Michael Andretti facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Michael Andretti
Andretti at Road America in 2024
Born	Michael Mario Andretti (1962-10-05) October 5, 1962 (age 62) Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Championship titles
CART Championship Car (1991) Major victories Long Beach Grand Prix (1986, 2002) Michigan 500 (1987, 1989)
Champ Car career
309 races run over 19 years
Best finish	1st (1991)
First race	1983 Caesars Palace Grand Prix (Caesars Palace)
Last race	2002 Gran Premio Telmex-Gigante (Mexico City)
First win	1986 Long Beach Grand Prix (Long Beach)
Last win	2002 Long Beach Grand Prix (Long Beach)
Wins Podiums Poles 42 98 32
IndyCar Series career
8 races run over 5 years
Best finish	24th (2003, 2006)
First race	2001 Indianapolis 500 (Indianapolis)
Last race	2007 Indianapolis 500 (Indianapolis)
Wins Podiums Poles 0 2 0
Formula One World Championship career
Nationality	American
Active years	1993
Teams	McLaren
Entries	13
Championships	0
Wins	0
Podiums	1
Career points	7
Pole positions	0
Fastest laps	0
First entry	1993 South African Grand Prix
Last entry	1993 Italian Grand Prix
24 Hours of Le Mans career
Years	1982–1983, 1988, 1997
Teams	Grand Touring, Porsche-Kremer, Porsche AG, Courage
Best finish	3rd (1983)
Class wins	0

Michael Mario Andretti (born October 5, 1962) is a famous American former racing driver. He is also a current team owner. Michael is known as one of the most successful drivers in American open-wheel car racing. He won the 1991 CART championship. He also won 42 races, which is a lot!

After he stopped racing full-time, Michael started his own team called Andretti Autosport. His team has won four IndyCar Series championships. They have also won five Indianapolis 500 races. Michael is the son of Mario Andretti, who was also a racing champion. His son, Marco Andretti, is also an IndyCar Series driver.

Early Life and Family

Michael Andretti was born on October 5, 1962. His hometown is Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, in the USA. His father, Mario Andretti, was a very famous race car driver. Mario won the IndyCar championship four times. He also won the Formula One championship once.

Michael's mother is Dee Ann. His brother, Jeff Andretti, also raced IndyCars. His uncle, Aldo Andretti, was a racer too. Aldo's son, John Andretti, was Michael's cousin. John raced in IndyCar and NASCAR. In 2006, Michael's oldest son, Marco Andretti, started racing in the IndyCar Series. The Andretti family is special. They were the first family to have five members race in the same series. These members were Michael, Mario, Marco, Jeff, and John.

Michael went to Nazareth Area High School. He also attended Northampton Community College.

Racing Career Highlights

Michael Andretti started racing karts. He won 50 out of 75 races over eight years. In 1980, he got his SCCA National License. He then won six races in 1981. This made him the Northeast Division Formula Ford champion.

In 1982, he won the Robert Bosch US Formula Super Vee Championship. He won six of 11 races that year. He also won the first race of the 1983 Super Vee season. Then, he moved up to Formula Atlantic. He won his second title there. This was the FIA Formula Mondial North American Cup.

Michael also raced in international sports car events. He raced at the 1982 24 Hours of Le Mans with his father. But their car was not allowed to race. The next year, they raced together again. They finished in third place.

Racing in CART

Andretti's first race-winning IndyCar, now on display in England.

Michael started racing in CART in 1983. He raced for the Kraco Enterprises team. In 1984, he finished third five times. He ended his first season in seventh place overall. At the 1984 Indianapolis 500, he finished fifth. He shared the "Rookie of the Year" award.

He won his first IndyCar race in 1986. This was the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach. The 1986 season was a close fight for the championship. It was between Andretti and Bobby Rahal. Andretti took the lead in points at the Milwaukee Mile. A week later, at Portland, his car ran out of fuel on the last lap. His father, Mario, won by a tiny bit. This was a very close finish in IndyCar history.

Andretti won a big race at Phoenix. He was only three points behind Rahal for the championship. But Rahal won the championship. Andretti finished second for the second year in a row.

The Andretti family's 962C race car at the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1988.

In 1988, Andretti won only one race. For the 1989 season, he joined Newman/Haas Racing. His father was his teammate. He won two races that year. He finished third in points. In 1990, he won five races and four pole positions. But he finished second in the championship again.

Andretti racing at Monterey, California in October 1991.

Michael Andretti became the CART champion in 1991. He won eight of 17 races. He also had eight pole positions. He led more than half of the laps that season. He won four of the last five races. He won the title when Rahal retired from the final race.

In 1992, Andretti won three races in the middle of the season. He won two more races later, including the last race. But Rahal beat him to the title by only four points. After this, Michael left for Formula One.

The Indianapolis 500 Challenge

The Andretti family has had bad luck at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. This is sometimes called the "Andretti curse." In 1984, Michael finished fifth. In 1991, he was leading with 12 laps left. But he finished second to Rick Mears. They had an amazing battle for the lead.

In 1992, he led most of the race. He had a two-lap lead. But with 11 laps left, his fuel pump broke. His car stopped, and he finished 13th. He also dropped out of the Indy 500 while leading in 1989, 1995, and 2003. Michael has led the most laps in the Indy 500 without winning it.

Formula One Experience

Andretti driving for McLaren at the 1993 European Grand Prix in Donington Park.

For the 1993 season, Andretti joined the McLaren team. His teammate was the famous champion Ayrton Senna. Michael had to learn many new tracks. Formula One cars were also much more complex than Indy cars. They had things like active suspension and traction control.

Michael had a tough start. He crashed in his first two races. He also crashed on the first lap of the European Grand Prix. In the 1993 Spanish Grand Prix, he finally finished a race. He came in fifth. He finished in the points three times. His best finish was third place at Monza. This was his last Formula One race. He left the team after that race.

Return to CART Success

Andretti returned to IndyCar racing after his Formula One season. He joined the Target Chip Ganassi Racing team. He won his very first race back in the series. This was the 1994 Australian FAI Indycar Grand Prix. He led every lap of that race. He also won the Molson Indy Toronto, his fourth win there.

In 1995, Andretti went back to Newman/Haas Racing. He won one race in Toronto. He finished fourth overall in points. In 1996, he finished second in the championship. He won five races that year. In 2000, he won the Firestone Firehawk 300 in Japan. He also won in Toronto again.

In 2001, Andretti moved to Team Green. He wanted to try and win the Indianapolis 500. He led 16 laps in that race. He was leading when it started raining. But the race continued. He had a flat tire and a small crash in the pits. He finished in third place. In July, he bought the team. It was renamed Andretti Green Racing.

Andretti's career in CART ended in 2002. He won his 42nd and final race at the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach. This put him third for all-time wins in championship car racing. Only his father (52 wins) and A. J. Foyt (67 wins) had more. Michael also holds the record for most wins in a CART/IndyCar season. He won eight races in his championship year of 1991. He finished in the top ten of the championship 17 times.

Team Owner and Later Racing

Andretti practicing for the 2007 Indianapolis 500.

Michael Andretti raced in the first four Indy Racing League events in 2003. This included the 2003 Indianapolis 500. After that, he stopped racing full-time. He led the Indy 500 for 28 laps. But a problem with his car ended his race. That year, he bought into the "Team Green" squad. It became Andretti Green Racing. The team moved to the Indy Racing League IndyCar Series.

His team won IndyCar Series titles in 2004 and 2005. They won 11 of 17 races. This included the 2005 Indianapolis 500. In 2007, his team won its third Series title. They also won their second Indianapolis 500.

Andretti returned to race in the 2006 Indianapolis 500. He wanted to help his son, Marco, who was a rookie. Michael led the race with four laps to go. He finished third, and Marco finished second. Marco almost won the race on the last lap.

After qualifying 11th for the 2007 Indianapolis 500, Andretti finished 13th. He then said it would be his last Indy 500 as a driver. Michael holds a special record at Indy. He led the most laps (431) without ever winning the race. He raced in 16 Indy 500s. His best finish was second in 1991. He led the race nine times.

By 2012, his team, Andretti Autosport, won the IndyCar Series championship again. Michael was the team owner and helped plan race strategies. His driver, Ryan Hunter-Reay, won four races. Hunter-Reay also won the 2014 Indianapolis 500.

In 2018, he started a partnership called Walkinshaw Andretti United. This team races in Australia. Andretti United also joined Extreme E in 2021. In 2022, Andretti announced he wants to enter a team in Formula One.

Other Activities

Andretti at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in May 2015.

In 1996, Michael Andretti invested in a car dealership. He also appeared on the TV show The Celebrity Apprentice in 2012. He joined the show when his son Marco could not. In March 2012, Andretti Sports Marketing started promoting races. They promoted the Milwaukee Mile IndyCar race. They also promoted other races like the Indy Grand Prix of Louisiana.

Personal Life

Michael Andretti has been married and has children. He has a son named Marco Andretti (born 1987). He also has a daughter named Marissa (born 1990). He has another son, Lucca (born 1999). In 2006, he married Jodi Ann Paterson. They have twin children, Mario and Miati (Mia), born in 2014. The family lives in Fishers, Indiana.

Awards and Recognition

Michael Andretti has received many awards.

• In 2002, he was inducted into the National Italian American Sports Hall of Fame.
• In 2008, he joined the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America.
• In 2010, he was added to the Long Beach Grand Prix Walk of Fame.
• In 2012, he entered the Canadian Motorsports Hall of Fame.
• In 2012, he was also inducted into the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Hall of Fame.

Racing Record

Career Summary

Formula One Results

(key)

Indianapolis 500 Results

Images for kids

• 

  Michael and Mario Andretti's 1989 Porsche 962.

See also

In Spanish: Michael Andretti para niños