Mario Andretti Quotes

I think it's counterproductive in many ways to pretend to know things you don't. You surround yourself with people who are the real experts.

Sebastian Vettel's brilliant talent will ultimately come forth and he'll continue to show what he's capable of. I will never ever degrade Vettel's ability. Sooner or later, he'll prove anyone so wrong

Nobody is born with a steering wheel or a gear shift in his hand. It's something you choose to do or you don't.

I will always enter a race car from the left side. Always. Why? I have no idea.

I like to think that the Grand Prix helped Long Beach to pretty much change its image.

Quite honestly, I treat myself with cars I really want to drive, and I have some flexibility to do that.

The passport changes but the blood doesn't

If you feel like you're under control, you're just not going fast enough.

You dream what you're supposed to do.

If everything seems under control, you're not going fast enough.

A father-son relationship is strong, like no other teammates. You could be straightforward with one another.

You should never get away from where the real foundation of Formula One has been, which is Europe. Of course, there is nothing wrong with the expansion to countries like Asia, China, Malaysia.

Desire is the key to motivation, but it's determination and commitment to an unrelenting pursuit of your goal - a commitment to excellence - that will enable you to attain the success you seek.

There is so much more demand for Formula One than it can supply. You have governments investing in circuits all over the world, and the private sector sometimes has a tough time competing with that.

I think social media really is a great tool. It fascinates me when I tweet something and right away you get a response almost immediately.

Staging Formula One is incredibly expensive.

Sometimes you have to bring back only the steering wheel so the car owner will know that you're giving it all you have.

A racing car is an animal with a thousand adjustments.

I'm so thankful that I've had such a long and uninterrupted career. I count my blessings every day for that because it was so fulfilling.

I wanted to have a career that would last a hundred years if possible.

As far as I'm concerned, Parnelli Jones was the greatest driver of his era. He had aggressiveness and also a finesse that no one else possessed. And he won with everything he put his hands on, including off-road.

Long Beach is the best. I tell everyone that.

The day of parochialism in sports is over. The world is too small for what people like to call 'the good old days.' Fans want the best, wherever they come from.

What is golden is miles under your belt, miles, miles, miles.

I see all these old people who don't have anything to do but eat, drink and sleep. I will never say 'retired' because that's such a finality that I don't want to be part of my life. I'll work until they throw me in a box.

I don't want to go out there and do something 3,000 other people can do.

I wish we could be 100% shielded from danger, but nothing is in life.

My wife loves football, but I think she's resigned to the fact that I'll never make it there.

From a prestige standpoint, the U.S. needs to host Formula 1. And I think Formula 1, they know they need the U.S. as well. So many companies that are global are based in the United States support Formula 1.

Speed is relative. You have to live it. You can't just jump into it. You have to live it all the time.

It takes a lifetime to build tradition.

From the driver's standpoint I had the same horrors, the same satisfactions, the same everything. The speed is relative. It's faster and things are happening quicker, but you have the equipment to handle it.

If a neighbor is killed in a car accident, do you sell your car and stop driving?

Circumstances may cause interruptions and delays, but never lose sight of your goal.

For every negative,
there's a positive. It's in everything. How you deal with life, outlook, how much energy you put into achieving
something. That's why I detest entitlement. Anything that's worthwhile is going to call for some sacrifice. Nothing
worthwhile will come to you without a price. People think in sports, you have different rules. You really don't. It's
whatever motivates you,

I had no problems staying motivated because things that were happening were things I looked forward to.

At Andretti Winery, I'm not the winemaker.

I go to bed is around 11, and I do that for every race. I get good sleep. I don't lie awake for any race. That's my routine.

Nothing compares to the Indianapolis 500.

You see people in the left lane, and as long as they are on the speed limit, they stay there. Get in the right lane and let people pass you - let the police worry about somebody who wants to speed. Don't force them pass in the right lane and zig zag, which can create an accident, just because you think you're correct.

The first time I fired up a car, felt the engine shudder and the wheel come to life in my hands, I was hooked. It was a feeling I can't describe. I still get it every time I get into a race car.

If you have everything under control, you're not moving fast enough.

Do it no matter what. If you believe in it, it is something very honorable. If somebody around you or your family does not understand it, then that's their problem. But if you do have a passion, an honest passion, just do it.

When you start thinking you may get hurt, it's time to get out of racing.

I never personally name anyone. I am not comfortable rating other drivers.

What I learned is that in business you must make decisions based on facts, not react with your heart.

When you are losing it can seem like there is a black cloud following you around, but like they say there is a silver lining in every cloud.

Unfortunately, we don't educate drivers enough to be respectful on the road.

My last race was at Le Mans in 2000, my first race was in 1959, so I dodged a lot of bullets along the way, I can tell you that.

If you think you're always in control, then you're not going fast enough.

Speed takes a little bit of getting used to, but rules have to be followed. At any speed, the more you run, the more you get used to it.

Whenever you're aggressive, you're at the edge of mistakes.

It is amazing how may drivers, even at the Formula One Level, think that the brakes are for slowing the car down.

I've driven just about every kind of car there is.

Motor racing is like one big family, ultimately, and when you come back to it, that's really what it feels like.

Foreign players is what makes golf so popular now.

All of the courses that run through real streets are very demanding. There is no room for error, no shoulders to lean on. If you go off the road, you're into somebody's shop-window or front porch.

I love technology - yes, I have fallen in love with older cars, but I'm all for new technology.

The man upstairs is pushing the buttons, and if your name happens to be on that button, well, thank you.

I've always said, 'I didn't have a Plan B in life.' I was in pursuit of my dream from the very beginning. It's all about desire and passion. At all costs.

You can't take a vacation from speed. I probably could have taken more time off and not driven in all the different disciplines, but I wanted to drive, drive and drive.

Tom Carnegie will never be replaced.

There's something special about racing in real streets. The 'artificial' circuits have a certain sameness to them. But every race conducted on real streets has a character of its own - Barcelona, Monaco, and now Long Beach.

If the Indy Racing League didn't have the Indianapolis 500, do you think it would have lasted more than six months? No chance.

If you don't feel out of control, you're not driving fast enough.

It makes great conversation to discuss what's wrong with open-wheel racing today.

The only thing that happens if you wait, is that you get older.

Anybody who can drive and doesn't come out of it a rich man is a fool.

If everything's under control, you're going too slow.

I look at myself as the luckiest man alive.

Love what you do. Believe in your instincts. And you'd better be able to pick yourself up and brush yourself off every day.

You do the best you can with what's thrown at you, then you try again.

Young drivers are supposed to be hard on equipment. That's how you learn.

If you weren't on Chris Economaki's radar screen, you probably weren't on anybody's.

The experts or the cynics say, "Oh, those were the good old days, that's when drivers were really drivers. They didn't have all these aids." You know what? What we had, we did the best with and when we got more we provided what was needed.