American · Montona, Italy (now Croatia) · Born 28 February 1940Italian-American racing driver and the only person to win the Indianapolis 500, Daytona 500, and Formula 1 World Championship, considered one of the most versatile drivers across every major discipline of motorsport.
Mario Gabriele Andretti was born on 28 February 1940 in Montona, Italy (now part of Croatia), and fled with his family during the Istrian-Dalmatian exodus, spending seven years in a refugee camp before emigrating to Nazareth, Pennsylvania in 1955 with just $125 to their name. He and his twin brother Aldo began dirt track racing in 1959, and Mario progressed to USAC Championship Car racing in 1964, winning back-to-back national titles in 1965 and 1966 to become, at 25, the youngest champion in the series' history. Andretti's career spanned virtually every major form of motorsport: he won the 1967 Daytona 500 in NASCAR, the 1969 Indianapolis 500 in his third of four IndyCar national championships, and three 12 Hours of Sebring endurance races (1967, 1970, 1972). He made his Formula 1 debut in 1968 with Lotus, qualifying on pole in his first race, and after stints with Ferrari and March, returned to Lotus full-time in 1976, winning the 1978 World Drivers' Championship - the last American to win the title. Andretti remains the only driver in history to win the Indianapolis 500, Daytona 500, and Formula 1 World Championship, and was the only driver named United States Driver of the Year in three different decades (1967, 1978, 1984). Across a career spanning 1961 to 1994 and 879 races, he recorded 111 wins and 109 poles across all forms of motorsport, including 52 IndyCar victories - the all-time record for pole positions in the series (67) - and 12 Formula 1 wins. He continued racing into his fifties, with his final Indy Car season in 1994, and his family became a genuine racing dynasty, with sons Michael and Jeff and grandson Marco all becoming professional drivers, joined by nephew John in the same 1991 Indianapolis 500.
Being the only driver in history to win the Indianapolis 500, Daytona 500, and Formula 1 World Championship
How They Played
Exceptionally adaptable driver equally comfortable across radically different machinery, known for tactical intelligence and the rare ability to read races and conditions across any discipline he attempted
Lasting Impact
Widely regarded as one of the most versatile and accomplished racing drivers in history, whose ability to win at the highest level across open-wheel, stock car, endurance, and Formula 1 racing remains unmatched, with his name synonymous with American motorsport itself
Career Honours
- Only driver to win Indy 500, Daytona 500, and F1 World Championship
- 1978 Formula 1 World Champion
- 4x IndyCar National Champion (1965, 1966, 1969, 1984)
- 3x United States Driver of the Year (1967, 1978, 1984) - only driver to win in three different decades
American Athletes