#1 Mario Andretti
Mario Andretti is a racing driver widely regarded as one of the most significant drivers in motorsport history. He had a long and successful career in Formula 1 from 1968 to 1982. Mario is easily the most decorated American Driver; 1978 Formula 1 World Champion, four-time Indycar/USAC Champion, Indy 500 winner, NASCAR Daytona 500 winner, 12-hour Sebring, multiple winners, won his class in 24 hours of Le Mans, and competed in professional motorsports for nearly 40 years.
Mario Andretti's growing up as a World War II refugee is almost as unique as his racing career, considering the events leading his family to the US, his introduction to racing, and his special abilities. After being displaced from his family's original home in Italy due to World War II, the Andretti family, In 1955, immigrated to the United States, eventually settling in Pennsylvania. In 1959 Mario and his twin brother, Aldo, purchased a 1948 Hudson from the money they earned at their uncle's garage. They entered the car into the Limited Sportsman Class at the Nazareth Speedway, a local dirt oval, where the brothers alternated between driving it. Andretti began racing the dirt-track midget series in 1961 and worked up to Sprint Cars in the United Racing Club (URC). Finally, Andretti would move to Champ Cars in USAC during the 1964 season.
Andretti would have back-to-back Championships during the 1965 & 1966 USAC seasons, driving in the IndyCar series for Clint Brawner and Rufus Grey's Dean Van Lines racing team. Andretti later won the 1969 Indy 500 in the STP Brawner-Hawk. 1967 was a breakout year for Andretti, entering and winning the Daytona 500 with the Holman & Moody Ford and winning the 12 hours of Sebring in the iconic Ford GT40 Mk4 with teammate Bruce Mclaren. In addition, Andretti raced in nineteen USAC Champ Car races this same season, winning eight and finishing second in the Championship.
1967 Bruce Mclaren & Mario Andretti 12 Hours of Sebring Winner Ford GT MK IV
Andretti's first Formula 1 race was the 1968 United States Grand Prix, where he drove for the Lotus team. Andretti would surprisingly set pole position in his debut race but would not finish due to mechanical issues. In 1969 Andretti would win his third Championship title in the USAC Champ Car series, winning nine of the twenty-four races, including the Indy 500 with Hawk STP-FORD. Andretti would also enter three Formula races with the Lotus team but fail to complete any due to mechanical issues and a first-lap accident at the German Grand Prix. Andretti would enter five races during the 1970 Formula 1 season driving for the American STP Corporation, he would only finish one race, but it would be his first podium in Formula 1 at the Spanish Grand Prix. After that, STP would sponsor Richard Petty in the NASCAR series for twenty years.
1970 British Grand Prix (Brands Hatch) STP-March 701 Ford
After the death of Italian driver Ignazio Guinti in early 1971, Enzo Ferrari asked Mario Andretti to take the third driver position at Scuderia Ferrari behind Ickx and Regazzoni. Naturally, being an Italian-born Ferrari fan, Andretti took the offer, quickly becoming a success when Andretti won the 1971 season opener at Kyalami South Africa in the Ferrari 312. While Andretti only competed in five of the eleven races during the season, Andretti finished the 1971 season eighth in the Championship. Andretti also competed in the Questor Grand Prix in Ontario, California, a non-championship-sanctioned Formula 1 race, winning the race for Ferrari after starting twelfth after qualifying.
Continuing with Scuderia Ferrari for the 1972 season, Andretti would race in five of the twelve Formula 1 championship races, finishing twice in the points. Andretti would also drive in the USAC Championship with the newly developed Vel's Parnelli Jones Racing team, having two-second place finishes. During the 1973 season, Andretti would be absent from the Formula 1 grid, primarily focusing on the USAC Champ Car series with Parnelli Jones. Andretti would have two-second place finishes and a victory at the Trenton Speedway, finishing the season fifth in the USAC Championship.
Andretti and Parnelli would carry this over to Formula 1, and or the 1974-1976 seasons, Mario would drive for Firestone-Parnelli Jones Racing in the Formula 1 world championship. The team would struggle with reliability issues and only have three points finishes over the three seasons. However, the team would find some success at the 1975 BRDC International Trophy race held at Silverstone, finishing third at the Non-Championship Formula 1 race. Andretti would split the 1976 season between the Parnelli and John Player Lotus teams. Parnelli dropped out of Formula 1 after two races during the season. Andretti would have much better results with the Lotus car, having two third-place finishes and ending the season with a win at the Japanese Grand Prix, giving Andretti his second Formula 1 victory.
1976 United States Grand Prix West (Long Beach) Parnelli-Ford
Andretti's stint with Lotus would be very successful, having eleven wins, sixteen poles, eight fastest laps, and one World Driver's Championship. Andretti's most successful season came in 1978 when he won the Drivers' Championship driving for the Lotus team. He won six races that season and finished on the podium in 11 of the 16 races. Andretti's championship-winning year was stellar, given that he had to compete against fellow legends of the sport, such as Niki Lauda and Ronnie Peterson.
Andretti would continue to drive for Lotus until 1980. The 1979 & 1980 seasons would be far less successful, only having one podium in 1979 and scoring one point in the 1980 Driver's Championship. Andretti's last few seasons in Formula 1 would be split between the entire 1981 season with Marlboro-Alfa-Romeo, one American Grand Prix during the 1982 season with TAG-Williams, and a final two races with Ferrari, where he secured a third-place podium at Monza.
After Andretti's Formula 1 career stopped, his primary focus became the Indycar Championship. Andretti would have second place at the 1981 Indianapolis 500 with Patrick Racing. In 1983 Andretti began his 12-season stint with Newman-Haas Racing; this would be an extremely successful time for Mario. He would win 17 races with Newman-Haas and a Driver's Championship in 1984. Andretti won 52 races during his thirty-year Indycar career, ranking him third all-time behind AJ Foyt and Scott Dixon, who replaced him at second in 2022. Andretti had 12 Formula 1 race wins, 18 pole positions, and finished on the podium 19 times in his 128 career starts. However, his legacy in the sport remains as a Formula 1 ambassador in the United States and commentator during US Grand Pix.
Mario Andretti tesing Mclaren F1 at Laguna Seca at age 82
