Who is mario andretti son

On race day, though, Marco failed to lead a single lap, something that had not happened to a pole winner since He finished 13th. I can never answer that. His only boss was his father. Bobby Rahal, meanwhile, sent his son out to learn in other organizations. Graham Rahal had driven for both Newman-Haas and Chip Ganassi when, six seasons later at 24 years old, he finally went to drive for his father.

I want him to see other stuff. Andretti Autosport in April signed Sebastian and Oliver Wheldon, the year-old and year-old sons of the late driver Dan Wheldon, to junior development programs.

The Wheldon boys and their mother have been navigating the junior racing divisions the last six years and could guide Rio should Michael greenlight another Andretti chasing the bug.

Mario remembers setting up a race course at a high school near their Pennsylvania home for his sons to navigate on a golf cart. Like a duck to water. He also began to race occasionally on dirt tracks. Although he enhanced his reputation as one of the world's most versatile drivers, Andretti won only four USAC races in , finishing second in the standings to Bobby Unser.

After a string of disappointments at the Indianapolis , the most important of all races, Andretti finally broke through with a victory in He also won a hour road race at Sebring that season. In Andretti suffered a series of crashes and mechanical problems, and he failed to win any major races. With an Indy trophy finally in his collection, Andretti decided to focus more energy on Formula One racing during the s.

He won the South African Grand Prix in , but struggled through the next several seasons without a Grand Prix victory. He did, however, manage to win the USAC dirt track championship in , a further show of his versatility. In Andretti finally began to achieve the kind of success in Formula One racing that he had in Indy cars. He came in third in the standings among Formula One drivers that year, winning the U. The following year, only his second racing Formula One full time, Andretti realized a life-long dream by becoming the Formula One World Champion.

By the early s, however, Andretti had pretty much retired from the Grand Prix circuit, and was once more ready to concentrate on Indy cars. In , at an age 46 generally considered over-the-hill for a race car driver, Andretti took his fourth Indy Car championship. Although the victories started to come less frequently, Andretti continued to race competitively through the rest of the s and into the first half of the s, both in Indy Cars and in the occasional Formula One event.

He won an Indy Car race in before encountering an extended dry spell. His last Indy Car win—the 52nd of his career—came in a race in Phoenix. That year, at the age of 53, Andretti set the all-time qualifying speed record of Andretti retired from racing following the Grand Prix of Monterey at the end of the season.

Meanwhile, the most famous race car driver in the world had spawned the most successful racing dynasty in history. Son Michael has become one of racing's top drivers in his own right. Andretti's other son, Jeff, and nephew John Aldo's son have also shown the Andretti magic behind the wheel. During the early s, several Indy Car fields included four drivers named Andretti. After weeks of contemplation, Andretti eventually decided against entering the U. Even in retirement, however, Andretti remains a giant figure among racing fans.

He is much in demand for appearances and endorsements. Although he has now left the driving to the next generation of Andrettis, his charisma and diverse skills will be difficult for his successors to match. All rights reserved. There is no eloquence. He will be dearly missed. Andretti said he and grandson Marco had traveled together to Indianapolis on Dec.

They were World War II children who had grown up sharing a bed, whispering in the dark about Ferrari, Nino Farina and Alberto Ascari, wondering if the Andretti boys might someday have their own chance to be famous race car drivers. Four days after arriving in the U. By , they had one car built for the two of them to share. Aldo won the coin flip and the right to enter the first race. He won. The Andretti boys raced all year without telling their father. In the season finale, Aldo flipped his car and spent four days in a coma.

Last week my twin brother Aldo passed away. This story about the two of us makes me smile, and sigh deeply. A sense of contentment I suppose.

I like the story a lot.