Michael Andretti

American racing driver and 1991 CART champion, son of 1978 F1 World Champion Mario Andretti, whose single Formula 1 season with McLaren in 1993 proved a difficult chapter in an otherwise decorated IndyCar career.

Born on 5 October 1962 in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, Michael Andretti is the son of 1978 Formula 1 World Champion Mario Andretti. He built a highly successful career in American open-wheel racing, finishing runner-up in the CART championship in 1986 and 1987 before winning the title outright in 1991 with Newman-Haas Racing, driving alongside his father. Andretti's CART success attracted the attention of Formula 1 teams, and in 1993 he signed with McLaren to partner triple World Champion Ayrton Senna. The move proved difficult: Andretti struggled to adapt to the technically complex active-suspension cars and chose not to relocate to Europe full-time, commuting from Monaco or the United States for races instead, a decision widely seen as hampering his adjustment. His McLaren season yielded just seven championship points and a best finish of third at his final race, the Italian Grand Prix at Monza, having recovered from an early spin. Andretti left the team and Formula 1 by mutual agreement after that race, with Mika Häkkinen promoted to replace him for the season's final rounds, and returned to the United States to resume his IndyCar career with Chip Ganassi Racing in 1994. Andretti went on to have a decorated career back in American open-wheel racing, later becoming a team owner of Andretti Autosport, one of IndyCar's most successful modern outfits, and remains the last American driver to score both a podium finish and championship points in Formula 1.

Aggressive, versatile open-wheel racer better suited to American oval and road courses than F1's technical era

One of the most successful American open-wheel racers, whose single F1 season remains a footnote in an otherwise decorated career