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Formula 1 and the United States of America have had an interesting and troublesome relationship over the decades, but only the United Kingdom has produced more F1 drivers than the USA. While Formula 1 sometimes plays a backseat role when compared to other motorsports like IndyCar and NASCAR in the States, the United States Grand Prix has been a very well-attended event since moving to the Circuit of the Americas.
While there are currently no American drivers on the F1 grid, a few world champions and many race winners have their origins stateside. So, who are the best American Formula 1 drivers of all time? Here's our top 5 picks.
#5 - Peter Revson
After a brief cameo driving both in works and non-works Lotus in 1964, Peter Revson became a full-time Formula 1 driver for the 1972 season. Before this, he had largely driven in sports car and IndyCar races, but he always had aspirations of making it to F1.
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"Revvie", as he affectionately went on to be known as, began his first full season of F1 racing driving for the McLaren team. He finished fifth overall in the driver's world championship in both '72 and '73, which was no mean feat, but this wasn't enough for the American to retain his seat for the following year. Despite two wins and another six podiums in just 20 starts, his performances weren't deemed impressive enough to keep his seat ahead of the inbound Emerson Fittipaldi.
Revson could've continued his Grand Prix racing career through the 70's, but tragedy struck in South Africa during a test session before the race at Kyalami the following season. He had switched to Shadow for the 1974 season, but the first two races of the season yielded two DNF's, before a suspension failure on a flying lap produced a fatal crash. He was only 35-years-old, and had shown a lot of promise as a driver.
#4 - Richie Ginther
Formula 1 fans often site the late 1980's and 90's as the period of time in which more outstanding driving was on the grid than any other. That's a solid claim, but the 1960's also has a shot at that title.
The likes of Jim Clark, Graham Hill and Sir Jackie Stewart naturally spring to mind first, but great drivers such as Richie Ginther also graced Grands Prix during this time. He hit the ground running in his debut season for Ferrari, scoring a point in his first race at Monaco before scoring what was no doubt a very popular podium at Monza.
Ginther drove for a plethora of teams between 1960 and '67, and was even runner-up during the 1963 season, matching the great G Hill for points in the same car. It would take another two years for what would be his only win in F1, Honda's first in the sport. While he was probably never good enough to win a world championship, Ginther was, without a doubt, a talented driver and a worthy Grand Prix winner.
#3 - Dan Gurney
While Dan Gurney is perhaps better known these days for his work off-track than on it, his driving career is something that should never be downplayed. Gurney drove for over a decade in Formula 1, including throughout the entire aforementioned dangerous and competitive 1960's. 4 wins, 19 podiums, 3 pole positions and 6 fastest laps is an impressive record for any driver, and he's definitely the best American F1 driver that didn't win a driver's world championship.
It's hard to imagine post-race podium celebrations without champagne being sprayed everywhere, and Gurney was the first man to do this at the 1967 24 Hours of Le Mans, something he'd continue in F1. The Gurney flap was also named after the racer of the same name, an aerodynamic modification that he pioneered during his time owning the All American Racers. He's also one of only three men to have won races in F1, Indy Car, NASCAR, Can-Am and Trans-Am. Gurney's a man with a fine legacy.
#2 - Phil Hill
The only American-born Formula 1 world champion, Phil Hill is a motorsport legend and one of the nicest men to ever sit in the cockpit of a racing car. The majority of Hill's on-track triumphs came during his time at Ferrari between 1958 and '62, including his driver's world championship. 1961 was Hill's best year, as the Scuderia adapted to the smaller 1.5 litre engines better than the competition and the American dueled with teammate Wolfgang von Trips for the driver's world title that season.
2 victories and 4 more podiums from the first seven out of eight races gave him a lead that would prove to be insurmountable, as von Trips and fifteen spectators died in a tragic incident with Jim Clark. Hill became world champion on a truly bittersweet day for Ferrari and their driver.
Von Trips' death affected Hill greatly, who stated ahead of the '62 season that he didn't "have as much need to race, to win. I don't have as much hunger anymore. I am no longer willing to risk killing myself." He'd never win another Grand Prix, but did continue in F1 until the end of the 1966 season. After retiring, Hill built up a vast collection of vintage sports cars, and his restoration company became one of the best in the business.
#1 - Mario Andretti
Mario Andretti may have been born in what was then Italy (and is now Croatia), but he was made in the USA. Andretti's family moved across the Atlantic when he was 15, and the young Mario didn't wait long to get into motorsport. Thanks to a forged driver's licence, Andretti competed in oval races alongside his twin brother, Aldo. After becoming an American citizen in 1964, Andretti entered NASCAR races, winning the Daytona 500 during his short time in stock car racing.
His open-wheel career began in Indy Car, but it didn't take long for him to graduate to Formula 1. After being a part-time driver between 1968 and '74, he joined Parnelli before joining Colin Chapman's legendary Team Lotus. His second win in F1 was overshadowed by James Hunt clinching his only world championship, but this was the catalyst for more success in the coming years. Four victories in 1977 were followed up by six in '78, enough for his sole title in F1.
Incredibly, his final F1 victory at the 1978 Dutch Grand Prix is also currently the most recent race that was won by an American driver, and over 4 decades have passed without another. In 1982, he was drafted in by Ferrari for the Italian GP, a race he claimed pole and finished on the podium for, despite being 42 and not having raced in F1 in nearly a year.
Andretti Autosport is now one of the biggest names in American open wheel racing, winning the Indy 500 five times and the Indy Car series on four occasions. When the British hear the words "Stirling Moss" they think of speed, Americans think of the same five-lettered word, that's one hell of a legacy. Honestly, we could write a book on Andretti's achievements in motorsport, he's the undisputed king of American drivers.
But who do you think is the best American F1 driver of all time? Is it Andretti or someone else? Let us know in the comments below!
