The family settled in Nazareth, Pennsylvania with just $125 to their name, though the location allowed Mario to get his start in racing at the local track where he and twin brother Aldo raced stock cars. The area was annexed by Yugoslavia during World War II, and as a result the Andretti family left and lived in a refugee camp from 1948 to 1955 before moving to the USA. Mario Andretti was born in Montona, Italy (now Croatia) just outside of the city of Trieste. Elder son Michael is following closely in father’s footsteps and this season competes in Formula 1 for the McLaren team.Biography of Formula 1 legend Mario Andretti With his two sons and his nephew, he achieved yet another first when all four family members competed in the same Ind圜ar race in Milwaukee in 1990.
He is Ind圜ar’s all-time leader in pole positions and laps led, was the first to win both Ind圜ar and Formula 1 championships and the first to win both the Daytona 500 and the Indianapolis 500.
He returned to full-time Ind圜ar competition in 1983, winning his third Driver of the Year award in 1984, making him the only man ever to win the trophy in three different decades. Andretti won the final race of the season in Japan and in 1977 rose to third in the world rankings. Determined to become World Champion, he joined Colin Chapman’s Lotus team in 1976, and together they set about restoring the winning ways of the legendary marque. While not abandoning Ind圜ars entirely, he sought new challenges by turning to Formula 1 where he won his first Grand Prix, driving for Ferrari, in South Africa in 1971. In the early 1970’s, Ind圜ar racing became an all-oval track series, which did not appeal to the adventurous Andretti. Winner of the first Driver of the Year award in 1967, he topped this on its 25th anniversary in 1992 by being awarded the title Driver of the Quarter-Century – a feat few drivers are likely to emulate.Īndretti first achieved success in 1965 when he finished third in his first Indianapolis 500 and went on to win his initial Ind圜ar race and subsequently the championship, which he retained the following year. At the age of 53 he shows no desire to retire but is set for another season of Ind圜ar racing with the Newman-Haas team and new teammate, Nigel Mansell. Mario Andretti has dedicated his life to motor racing.
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