Mario Andretti and Jacky Ickx were remarkably versatile even by the standards of their generation, competing and succeeding across multiple disciplines. Having won some of the biggest prizes in motorsport between them, both can look back on their journeys with immense pride.
But competition was only one part of the story, and the relationship Andretti and Ickx built stands out from the rest in motor racing.
Advertisement
So, when the two joined Motorsport.com on a video call for a special double interview, it felt like two old friends had been reunited. The pair always got along well when they were team-mates at Ferrari in Formula 1 and the World SportsCar Championship. But it’s remarkable how, six decades after they first met at the Mexican Grand Prix in 1968, their admiration and affection for each other remain undimmed.
“You have to explain to me how you stay in such good condition, because you look good,” Ickx said of Andretti.
“I understand, yesterday you won [IndyCar’s Freedom 250] and you finished on the podium. You have many reasons to smile. We hope at Genesis to be like you.
Advertisement
“You are amazing, my dear Mario. It brings me some emotions to think that what we did more than almost 60 years ago – yes, almost 60 years ago.
“You are the most famous driver – the celebrated, the iconic Mario Andretti. I had the fortune to share with you, it was yesterday, I believe, 1972, in a Ferrari 312 PB. So thank you very much.”
Andretti, clearly touched by Ickx’s praise, simply replied: “No, thank you. You were the best.”
Advertisement
Endurance exploits brought them together
Jacky Ickx, Mario Andretti, Ferrari 312 PB
Jacky Ickx, Mario Andretti, Ferrari 312 PB
When you see that kind of admiration from the pair, it’s easy to understand why they formed such a formidable pairing on track. It was in 1971 when they first shared a garage, teaming up at Ferrari for a double programme. Even as reliability held them back in F1, both scored a win each, with Andretti – who wasn’t even racing full-time – driving the 312B to victory on his debut outing for Enzo’s squad.
Advertisement
It was in sportscars, though, that their partnership really flourished. Their similar physical dimensions already made life easy for Ferrari’s designers, but it was ultimately mutual respect and understanding that turned them into such a formidable pair. Ickx, for instance, famously let Andretti qualify the car according to the American’s preference.
As a result, Ferrari dominated the 1972 season, with Andretti and Ickx winning four of the 11 races together, including Daytona, Sebring, Watkins Glen and Brands Hatch. Had Ferrari not skipped Le Mans after concluding its F1-derived engine wasn’t fit for a 24-hour contest (that year’s Daytona race was reduced to six hours), the pair would most certainly have been among the victory contenders at the legendary La Sarthe.
Andretti admitted that sharing a car in endurance racing brought him and Ickx together, laying the foundation for a friendship that has lasted to this day.
Advertisement
“Long-distance racing taught me a lot,” he said. “You’re sharing the moment with someone else to do the same thing.
“There’s no bigger pleasure when you’re in victory lane together with your partner. The ones that have accomplished the same thing for you – and with you.
“We all depend on each other to minimise the mistakes – and make no mistakes – to be able to bring it home.
“You’re sharing your victory in a different way when you’re driving in long-distance races. We’re both in the same seat during the race at one time or another and we’re both experiencing exactly the same thing. That’s something that brings you together.
Advertisement
“Jacky, specifically, from the long-distance racing factor, I did most of my long-distance races with him. That’s why I said he’s my best buddy, my best team-mate.”
Still chasing the same goal
Jacky Ickx, Genesis Magma Racing
Jacky Ickx, Genesis Magma Racing
Following his stint with Ferrari, Ickx went on to become one of the most successful names in sportscar racing history, winning Le Mans six times. He also triumphed in the Spa 24 Hours and Bathurst 1000 before turning his hand to rally raid and winning the Dakar Rally on his third attempt.
Advertisement
Andretti, likewise, accomplished almost everything he set out to achieve, winning marque races such as the Indy 500 and the Daytona 500 and claiming the championship in both Formula 1 and IndyCar.
Both may have long retired from active competition, but the passion for motorsport still burns brightly in their 80s. Andretti, besides being the patriarch of one of America’s biggest racing dynasties, works as a director for Cadillac’s new F1 team. Ickx, meanwhile, serves as a brand ambassador for Genesis Magma Racing, and recently sampled the GMR-001 at Paul Ricard.
Their lives may now be separated by geography – Andretti remains based in Pennsylvania while Ickx spends a significant amount of time in Africa – but the distance has done little to weaken their connection. If anything, they continue to follow each other’s careers and genuinely want to see the other succeed.
Advertisement
“I’ll be watching with interest,” said Andretti. “I wish you guys all the very best. Whatever your endeavours are, maintain your objectives and always go for the sky.”
“I wish you to enjoy life in your projects,” Ickx adds. “We are in very good company. We are lucky to still be active, to be in good health.
“We are very lucky, Mario. I keep in mind these days the years we have shared together, where we have shared long-distance racing.
Advertisement
“Of course, I follow you in your championships, F1, IndyCar, NASCAR, Midget.”
Mario Andretti, Jacky Ickx, Ferrari 312 PB
Mario Andretti, Jacky Ickx, Ferrari 312 PB
As the call drew to an end, both Andretti and Ickx bid each other goodbye. They could have spent the hour trading stories about their past glories, but instead, the conversation repeatedly returned to the time they had shared together on and off the track.
“You have been a real friend and such a talented driver,” concludes Ickx. “I was tempted to say I love you, but you’re not supposed to say that.
“Mario, stay safe, please,” he adds. “Stay safe. And thank you very much for your friendship.”
To read more Motorsport.com articles visit our website.
Read the full article here
