"Never made me feel guilty": Mario Andretti recalls late wife's endearing support for his racing career

Former IndyCar driver Mario Andretti was featured on the Formula Reports YouTube channel in a video uploaded on April 4, 2025. The former IndyCar and F1 champion discussed his racing career, answered questions, and recalled his wife's support for his motorsport career.

Being a motorsport driver, Mario Andretti, like others, moved across countries and continents throughout the year to participate in various events, leaving little time for friends and family. In his case, he raced in IndyCar and F1 simultaneously, and would often travel transatlantic to do so.

The host asked Mario Andretti the reason behind his longevity in the sport, and how he raced for over three decades in IndyCar alone. The former champion credited his late wife Dee Ann Hoch for understanding his passion for the sport, and not making him feel guilty about overlooking the family for racing. He said:

“You know, throughout my career, I always say that, you know, Even after reflecting, you know, I realized how much I appreciated the fact that I had a young family, how my wife just never made me feel guilty for being so selfish to do so much. And then I couldn't spend, you know, a lot of quality time with my young family and my kids.” (16:10 onwards)

“But I did everything my best, you know, to bring them around. I don't know if I'm answering that question, but it's pure love and desire to be in the cockpit That's all I ever had in my life. I never cared”, added Mario Andretti.

While the IndyCar drivers of the current generation only travel and race in the North American continent with a six-month-long calendar, it is not the case with F1 drivers, who travel across the globe for over nine months, with multiple PR and marketing responsibilities.

Mario Andretti hailed his wife Dee Ann for being a “team member"

Although Mario Andretti's wife wasn't an actual employee or member of the former IndyCar driver's team, the American hailed his wife's role to be as crucial as any other team member. The F1 champion was featured on the Inc. YouTube channel in February 2025, and hailed his wife as he said,

“I think the downside to the passion is that it's something very selfish to some degree. And when I look back at my life, my career, you know, as a family man, I see how much my wife, Dee Ann, you know, was a real, real team member, you know, to get behind me and never making me feel guilty of not spending enough time.” (3:28 onwards)

Mario was the first generation of drivers from the Andretti family, with his son Michael and grandson Marco following in his footsteps and racing in the IndyCar series. While Michael was successful in winning a championship, Marco couldn't repeat the feat.