PeachParts Mercedes-Benz Forum - Best F1 driver ever?

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Quote:

Originally Posted by t walgamuth (Post 2713592)

I believe Andretti only drove about three full seasons in F1. It was stressful I imagine with all your family in the US. Mario was a very hard working driver who tested and tested and tested and made adjustments and got the Lotus's working very well.

He was also hands on to some extent. There is a picture of him in his Autobiography bending over one of his champ cars adjusting the front sway bar preload. He said it was difficult to explain to the mechanics how he wanted it so he did it himself.

He could also drive anything with wheels:

Quote:

Mario Gabriele Andretti (born February 28, 1940) is a retired Italian American world champion racing driver, one of the most successful Americans in the history of the sport. He is one of only two drivers to win races in Formula One, IndyCar, World Sportscar Championship and NASCAR (the other being Dan Gurney). He also won races in midget cars, sprint cars, and drag racing.
During his career, Andretti won four IndyCar titles (three under USAC-sanctioning, one under CART), the 1978 Formula One World Championship, and IROC VI. To date, he remains the only driver ever to win the Indianapolis 500 (1969), Daytona 500 (1967) and the Formula One World Championship, and, along with Juan Pablo Montoya, the only driver to have won a race in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, Formula One, and an Indianapolis 500. No American has won a Formula One race since Andretti's victory at the 1978 Dutch Grand Prix.[1] Andretti had 109 career wins on major circuits.[2]
Andretti had a long career in racing. He was the only person to be named United States Driver of the Year in three decades (1967, 1978, and 1984).[3] He was also one of only three drivers to win races on road courses, paved ovals, and dirt tracks in one season, a feat that he accomplished four times.[3] With his final IndyCar win in April 1993, Andretti became the first driver to win IndyCar races in four different decades[4] and the first to win automobile races of any kind in five.[3]...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mario_Andretti

Quote:

Who watched racing this morning? Who saw Weber pass Alonso in that series of S turns? It was pretty cool.

I saw that. They were earning their money through there.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Honus (Post 2713867)

He could also drive anything with wheels:

Looks like he competed in most of five full seasons in F1.

Time flies when you are having fun!

Interesting debate. I'll say Fangio, then Shumaker. Stewart up there to. Stewart only started racing at 24. He was a skeet shooter before that. By 28 he was racing F1.
Mansell, might be on my list too. It s a bit of a steatch though. Also Prost.

Now my knocks against Senna. First I think he only won with McKlaren Honda. I remember not to many other makes winning during that time. It wasn't until Ferrari came out with their semi-auto gear box and some other rule changes. I think Prost won a championship during that time. Shumaker won with Bennaton Ford. I think that is when Senna switched to Renualt. I don't respect the way he did that.
A few years earlier, he said he wouldn't drive for less than $17 mil per yr. Mansell was making less than him at Renualt. Mansell had just won the Championship. Senna said he would drive for less. Well bad karma.
Stewart won with two different teams. He jumped ship after just winning the F1 Championship. He gaged it right. Didn't see the next car developing right.
I do wonder about different eras, in all types of racing. I think Dale Earnhart said something to the effect that most of the newer drivers (Gordon) wouldn't survive the racing in the 70's and early 80's.
Tom