Happy birthday Mario Andretti!

28Hello Mario. First of all, thank you for choosing this beautiful Italian… Did the roots speak when you decided?

It could also have been a Ferrari or a Maserati! (Laughs) In any case, I'm happy that you like my Lamborghini Aventador!

Do you only have Italian ones in your garage?

No, you'll also find a Corvette and my dad's Ford Bronco. And quite a few motorbikes…

Where are you taking us?

In Nazareth. The town where my family settled when we arrived, in 1955. It's where I got married, in 1961, to Dee Ann, a very pretty English teacher, and it's also the place where our family grew with the arrival of our three children Michael, Barbie and Jeff. This city means a lot to me, I have always been very happy there. Although we have a house in Florida, my home is here. And always will be. 

Were you already interested in motorsport before your arrival from Italy or was it in the United States that you discovered it?

My love for motorsport began when I was just a teenager in Italy. In the 50s, the F1 was still very young, but Italy was already very proud of its machines with Ferrari, Maserati, Alfa Romeo. I admired Alberto Ascari (F1 world champion in 1952 and 1953 with Ferrari. Editor’s note). He was my idol and played a crucial role in what would one day become my motorsport career. He motivated me from the start. From the day I attended the Italian Grand Prix in 1954, when I was 14, I no longer had a “plan B”. Motorsport was the only possible path, and becoming a driver the only objective. Once in the United States, the first thing we did with Aldo, my twin brother, was to see how we could start competing. There was a trail, here in Nazareth, and two years later, n