Mario Andretti
Mario Andretti
Mario Gabriele Andrettiis an Italian American former racing driver, one of the most successful Americans in the history of the sport. He is one of only two drivers to win races in Formula One, IndyCar, World Sportscar Championship and NASCAR. He also won races in midget cars, and sprint cars. During his career, Andretti won the 1978 Formula One World Championship, four IndyCar titles, and IROC VI. To date, he remains the only driver ever to win the Indianapolis 500,...
NationalityAmerican
ProfessionRace Car Driver
Date of Birth28 February 1940
CityMotovun, Croatia
CountryUnited States of America
Long Beach is the best. I tell everyone that.
I love technology - yes, I have fallen in love with older cars, but I'm all for new technology.
I love all motor sports at the top level.
I like to think that the Grand Prix helped Long Beach to pretty much change its image.
From a prestige standpoint, the U.S. needs to host Formula 1. And I think Formula 1, they know they need the U.S. as well. So many companies that are global are based in the United States support Formula 1.
I don't think I could have called my career complete without racing in IROC. You always compete against the best of the best.
Car accidents are the leading killer of teens in this country. Teens are just learning to drive and face many distractions, so they're at a very high risk for accidents. We want to help teens learn good, safe habits from the very beginning. Our hope is our Safety Scholars program will help us find the best way to get all teens to hear this important message.
We don't need someone else to tell us when he's ready. We wouldn't put him out there if we didn't think he was.
There is so much more demand for Formula One than it can supply. You have governments investing in circuits all over the world, and the private sector sometimes has a tough time competing with that.
With tennis, you can go pick up a racket, take a lesson, and understand how much talent and skill it takes to be as good as the top pros. Same with golf: pick up a club. But not many can go out and get in a race car and experience a drive at over 200 miles an hour.
As far as I'm concerned, Parnelli Jones was the greatest driver of his era. He had aggressiveness and also a finesse that no one else possessed. And he won with everything he put his hands on, including off-road.
Everything comes to those who wait... except a cat.
You should never get away from where the real foundation of Formula One has been, which is Europe. Of course, there is nothing wrong with the expansion to countries like Asia, China, Malaysia.
The day of parochialism in sports is over. The world is too small for what people like to call 'the good old days.' Fans want the best, wherever they come from.