Mario Andretti is one of the greatest race car drivers of all time. His son Michael has not only had a successful driving career, but has also been extremely successful on the business side of racing. Andretti Global is working hard to get on the Formula One grid with their own team having Cadillac as their manufacturing partner. Although the FIA has approved their application, Formula One Management (FOM) has rejected their application. Starting an F1 team from scratch and trying to put everything in place is extremely complicated, time consuming and expensive.

At the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach, Andretti was in the media center along with George Levy – president of the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America (MSHFA), reminiscing about his success as a driver here, especially with the Newman/Haas team. This was part of the announcement of the class of 2025 inductees into the MSHFA where Carl Haas will be inducted. Additionally, Skip Barber was also on hand as he will also be inducted next March. At the conclusion of that press conference, a number of journalists had the opportunity to ask Mario questions to find out the latest news on what’s happening with the F1 situation. Mario is candid, measured, and forthright with his answers. He was also gracious to spend the amount of time he did with us to fill us in during his busy weekend. Enjoy!

NOTE: The audio clip starts abruptly as we arrived just as the questions started.

By Larry Mason

Copyright © 2024 Larry Mason

The greatest driver of all time? Some people think so. Mario Andretti is synonymous with success in auto racing.

Skip Barber (L) and George Levy (m) listen to Mario talk about the success he had at Long Beach in Formula One and also Indy cars, specifically with the Newman/Haas team.

Mario hams it up with Levy and Barber by standing on a chair to get taller!

Mario ditches the chair for a “proper” photo op with the guys.

How does Mario get to all of his commitments and appearances during the weekend? By scooter of course!

Interview and photos Copyright © by Larry Mason (unless otherwise noted)