5 extraordinary facts about Mario Andretti that you should know

Mario Andretti is arguably the greatest IndyCar driver of all time, having won a championship in both F1 and the pinnacle of the American open-wheel racing series. The 84-year-old raced in F1 in two sprints of 4 and 8 years, whereas he raced in IndyCar for over 3 decades and participated in 407 races.

Mario was the first-generation racing driver from his family and his legacy still continues via his grandson Marco Andretti and the team that was recently operated by his son, Andretti Global. Let's have a look at 5 extraordinary facts you probably didn't know about Mario.

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#5 Mario Andretti is the only Andretti family driver to win the Indy 500

Michael Andretti and Marco Andretti came so close, yet were so far away from Indy 500 victories during their career. Michael finished P2 at the 1991 Indy 500 after starting 5th, which was the closest the American ever came to standing on the top step. Marco on the other hand finished P2 on his Indy 500 debut in 2006 and never bettered this result.

Former Race Car Driver Mario Andretti Joins Rep. John James For Capitol Hill Press Conference - Source: Getty

Mario’s son Jeff and nephew John never came close to winning a race in the Indy 500. The 84-year-old is the only one in the family to have won the greatest spectacle in racing. Mario won the Indy 500 on his fifth try in 1969 after starting the race from P2.

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#4 Last American driver to win a race in F1

Logan Sargeant was the latest American driver to race in the F1 Championship before he was sacked mid-season by the Williams F1 team in favor of Franco Colapinto. American drivers have won a total of 33 wins in F1 since the inception of the series in 1950, out of which Mario Andretti won 12 races.

Phil Hill and Dan Gurney are amongst some other successful American F1 drivers. However, Andretti was the last American to win a race in F1 as he won the 1978 Dutch Grand Prix. The American started the race on the pole in his Lotus, commanded the race, and won.

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#3 Mario Andretti is one of only three drivers to win races across all major racing series

Mario Andretti, during his racing career which spanned well over 3 decades, participated in F1, IndyCar, NASCAR, and the 24 Hours of LeMans. The American managed to win a race across all four of these disciplines along with wins on dirt tracks in Sprint car and Midget car racing as well as winning the Pikes Peak challenge.

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#2 Named Driver of the Century

Mario Andretti was arguably the most well-rounded driver of the 20th century, winning races on track and dirt, on street and oval circuits, and winning in different series and performing in major events. He won the Indy 500, Daytona 500, and Le Mans along with championships in F1 and IndyCar, and was named the Driver of the Century in 2000 by the Associated Press and RACER magazine.

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#1 Mario Andretti is the only person to be named Driver of the Decade three times in a row

Mario Andretti was named the Driver of the Decade three consecutive times (in the 60s, 70s, and 80s) and is the only driver to have accomplished this feat. The American won three IndyCar championships, the Indy 500, and the Daytona 500 in the 60s.

Mario Andretti, F1 Grand Prix of USA (Source: Getty)

He won the F1 championship, USAC Silver Crown, 12 Hours of Sebring, and 24 Hours of Daytona in the 70s and another IndyCar championship, three Long Beach Grand Prix, the Michigan 500, and the Pocono 500 in the 80s. Andretti was also named Driver of the Quarter Century in the 90s.