1 Roadster S. |
 David Brabham
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 Jan Magnussen
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Rank 15 |
Sebring results
| year | team | vehicle | Teammate | Teammate | placement | Failure reason |
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| 1966 |
North American Racing Team
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Ferrari 365P2 |
Pedro Rodríguez
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failure | accident | |
| 1967 |
Ford Motor Company
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Ford GT40 MK.IV |
 Bruce McLaren
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Overall victory | ||
| 1969 |
Ferrari SPA SEFAC
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Ferrari 312P |
Chris Amon
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Rank 2 and class win | ||
| 1970 |
Ferrari SPA SEFAC
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Ferrari 512S |
Ignazio Giunti
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Nino Vaccarella
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Overall victory | |
| 1971 |
Ferrari Automobili
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Ferrari 312PB |
Jacky Ickx
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failure | Gearbox damage | |
| 1972 |
Ferrari
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Ferrari 312PB |
Jacky Ickx
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Overall victory |
Individual results in the sports car world championship
literature
- Nigel Roebuck: Mario Andretti. An ace in Formula 1. Foreword by Colin Chapman. Motorbuch-Verlag, Stuttgart 1980, ISBN 3-87943-718-1 .
Web links
- Literature by and about Mario Andretti in the catalog of the German National Library
- Andretti interview from March 16, 2008 on hossli.com (German)
- Official homepage of the Andrettis
- Mario Andretti at Racing Sports Cars
Individual evidence
- ^ "Dee Ann Andretti: Mario Andretti's wife died" on motorsport-total.com from July 4, 2018
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Andretti, Mario |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Andretti, Mario Gabriele (full name) |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | American racing car driver |
| DATE OF BIRTH | February 28, 1940 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Montona , Italy today Motovun , Croatia |