Formula 1

Ferrari-Cadillac deal rekindles long Andretti F1 romance

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The names Andretti and Ferrari seem to go together so well. Perhaps that's because it's already a winning combination - and one that is now destined to return to Formula 1 in 2026 (albeit without the prominence of the Andretti name as part of that partnership).

Yes, Ferrari has announced that it and the Cadillac team joining the F1 grid - registered as Andretti Formula Racing LLC - have agreed a "multi-year deal" for the supply of power unit and gearbox components from its point of entry in 2026.

But though the Andretti name might be missing, it's been a big part of the Cadillac project. And one of the key figures in that bid has a history with Ferrari stretching back more than half a century.

Mario Andretti - the father of Michael, who spearheaded the Andretti Global project in its pursuit of F1 before stepping away in October - made only his 10th start in F1 in the stunning Ferrari 312B at Kyalami in 1971, where he fought off that year's champion Jackie Stewart to win on his first attempt for Ferrari.

He made another nine starts for Ferrari and won a non-championship race shortly after his maiden win, in California, but ultimately he felt racing elsewhere would boost his salary at a time when his young family needed the support, and he elected to turn down the chance to become the Ferrari team's number one driver.

Niki Lauda grasped that 'A-driver' opportunity with both hands two years later, but that wasn't the end for Mario and Ferrari.

In 1977, with Andretti driving a Lotus 78 that kept breaking down, a return to Ferrari was all anyone could talk about at the Italian Grand Prix. Andretti had signed a letter of intent to stay at Lotus but still decided to take a meeting with Enzo Ferrari, who offered him double the highest F1 salary at the time. That was quite the ofter given Mario was yet to win a title.

A good Monza race for Lotus - plus Lotus's owner and designer Colin Chapman confronting Enzo Ferrari after his Andretti meeting - was enough to end the deal this time, and perhaps Andretti is lucky he persevered as the new Lotus 79 was dominant in 1978 and took him to that year's title.

There was to be a rekindling of the relationship though, as in 1982 - having not won a race since his 1978 title-winning season - Andretti returned as a heroic super-sub.

After Gilles Villeneuve was killed at Zolder and Didier Pironi's career was ended after a crash at Hockenheim, Ferrari only ran one car at the previous two races before Monza.

Drafted in for the Italian GP, Andretti took an incredible pole ahead of his first start in a turbocharged F1 car and finished third in the race, giving the Tifosi another instalment of Mario Mania.

In such dark days, it's telling that Enzo Ferrari himself turned to Andretti as the driver he trusted to help guide Ferrari forward, and Mario has spoken regularly about Enzo being a larger than life character who he dealt with directly through his career and was very good to him.

It's easy to see why fans of Ferrari loved Mario. Despite his emigration to America in 1955 - after seven years in a displaced persons camp when his birthplace, Montona, became part of Yugoslavia after World War II - the Tifosi always felt Andretti was an Italian and one of them.

Despite his repeated claim that the day he became a US citizen was the best day of his life, you feel the patriotic Ferrari fans have always ignored that fact and chosen to remember him winning at his first try in F1 with the team as well as his willingness to slip into Italian during interviews and with fans throughout his career.

Even in other teams, Andretti was just about the only driver the Tifosi would accept beating one of their cars.

And he was successful in sportscars and outside of F1 with the team, too - claiming two of his three Sebring 12 Hours wins with Ferrari, including in 1970 when he, Ignazio Giunti and Nino Vaccarella beat Porsche duo Steve McQueen - yes, that Steve McQueen! - and Peter Revson to victory in the Ferrari 512S (pictured above).

Photo credit: Sebring International Raceway

Now those fans can revel again in Mario's return, as he will serve on the board of directors for the Cadillac team that will be powered by Ferrari engines until Cadillac's works General Motors programme takes over towards the end of the decade.

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