When Michael Andretti signed an F1 deal – with Ferrari

Phoenix, 1991. Image by Colombo/Motorsport Images
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emailBy Marshall Pruett | June 17, 2020 2:52 PM

Plenty has been written about Michael Andretti’s decision to leave the CART IndyCar Series at the end of 1992 to compete for McLaren in Formula 1 alongside Ayrton Senna. It’s his desire to depart for Ferrari one year earlier, while on the road to capturing the 1991 CART championship with Newman/Haas Racing, where the real intrigue is found.

His desire to add to the family legacy at Ferrari, where his father raced and won across three F1 stints spanning 1971-1982, makes for a fascinating revelation as joining the Italian national team nearly came to fruition.

“It was ’91. We were at Elkhart Lake, and I had just signed a contract with [Carl Haas] for ’92,” Andretti said. “But there was a clause in there about Formula 1, that he said that he would never enforce, that if I [wanted] to go [to] Formula 1, he would never stop me. And so, in ’91, I happened to sign a contract. This is something that not too many people know. I signed a contract with Ferrari to drive for them in ’92.”

At the time, Haas was among the leading power brokers in the CART paddock. As one of IndyCar’s most successful teams, the duo of Mario and Michael Andretti brought immense funding from sponsors to the Illinois-based outfit owned by Haas and Paul Newman, which likely contributed to the change of heart by Haas. Also beloved for his occasionally hapless ways, Haas was quickly forgiven by Andretti.

“And so, when I brought [the Ferrari contract] back to Carl, he said, ‘I’m not going to let you do it,’” Andretti recalled. “I’m like, ‘Well you said you would!’ I was really, really mad at him. We were staying at the same hotel, and we’re heading out race morning, and I wasn’t even talking to him. He’s in the car in front of me, and we get in the car, and his coat’s arm sleeve was sticking out the side of the door when he closed it.

“So, the whole way [there], you see this thing flapping in the wind. And it’s like, God, I want to be so mad at him, but I just couldn’t stay mad enough.”

With his Newman/Haas contract set to expire, Andretti signed with McLaren and embarked on what he readily describes today as his worst year in racing. Haas, in turn, pulled off a whale of deal to back-fill Andretti’s seat for 1993 with reigning F1 champion Nigel Mansell where the Briton delivered the CART title.
Would Andretti have had any better luck than Ivan Capelli with the Ferrari F92A? Ercole Colombo/Motorsport Images

Although the 1992 Ferrari F92A was among the Scuderia’s greatest modern failures in F1, the proposed pairing of Andretti and a certain triple world champion could have played a meaningful role as mentor to the Italian-American rookie, continues to pique the 57-year-old’s curiosity.

“I think it was a three-year deal that I signed,” he said. “And so, they knew that it would take some time for me to get going, and [Alain] Prost was going to be my teammate. So I felt like I was going to be able to learn a lot there. I thought it was a great opportunity. To drive for Ferrari right out of Indy cars would have been awesome. So, it’s something that was really disappointing.”

As the prospect of having Prost and Andretti in 1992 fell through, Ferrari stuck with the Italian, fired the Frenchman (after Prost made derogatory comments about his 1991 chassis), and inked Ivan Capelli to herd the twin-floor F92A. In retrospect, Haas might have done Andretti a favor at Elkhart Lake in 1991.

“It would have been cool, even though that year wasn’t very strong,” he said. “But, hopefully if I could have run with Prost… at that time you were able to do unlimited testing and things like that. I would have been able to be a lot more prepared. And I think it would have been less political with me going to do that, than it was when I joined McLaren. It would’ve been an interesting exercise, but unfortunately it never happened.”

Ferrari, Michael Andretti, Formula 1, IndyCar

 

Three-time 12 Hours winner Andretti returns to Sebring

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emailBy J.J. O'Malley | November 13, 2020 5:53 PM

Mario Andretti is set to visit Sebring International Raceway for the first time in nearly three decades Saturday morning, when he returns as Grand Marshal of the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring presented by Advance Auto Parts.

“They’re going to do a grand entrance with a Honda jet,” Andretti said. “They’re going to remove some of the barriers and taxi in there. I’m looking forward to it. My last time at Sebring was probably in the early 1990s, testing in the Indy car on the short track.”

Andretti has a stellar record at Sebring. He won the Twelve Hours three times — 1967, 1970 and 1972 — in addition to finishing second in 1969, in six starts in the American endurance classic.

“I love Sebring,” Andretti said. “It’s a very challenging track, and a tough one at that, just keeping everything together. Somehow, it paid off for me. I have a very good record there for as many races as I ran.”

Saturday, Andretti is looking forward to another competitive race as he is impressed with the current status of the sport.

“There are eight IndyCar drivers in this race in a couple different classes,” he said. “I love to see that. I love to see the crossover. It’s great for the sport. It adds interest, for sure, and it looks like one of the Indy guys has a good chance of winning overall. That would be good — all positive stuff.”One of those crossover drivers is Scott Dixon, the 2020 Rolex 24 At Daytona winner who went on to win his sixth IndyCar title. Announced as RACER’s driver of the 20th century in 2000, Andretti is impressed with an early contender for 21st century honors.

“His record speaks for itself,” Andretti said. “The guy belongs where he is. Look at how brilliant his career has been, he’s a great all-rounder. To be a multi-time champion, you’ve got to be good everywhere. And that’s where he excels. You take him to an oval, a superspeedway, a short oval, a street course, a regular road course – no matter where you go, he’s always on top of the charts. And that’s what makes a champion. It’s wonderful to see a driver of that caliber, and he’s young enough to continue to pad up his record.”

Andretti was asked about another current superstar, seven-time NASCAR Cup Series champion Jimmie Johnson, who is turning his attention to IndyCar in 2021.

“That’s another positive aspect, to have a crossover of a champion with that stature,” Andretti said. “It’s great for the sport. It speaks volumes to me of the driver himself, to have those ambitions to cross over. He doesn’t have to do it, but he does it because he loves the sport. I have a lot of respect for that.

“These are all good things for the sport, and in situations where we are now with the pandemic, these are positive things we look forward to.”

Andretti is also excited about the future of sports car racing.

“IMSA has done a great job, in reviving sports car racing, sports prototypes in our country. They keep tweaking it to make it better, and that’s a good thing. That’s one discipline I love very much. It’s very technical, and I love the looks of the cars. They’re doing a great job with the number of classes, and with the manufacturer participation, which is the strength of it all. So there’s good things happening on this front as well.”

While he concentrates on looking ahead, the 80-year-old Pennsylvanian is looking back on this sports car career this weekend — in particular, celebrating the 50th anniversary of his 1970 Sebring triumph for Ferrari. He’s won the 12-hour three times, and savors each triumph.
Motorsport Images
Mario Andretti in the Ferrari 512 he started at Sebring in 1970 with Arturo Merzario. But his early retirement in that car was just the start of the story.
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In the days when Sebring still had the Webster Warehouse turns, Andretti crashed there.
The straightaway following the hairpin was broken up with a zig zag around some warehouses.
The track was long ago changed and today the hairpin is more of a sweeping turn. The Webster Warehouse zig zag is gone.
These days it only can be seen on the old maps.
-----------------------
Mario was leaking oil from the crash and the car was in no condition to continue on. The other driver was killed.
Mario cranked the car and took off. He knew the car would not go the distance.
Andretti drove flat out until the Ferrari engine blew up.

From that incident, I supposed that if you were a big name driver, it was better to go out because the
cars engine blew instead of retiring because of a crash.
-Bob
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“Every victory is very, very precious, as you can imagine,” Andretti said. “The first one was with the Ford, driving with Bruce McLaren. It was very meaningful, because the car was just finished and was not even tested at high speed. And here we go and win the race.”

The Ford Mk IV ran only one more race — winning later that year at Le Mans with A.J. Foyt and Dan Gurney at the wheel.

The 1970 triumph came on the heels of Andretti’s lone official victory in the Indianapolis 500. Co-driving with Arturo Merzario in a Ferrari 512S, Andretti built up a 12-lap lead before the gearbox failed. Andretti was ready to jet back to Nazareth to run a Sunday sprint car race in nearby Reading, Pa., but the Ferrari officials had a different idea.

“It was quite a story. I felt we deserved to win, because Arturo and I were way out in the lead. All we had to do was finish. Then we had a gearbox bearing fail. Then I was asked to take over for the last stint.”

Andretti ran the final 90 minutes in a Ferrari 512S Spyder driven by Nino Vaccarella and Ignazio Giunta. Running five miles behind the Porsche 908 co-driven by film legend Steve McQueen and Peter Revson, Andretti was up to the challenge. He ran down Revson, pitted for fuel, and then ran him down again.

“Here we go, and we won it,” Andretti said. “And hell yes, I ran the next day at Reading.”

Denying Sebring a finish scripted for Hollywood, Andretti built on his own legend.

In 1972, Andretti and Jacky Ickx completed the Daytona-Sebring double, winning in a Ferrari 312PB.

“I had good fortune running with Jacky,” Andretti said. “We won a few races, and Sebring was a nice race for us.”

The 1972 victory was also Andretti’s final race at Sebring. He went on to win the 1978 Formula 1 World Championship for Lotus, and then returned to Indy cars, winning the 1984 CART title for Newman/Haas Racing. He retired from competitive racing in 1994, although he returned to run a Panoz Roadster at age 60 at Le Mans in 2000.

While long retired from active competition, Andretti has yet to hang up his helmet, remaining active as an ambassador of the sport and a driver of a two-seater car for VIP rides during IndyCar weekends.

“They’re still working on [the two-seater program] for next year,” he said. “There might be a new sponsor to pick up that program. If they want me to drive, fine. I’m ready to go, whenever the call comes.”

Mario Andretti, IMSA

 

RETRO: Mario Andretti on his first F1 win with Ferrari, 50 years ago

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emailBy Robin Miller | March 7, 2021 5:13 AM

The words “Andretti” and “Ferrari” just sound good together, and 50 years ago this weekend, they were best of the best in South Africa.

In only his 10th start over four fractured seasons, Andretti scored his initial Formula 1 victory at Kyalami on March 6, 1971 driving for Ferrari; and it helped change the trajectory of his amazing career.

“That was a big moment, one of those I’ll always cherish,” said the 81-year-old legend on the eve of that milestone. “Kyalami was a fun circuit to drive with lots of elevation changes and Ferrari gave me equal equipment to my teammates. It was a good weekend.”
Clay Regazzoni in the first Ferrari 312B leads at the start from Emerson Fittipaldi (Lotus 72C-Ford), Chris Amon (Matra MS120) and the Ferraris of Jacky Ickx and Mario Andretti. Seen running wide is Peter Gethin (McLaren M14A-Ford). Motorsport Images

Jackie Stewart was on pole for the South African GP in a Cosworth-powered Tyrrell next to Matra’s Chris Amon, with Clay Regazzoni and Mario comprising Row 2. Regga and Jacky Ickx (eighth) were also in Ferraris.

“It was a good battle between Stewart, (Denis) Hulme and myself with Regga and Ickx close by,” recalled the man who would go on to win 12 F1 races, 17 pole positions and the 1978 world championship during that decade. “Denny was leading and blew up and I took the lead and Jackie couldn’t catch me, so that was my first win.

“You’ve got to have a feeling that you belong and that was extra special because it was with Ferrari.”
Mario celebrates his first Formula 1 victory with his Ferrari crew and race runner-up Jackie Stewart (to right of trophy). Motorsport Images

Two weeks later, Andretti captured both heats of the Questor Grand Prix at Ontario Motor Speedway — and got a call from il Commendatore.

“Mr. Ferrari called and made me a pitch to be his No. 1 driver,” said the 1969 Indianapolis 500 winner. “But F1 didn’t pay much back then and my contracts and commitments were so lucrative over here I couldn’t give that up for the security of my family. The timing wasn’t right yet, so I had to turn him down; but I always figured I’d get another opportunity.”

Of course that came in 1977 when he struck a deal with Colin Chapman and helped develop the ground-effects car that carried him to the ’78 F1 crown. But Andretti got another call from Ferrari at the end of ’77.

“I’d won the final race of the year at the Italian Grand Prix and Mr. Ferrari wanted to talk. I had a handshake agreement with Colin and he’d already agreed to pay me what Ronnie Peterson was making, which was the highest salary in F1. So I asked Mr. Ferrari what was he willing to pay me.

“He said, ‘You know, Mario, I can’t put a price on your talent so you tell me.’ That SOB threw it right back in my lap,” said the four-time IndyCar champion with a laugh. “Well, (wife) Dee Ann was sitting next to me and I asked her what should I do and she said ‘double it.’ And Mr. Ferrari agreed.

“The next day I got a telex from him saying ‘Let’s just leave things alone’ because he’d just had a visit from Colin (who’d) followed me to Maranello and raised hell with Mr. Ferrari. Can you imagine? So I told Colin he’d always been good to me but you don’t want an unhappy driver. Then I told him I wanted $10,000 a point — you got nine points for a win back then — and he had to agree.”

Only the second American to win the F1 title, Mario went back to IndyCar racing full-time in 1981 and captured the 1984 CART championship.

But his goodbye to F1 was just about as sweet as his beginning: He won the pole for Lotus in his 1968 debut at Watkins Glen, N.Y. and claimed the top spot in qualifying for his last F1 race, the 1982 Italian GP at Monza — in a Ferrari.

 

Mario, I thought about you today........-Bob vail

https://racer.com/watch/shows/730522...26e4-274228613

Racers Roundtable Danny Sullivan,Tony Stewart Mario Andretti

 

Mario, I found your very first race car!...but not at the very beginning of this video .....

Lemons Hudson Hornet - #lemonsworld 174 | 24 Hours of Lemons

24hoursoflemons
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Did the Fabulous Hudson Hornet do as well in Lemons as it did in stock car racing? Nick and Eric give their assessment.

 

Mario Andretti’s Wild Racing Stories: Indy 500, Daytona & the American Dream

Circle Country
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Today, we are hanging out with Mario Andretti in Nazareth. We dig into his wild racing stories (Indy 500, Daytona 500, Sebring), the crazy trophies, and his unforgettable immigrant-to-American-Dream journey from a post‑war refugee camp to building race cars at 17 with his brother Aldo. Kyle and Mario swap stories about faking their way into dirt‑track races, Aldo’s terrible crash and family comeback, Mario’s last Indy car (Laguna Seca ’94), a surprise trip to the Martin Guitar factory, and even a funny go‑kart moment with the next Andretti generation.

 

I found your first red Hudson Hornet race car at a 24 hours of lemons race at 5 Minutes.
They say it was a "replica" wink, wink....it was not this blue car, but play the video...and see what I mean....

Lemons Hudson Hornet - #lemonsworld 174 | 24 Hours of Lemons

[img alt=""]data:image/gif;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAAEAAAABCAQAAAC 1HAwCAAAAC0lEQVR42mN8XA8AAksBZG7LpHYAAAAASUVORK5CY II=[/img]
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Did the Fabulous Hudson Hornet do as well in Lemons as it did in stock car racing? Nick and Eric give their assessment. → Sign up for a race or get all-access spectator tickets: http://races.lemons.world

 

Mario Andretti on iRacing, scariest wreck, & the state of racing | Waltrip Unfiltered Podcast

NASCAR on FOX
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2,623 views Jun 8, 2020 #NASCARonFOX #NASCAR #MarioAndretti
On Episode 57 of "Waltrip Unfiltered", Mikey sits down with the legendary Mario Andretti to talk the similarities of iRacing to real life, his driver to keep an eye on in the future, and the scariest wreck he's ever had in a race car.

 

Mario Andretti: "I'm so grateful I was spared" — Centenary Stories podcast

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F1 World Champion, four-time IndyCar title-holder and Daytona 500 winner, Mario Andretti is the first guest in a special podcast series marking 100 years of Motor Sport‘s publication Andretti has been a regular in Motor Sport‘s pages for more than half that time, and is still making headlines, with plans to be the first to test the Andretti F1 car, if the team is granted a place on the grid. He joins Rob Widdows to recall a career that made him one of the sport’s all-time greats, from watching Stirling Moss and Alberto Ascari as a spectator, to meeting Colin Chapman, succeeding in F1, and

then racing against his son. Andretti explains why his passion for racing has never dimmed, which led him to Le Mans aged 60; saw him driving IndyCar’s two-seat car into his 80s; and gives him the desire to travel the world again as part of an 11th F1 team. “Motor racing is our life. We have nothing else. That’s the way we’ve fed our families from day one,” he says.

 

Mario Andretti on the 1967 Daytona 500: "I was not a favorite to win" #marioandretti #daytona500

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