Mario Andretti is a racing driver from United States who last raced in Formula 1 for Ferrari. Andretti is a one-time champion (1978), with 12 wins and 19 podiums from 128 starts.[1]
A Racer Rating of 4,978 ranks Andretti 336th of 15,348 indexed drivers, on an Elo scale where the strongest reach the low five figures. It is built from every indexed race in the driver's file, decayed for time since their last race.
| 1982-09-25 | Las Vegas Street Circuit | DNF | −65 |
| 1982-09-12 | Autodromo Nazionale di Monza | P3 | +124 |
| 1982-04-04 | Long Beach | DNF | −81 |
| Season | Series | Team | Races | Wins | Podiums | DNFs | Poles | Points | Pos | Gain/Loss | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1982 | ▸Formula 1 | Ferrari | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 4 | P19 | −23 | 5,156 |
| 1981 | ▸Formula 1 | Alfa Romeo | 15 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 3 | P17 | +189 | 5,179 |
| 1980 | ▸Formula 1 | Team Lotus | 14 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 0 | 1 | P20 | −338 | 4,990 |
| 1979 | ▸Formula 1 | Team Lotus | 15 | 0 | 1 | 9 | 0 | 14 | P10 | −602 | 5,328 |
| 1978 | ▸Formula 1 | Team Lotus | 16 | 6 | 7 | 4 | 8 | 64 | P1 | +572 | 5,931 |
| 1977 | ▸Formula 1 | Team Lotus | 17 | 4 | 5 | 7 | 7 | 47 | P3 | +399 | 5,358 |
| 1976 | ▸Formula 1 | Team Lotus | 15 | 1 | 3 | 8 | 1 | 22 | P6 | +310 | 4,960 |
| 1975 | ▸Formula 1 | Parnelli | 12 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 5 | P14 | −105 | 4,650 |
| 1974 | ▸Formula 1 | Parnelli | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | P21 | −38 | 4,755 |
| 1972 | ▸Formula 1 | Ferrari | 5 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 4 | P12 | +245 | 4,793 |
| 1971 | ▸Formula 1 | Ferrari | 5 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 12 | P8 | +218 | 4,547 |
| 1970 | ▸Formula 1 | March | 5 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 4 | P15 | −89 | 4,329 |
| 1969 | ▸Formula 1 | Lotus-Ford | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | P19 | −278 | 4,418 |
| 1968 | ▸Formula 1 | Lotus-Ford | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | P25 | −104 | 4,696 |
| Rival | Rating | Raced | Ahead | Behind | Record |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 🇦🇷 Carlos Reutemann | 5,765 | 38 | 16 | 22 | 42% |
| 🇫🇷 Jacques Laffite | 5,186 | 35 | 19 | 16 | 54% |
| 🇦🇺 Alan Jones | 4,943 | 33 | 19 | 14 | 58% |
| 🇿🇦 Jody Scheckter | 5,599 | 32 | 19 | 13 | 59% |
| 🇩🇪 Jochen Mass | 5,075 | 30 | 18 | 12 | 60% |
| 🇧🇷 Emerson Fittipaldi | 3,999 | 30 | 17 | 13 | 57% |
| 🇬🇧 John Watson | 5,367 | 29 | 12 | 17 | 41% |
| 🇨🇭 Clay Regazzoni | 5,253 | 27 | 17 | 10 | 63% |
| 🇸🇪 Ronnie Peterson | 5,168 | 25 | 20 | 5 | 80% |
| 🇫🇷 Patrick Depailler | 5,068 | 25 | 12 | 13 | 48% |
Mario Andretti competed in Formula 1 across fourteen seasons from 1968 to 1982, accumulating 128 starts with 12 wins and 19 podium finishes, all achieved with Ferrari. He won the 1978 World Drivers' Championship, the peak of a career spent primarily in American open-wheel racing. His final season, 1982, yielded one podium from three races before his retirement from the sport.[1]
Andretti's single-seater record places him among the professional field's upper tier, with an average finishing position of fifth across classified starts. His head-to-head record against contemporaries reflects a competitive mid-field driver rather than a dominant force. Against Carlos Reutemann, a driver of comparable strength, Andretti finished ahead 16 times but behind 22 times over 38 shared races. He held winning records against Jacques Laffite and Alan Jones, the latter a former champion, though the margins were narrow. He finished behind Jody Scheckter, another former champion, in 13 of 32 shared races. Notable victories came against stronger opposition including a single win over Jackie Stewart and Alain Prost, both multiple-time champions, though these remain isolated results rather than patterns. His 1978 championship, achieved with Team Lotus, represents the pinnacle of his Formula 1 career; the team that fielded him has produced 45 race wins across its broader history and counted Mika Häkkinen among its strongest drivers.[2]
Andretti's standing in racing extends well beyond Formula 1, with four IndyCar National Championships and victories in the Indianapolis 500 and Daytona 500 establishing him as a dominant force in American motorsport. His retirement came in 1982, though decades later he remains engaged with racing as a commentator and participant in historical and ceremonial events.