Michael Andretti and the McLaren Mess

[@mikehergenroether6160]

Senna was actually one of Andretti's biggest supporters and even admitted later on Andretti didn't get a fair shake.

[@tonycavez]

do you know that when Michael won the first race on the return to CART Senna was the only one who called him from F1 to congratulate him ?

[@Mark-bj4um]

How much of a “fair shake” is needed? Do you mean he shouldn’t have had to compete on a level playing field like any other new F1 driver? He had the BEST CAR in the field! I think he pretty much demonstrated the reason why there hasn’t been a competent American F1 driver since Eddy Cheever. The US doesn’t produce competent F1 car racers because you can’t “Hollywood” intelligence.

[@mikehergenroether6160]

@@Mark-bj4um Senna said that, not me.

[@Duval-In-The-Wall]

@@Mark-bj4um McLaren were nowhere near the best car in 1993 lmao

[@Mark-bj4um]

@@Duval-In-The-Wall by “Nowhere near the best car”, do you mean “only” the second best car for that year? No one comes into F1 as a complete F1 newbie and drives for any top contending constructor- unless there is a lot of money changing hands. Just because you can buy a seat doesn’t mean you are worthy- as Michael demonstrated so graphically in front of the world. That’s the beauty of F1- no BS, and it doesn’t matter “who” you THINK you are.

[@mchristr]

I was at Laguna Seca in 1982 during Michael's Super Vee championship season. He was not only fast but drove with more maturity than a 19 year-old should.

[@tacklefatkids]

He always seemed he just had the maturity without a lot of guidance. Just a driver that keeps to themselves.

[@don_chanLIVE]

actually some of the best motorsport documentarys on KZbin, keep up the hard work and it will pay off huge.

[@TheMobileChicane]

Thank you, I hope so too!

[@rowds]

Plural of documentary is documentaries not ''documentarys'' lol

[@ElsinoreRacer]

Yes, he should have moved to Europe, but Senna said he felt Michael had a bad combo in learning tracks, with less testing, in a car that Senna felt was twitchy and responded unpredictably to setup changes. So the car was cantankerous and unpredictable, on strange tracks, unlucky mechanical failures, teamed with the GOAT, and the whole world watching. Kind of unfair, really, but the kind of thing overcome by being seen to be there every day and working on. He wasn't a "team" guy and it got rough, he was expendable. Sad, though. No talent reason he couldn't have done well over time.

[@gold333]

The series “A season with Mclaren” really showed the shortcomings of Michael. I forgot which episode (the one testing the new engine for the MP4/8, I think the VII spec HB that came later in the year) they asked Michael how the engine was different to the Ford HB and he goes “it’s no good, it’s the same”. Then they ask Senna the same question, who then starts rattling off half a dozen differences he feels with the old engine. I also heard that his wife at the time (1993) was a hindrance to him mentally.

[@jamesbraun9842]

I think Michael's down fall was as they said not being a hundred percent committed to the team. His father Mario lived in the US but would be away in Europe for long periods during the F1 season to attend team meetings plus he understood the technical side of the car. Team mate Ayrton lived in Brazil but would be in Europe during the F1 season attending team meetings and tests plus he also understood the technical side of the car.

[@julianlockwood3040]

Great video. Ironically, Andretti’s struggles in ‘93 saved him from a painful season the following year with the Peugeot engine deal.

[@TheMobileChicane]

Wouldn't have been more competitive, but maybe a little less pressure without a Senna to be compared alongside.

[@rogeeeferrari]

Häkkinen stuck with the team and was rewarded, right ? 2 WDC's, Primadonna Andretti went home...

[@TheNecromancer6666]

The Peugeot V10 Was great! It powerful, indestructible, Fuel efficient. Sadly it was mounted in a 1994 McLaren and because of that it was so offended it instantly self destructed.

[@SurrealCereal]

@@rogeeeferrari how is he a primadonna for wanting to be close to his family? He achieved better success and a longer career in CART anyway. He would've been in Coulthard's place as the number 2

[@rogeeeferrari]

@@SurrealCereal You don't accept an offer to drive in F1 when being close to your family is a priority. He expected to get a race winning car because of his name, work needed to be done to develop the car and he was not available to do help with that. He gave nothing back to the team between races...

[@MikeHernandezjett]

Watching this is giving me flashbacks to how bad I felt for Michael back then, watching these races on TV.

[@dks13827]

he made only 1 lap sometimes.................................yes I felt very bad for him.

[@Demetris.Yiokkas]

I know I saw Michael race at Indycars (both before and after F1) and I know I saw a SUPER RACER. I went to Monza that year and saw him get his only podium in his final race in F1. The truth is that 1993 was never going to work for him. The technology on the cars was vastly complicated, the regulations governing the amount of laps allowed in practice worked against him, the pressure building and Ron Dennis backing Hakkinen to take his seat etc etc. Michael had so much to learn in such a little time. And all these in an unfriendly environment and in a team built around the legendary Senna. To me he is STILL a GREAT RACER.

[@Eric0816]

Fantastic content! There is a docu about the McLaren 1993 season. I remember a scene from pre season testing where the McLaren engineers explained to a close to tears Mika Häkkinen that the new guy Andretti is so much faster than him because he brakes so much later in certain corners. It's funny when you know how the whole thing will develope.

[@TheMobileChicane]

I watched that documentary as part of my research, it was a really interesting watch!

[@mark4lev]

@@TheMobileChicane have you got a link? I know hakk left foot braked in ‘94 but I don’t know if the McLaren had a two pedal set up in ‘93.

[@mark4lev]

@@reimoloon it’s not the bbc documentary from ‘93 is it, called ‘the team’

[@davidwisniewski3119]

@@mark4lev that’s it. I’m 3 eps in.

[@second_draft827]

10:18 arguably the best F1 shunt of the decade. The loosely constructed tire barrier made it all the more spectacular.

[@Indy1977TX]

I rooted for Michael that year. This is one of the most fair and well balance evaluations of his year. Great job,

[@jonnyspa27]

I was up at 6:30 every race morning to cheer him on. Tough season, and Monza was an excellent swansong...

[@Indy1977TX]

@@jonnyspa27 Great times, Alex!

[@weallfollowmanutd]

I have to confirm one error in this video. The customer Ford engine was never 40hp down. It was between 15-20hp. In fact, Senna preferred the customer engines power delivery, by the time he ran it in Germany and swapped it back.

[@A-m-K]

From all the years i can only recall reading or getting info from different sources, that the difference between the customer engine and that from benneton was even 80hp!

[@weallfollowmanutd]

@@A-m-K Those sources were wrong. People who actually developed those Cosworth engines actually know the gap was never that huge. No way in the space of one season they gained 80hp. It was an incremental amount.

[@mark4lev]

The newer engine rev limit was higher presumably because of the pneumatic valve system. Aero was much more important on these cars. The Williams and benneton were superior in this respect.

[@weallfollowmanutd]

@@mark4lev Thats a bit vague tbh. The McLarens aero was on a similar level to Williams. The Benetton was a bit behind both McLaren and Williams for at least the first 4 or 5 races of 1993. Not least because of running the modified 1992 car to start the season.

[@dividjones8107]

You failed to mention that when Hakkinen took over he out qualified Senna in his first race, came third in his second race and had a mechanical DNF in his last, sounds like a good swap to me

[@gold333]

Hakkinen was given the best engine in Estoril (check A Season With Mclaren). He never out qualified Senna after that. In fact by Adelaide Senna was outqualifying Hakkinen by 1 second.

[@G.P_79]

@@gold333 well Mika did light a fire under Senna after telling him he needed bigger balls.

[@A-m-K]

@@G.P_79 That would be the equivalent of telling Fedor Emelianenko (The greatest mixed martial artist, and imo the greatest combat sports athlete ever) to need bigger balls 🤭

[@G.P_79]

@@A-m-K basically

[@markko17]

Michael was smart to leave when he did. After Senna won the last two Grands Prix. A McLaren driver would see the top step of the podium until DC won the first race of the '97 season at Australia. All of '94, '95, and '96 they had the occasional podium but no wins. If Michael had still been with McLaren during that time you know the press would have placed a lot of the blame on him.

[@TheMobileChicane]

Very true, if he thought his 1993 struggles were bad, thank goodness he didn't have to struggle through the whole Peugeot / Mansell debacles to come.

[@msbrownbeast]

It was also mentioned that Andretti didn't leave McLaren in 1993, but he was dumped by the team and replaced by Hakkinen, who promptly outqualified Senna in the following race and garnered a podium finish the race after that.

[@tonycavez]

Michael didn 't just hand the seat to Hakkinen for nothing rumors say he probably got at least 10 million

[@Brooks22n]

He didn’t “ leave “ he got fired , he was awful

[@SuperDavidGnomo]

Senna was a god driver Genius, thats why in 1993 he won 5 rachea with a weak car.

[@MetalGuru965]

I want to point out that when McLaren hired Hakkinen, testing time got split between him and Michael. IMO, this is the single biggest reason why Michael failed to get results; not enough seat time. The fact the F1 sims weren't a thing back then didn't help matters. So even if Michael got an apartment in Woking, all he could have done was go to the factory every day and drink tea with the mechanics.

[@AlistairMaxwell77]

The relocation thing doesn't really fly . Concord was under 3 hours to cross the Atlantic and Andretti could afford to do it whenever he needed to. Mario summed it up best , as soon as Senna signed MA was not needed or wanted by Mclaren and Ron Dennis set about getting what he wanted.

[@adampetten5349]

Split how? It still would have been a lot more than staying in the States provided. He's like Marvis Frasier...very talented...but not his Dad.

[@RockSolitude]

I mean it doesn't help that Mika Hakkinen was supremely talented and the better driver over Michael. Mika also had the right attitude while Michael's attitude only harmed his prospects.

[@mikekadlcak1963]

@@RockSolitude Mika didn't go to Indycar to show if he was the better driver, what he wasn't. Michael was more talented than Mario, he said it himself several times. In Indycar Michael would have had 5 championships and would have pass A.J. Foyt in total wins easy...if the cars were more reliable. He was a master in passing.

[@cantfindawayout]

"And F1 fans were shocked to see the lesser spotted phenomenon of the second McLaren still circulating by the end of the first lap" is one of the funniest things I've heard in a while. The whole video is amazing, as per usual :)

[@TheMobileChicane]

Thanks! It’s been a while since I watched this video - thanks for reminding me of this line 😅

[@MercyShot83]

Absolutely brilliant Video! F1 is brutal. If you dont deliver, youre out. Nobody is asking why you are not fast. Only thing that matters for McLaren at the time, were wins and podiums. No one cares for good test performances. Ron also could be very hard and cold. This all combined, destroyed Mikes spirit and F1 Carreer.

[@TheMobileChicane]

Thank you! And agreed, I think that environment and expectation was neatly omitted from the F1 dream that Ron sold him in '92.

[@soisaidtogod4248]

HE WAS NOT GOOD ENOUGH, FULL STOP.

[@MrDewanchand]

@@soisaidtogod4248 yes he was. He got podium in his last race.

[@G.P_79]

@@MrDewanchand sometimes unfortunately podiums don’t cut it.

[@waynekerr67]

Not just F1. In any form of racing, if you are paid, you better bring it.

[@peteatkinson3500]

That's an absolutely ruthless take on Andretti at 9:20. Love it!

[@danielhenderson8316]

Not sure if it was real or not, but one of the rumors running around at the time is the race Michael finished 3rd was raced in Senna's chassis to see if there was a problem with Michael's car. Either way, this was a match made in hell. McLaren had an underpowered Ford and never figured out active suspension while Michael was living in the US and showed up jet lagged for any race or test session when his greatness would be enough. There's plenty of blame to throw at both parties on this one.

[@TheMobileChicane]

Interesting, if true! Would go someway in explaining the huge upturn in competitiveness potentially.

[@FallingPicturesProductions]

Speaking as a Indycar guy and a CART megafan even decades after it's death, Michael's driver success over here was that he spent most of his career #1 on what was as close to a 'factory' team as you could get (he used the same chassis as all the teams except Penske, but was in the factory Ford team), and he was **always** a hard charger using sheer aggression, but this also meant that he was easily beaten by rivals in other teams anytime the equipment was competitive. 1970/72 F1 champion Emmerson Fittipaldi handedly clapped Michael's season in 1989 en route to a title, Al Unser Jr won twice as many titles and scored two 500. Rick Mears used sheer intelligence to overcome badly injured feet to steal one of Michael's three attempts to win the Indy 500 in 1991. Bobby Rahal did the same regarding the title in 1992, and while Michael was suffering mechanical gremlins that year, Michael had a way superior car and engine yet Rahal was constantly dragging himself right to Michael's rear. Also in 1992 complete animal Paul Tracy showed up midseason and across multiple races was able to out-aggressive Michael, most significantly causing Michael to completely implode on the last lap of the Detroit GP in what should have been an easy 2nd. That's not to say that Michael Andretti was bad. Fuck no. There's a reason his name is always the first when someone asks "Greatest Indycar driver to never win the 500". His move back to CART into Ganassi in 1994 was before Ganassi was a megateam, it was a midfielder team taking a gamble on a new chassis that in it's first year was really peaky compared to the ultra dominant Penskes and the consistent Lolas. But his hyper aggression was something he never really reigned in, and while there are some who would hate me for saying it I'd ague that Paul Tracy did a better job reigning in his hyper aggression then Michael ever did. Michael lost his shot at the 1996 and 2000 CART titles primarily due to mechanical gremlins, the 1997-1999 years were spent with a specialized Swift chassis made just for his team...in an era where specialized chassis were far worse then just getting ultra-competitive Reynards or cheap Lolas, and as a result he would frequently overdrive and destroy his equipment in still-rookie mistakes. Being a super fast driver and super aggressive alone doesn't work in F1. Aggression in F1 in those days was more of timing and understanding your competitor and his car on the circuit, and Michael never took the effort **or** got the time to properly hone that skill, just relying on push-puhs-push-push blindly. With that said, if the move happened in 1994 rather then 1993, I imagine Michael would have had a much more successful F1 career. That season of F1 cars were overweight bloated pieces of crap by European standards...so his experience in the twitchier and heavier CART cars would have transferred over far better then in 1993 when the machines were high-speed computers. Also take note. If Michael gets his own F1 team (I personally don't think it will happen) they'll likely slot Colton Herta into that car. And Herta in many ways feels like a repeat of Michael Andretti...all the exact same highs and lows. Not to mention that on all fronts Michael's racing teams have regressed in the last few years.

[@TheMobileChicane]

This is a great comment, I'm not as well versed in IndyCar/CART history as I am in Formula One, so this was great for me to get some more back story and understanding of Michael's legacy in America. Thank you! I wonder whether his "just be aggressive" nature was another thing he took away from Mario during his time in F1, and another thing that had drastically changed between F1 in the 70s and the 90s. I know for instance the likes of Ronnie Peterson would rarely do any setup changes or adjustments, and just drive around those problems - which was fine for someone as ultra talented as Peterson but very annoying for his teammates and crew! America is pushing for more and more of a hold on F1; we'll have three US races by next year, and I can see there being a big push to accept another American team onto the grid - namely one with as much funding and prestige as Andretti has, and one that wants to introduce American talent to the grid too. Like I say, my IndyCar knowledge is limited so I only know Herta through the huge hype he's been given in the articles I've read over here. The same thing is happening with Pato O'Ward too. Do you think he'd be a better fit for F1?

[@americancitizen7937]

Marco Andretti would have done okay in F1. I think despite what he says that is where his heart is. Just look at his Monaco tweet before this years Indy 500. Marco always good on road courses and did fairly well in the A1 Grand Prix series. I think personal reasons kept him out of F1 and I think he's no longer agressive in America, because he does not want to take risks and get blamed for crashes. Andretti's struggles in Indycar have more to do with Penske's ownership of it, as that is when gremlins popped up for them. Kasey Kahne had a relationship with Red Bull and I know if he wanted to try F1 and they put him at Toro Rosso, he would've done way better than Scott Speed, no doubt in my mind and many others on the grid. If Kahne had taken that route, he could've won about 4 grand prix's in a 5 year period. Maybe 10 in 10 year period.

[@marce33333]

Great video and content, with the spectacular images as a bonus. F1 racing is where the sharks live. In the end, we see a ton of young talents that... end up eaten by the sharks. But, in my opinion, you just can't delete the performance of Michael in his four initial races. I mean... some mistakes were clearly mistakes we see on lower tier series. And after that, both him and Senna were in a bad one, with the car going straight backwards. It is possible, but I don't believe McLaren did anything on purpose. We can always see a possibility that Michael's sponsorship interest would start vanishing within the season, and then it's really easy to understand why Ron wanted Hakkinen in. For me the real shame is that... when the car started to see a glimpse again was when Michael left.

[@mattpotter8725]

One thing that he seemed to struggle with quite a bit and you didn't really mention, but was there in the first part of the documentary was the grid starts. In CART and IndyCar they have rolling starts so a standing start from a grid position would have been quite alien to him and it showed. I don't buy the sabotage conspiracy theory, but think that there wasn't enough support from the team, but then again I'm not sure at that time the team saw it as their responsibility. Drivers who made it tendeded to hit the ground running, even in lesser teams, or they would struggle and would be out before you knew it. I think there was an expectation that Andretti would be able to adapt quite quickly. The fact the car has issues and he was having to complete with Senna didn't help, but I think if he'd have finished races and picked up some points early on he'd have been given some slack, and improved considerably by the end, but apart from that final race, by which stage it was too late, he was already out the door.

[@TheMobileChicane]

The standing starts / rolling starts argument is a fair point - good observation!

[@markevans1127]

Great commentaryThis information never got to the public of how difficult it was for Michael. Thanks

[@TheMobileChicane]

Thanks Mark, glad you enjoyed!

[@barry394139]

Senna was no doubt about it the greatest ever wet weather driver in F1 history!

[@default123default2]

Also one of the most arrogant drivers in the sport too

[@barry394139]

@@default123default2 that was Prost!

[@starryskydoves2166]

If one of the reasons Michael Andretti struggled was a lack of familiarity with F1, why was Jacques Villeneuve successful with a similar background and a lack of familiarity?

[@TheMobileChicane]

A lot more preparation and dedication I believe. Before his debut in 1996, Frank Williams sent Villeneuve to undertake nearly 10,000km of testing across Europe, as well as many hours in the earliest form of racing simulators.

[@sabataskull9661]

Frank Williams was better boss than that pos Ron, so Frank prepared Jacques ( and himself too with F1 videogames)

[@MazandJazz]

Nice work. Good to see someone look beyond the results pages

[@TheMobileChicane]

Thank you!

[@ryanmckeever3308]

Amazing in Michael's return to CART he beat Mansell in the first race back.

[@mikekadlcak1963]

Exactly, and he gave Chip Ganassi the first wins that year. And Reynard as well the first win, which was not the best car. The Newman Haas Lola was actually a better car than the Reynard that year... Penske built the beast tho '94.

[@Slinger43]

Don't forget the turn 1 shunt with Mr Lionhearted & the confrontation between Michael & Nigel that ensued 😠👉👈🏼🤬 LOL! I never saw so much hand gesturing/finger pointing in my life! 😳!!! Mario's young'in came with a mission that day in 94, he came to prove he was everything an Andretti should be, and more, in short..... He drove the wheel's offa that tank of a Racecar! Mario once said that "No One" could drive a racecar like Michael & I for one totally agree. F1 flat did Michael & the Andretti name wrong, they were never happy that Mario, an Italian by birth, but instead professed to Europe & the World that he was an American, had been F1's WC in 1978, and 15yrs later they took their revenge on Mario's son 👎😒

[@briansukhu4392]

@@Slinger43 F1 did not do Michael wrong. He was given the opportunity to race for a top team in the pinacle of motor sport. M andretti did not perform. You can argue about the reasons, I don't think his performance on F1 reflected his talent. I believe over time he would have improved and probably won races

[@Slinger43]

@@briansukhu4392 Oh! Well I must be wrong then, I mean you say so, so obviously I wrong, right? 👎😒

[@briansukhu4392]

@@Slinger43 I am from.England. I remember when Mario raced a couple of races in 1982 for Ferrari. after the death of GVilleunuve ( bad spelling ) and Didier Pironi's injury, we welcomed him back. I was excited to see the great man race in F1. Now the ill informed, who do not observe and analyze F1 races properly would have dismissed Michaal A in 91. The more seasoned observer would be well aware of other factors during his brief stint that resulted in what happened.

[@bpcuaie]

Amazing content, man! I really, really love your channel. The amount of work that must go into these videos is probably staggering. I hope you'll get to the point of making money out of this so you can keep the videos coming. Best of luck!

[@TheMobileChicane]

Thank you so much!

[@elliyeti73]

I think Michael should have committed to F1 by signing with another team for year 2. It probably would have been a lower team on the grid but it would have given him time to learn F1, the cars and the tracks. Hakkinen by comparision had already done two seasons with Lotus.

[@bryantdunbar3476]

According to Mario, Michael did spend time at McLaren's shop between races early in the season in an effort to demonstrate his dedication to the team and his F1 career. However, the team told him to go home and that his presence wasn't needed. With the specter of sabotage being a real possibility, it's plausible that team's attitude to Michael's presence between races was also more accurate than Michael's desire to hop on the Concord and get home to be with family, at least early in the season. Eventually, things became academic for both sides and there was no way it was going to end well.

[@TheMobileChicane]

Interesting, perhaps then those early season errors really did creep into the team's opinion of him and the way they interacted with him thereafter.

[@johnelectric933]

That is typical Andretti, good performance is the driver, poor performance is always someone else's fault.

[@exist]

I always find it funny when people say Senna's donington race was one of his best, when even himself said, it wasn't. He told journalists that it wasn't hard because MP4/8 had Traction Control and Active suspension.

[@2jsalomon]

it just seemed like the stars aligned..in a bad way... where everything possible went wrong to prevent him from succeeding in f1. Which is basically what your video is saying in a nutshell, haha. i truly believe, that if given more time, he no doubt would have been more successful as time went on. Great documentary.. you have a new subscriber now! Cheers from Texas, usa! keep up the great work.

[@TheMobileChicane]

Thanks for subscribing Jacob, glad you enjoyed the video!

[@mk1cortinatony395]

I echo your comments Jacob and Im in the UK and have followed f1 since the 70's.

[@ForelliBoy]

I guess you could call that an extension of the "Andretti Luck"

[@scottgregory6129]

subscriber 827 here. You sir, will see much success. Information goes deep, video is excellent, and your audio is great. Can't believe I got in this early. You give me hope for my own efforts. I absolutely love what I am seeing, and I am only 5 min in. Quality cannot be denied! Edit: I want to add that script and narration, along with the memes, are also fantastic. Nothing like a British accent and racing, especially regarding a yank in f1.

[@TheMobileChicane]

Thank you Scott, very kind words - glad you enjoyed the video!

[@sinkrust1]

I remember being extremely disappointed with the entire situation. Like you I placed much of the blame on MAs lack of commitment, but it was certainly more complicated than just that. Great video!

[@TheMobileChicane]

Thank you Teddy!

[@marksimpson2689]

Brilliant video, shows different points and different factors involved

[@ForelliBoy]

this is what we call another instance of the infamous Andretti Luck

[@mateusznoga41]

Such quality content on topics that aren't brought up in bigger channels. Keep it up man!

[@TheMobileChicane]

Thank you Mateusz!

[@DualityOttawa]

Not long before the algorithm picks up on the quality of your content and skyrockets your outreach. Give it time mate, I'll be happy to say I was subscribed on the ground level. Great content!

[@TheMobileChicane]

Thank you Patrick!

[@mrbungle3310]

I just hope they let Andretti enter as the 11th team...it would be improving the sport and bring some fresh new faces Also amazing video

[@TheMobileChicane]

Thanks for dropping by again Bungle, always good to see you pop up in the comments. Likewise, I'm really hoping for Andretti to make it to F1, I think they could be a breath of fresh air and potentially shake up the order.

[@truefoxxx]

Thank you, to whoever did this video. Great work. Nice to watch and learn. I've just subscribed, to show that I'm thankful.

[@TheMobileChicane]

Thank you for the subscription - glad you enjoyed it!

[@TimothyAus10]

Great summary. I was always a huge Michael fan and had the highest hopes for him in F1. His driving talent was better than what his time at McLaren reflected.

[@TheMobileChicane]

Thank you Timothy! Glad you enjoyed.

[@soisaidtogod4248]

LOL, no it was not.

[@thiscocks]

@@soisaidtogod4248 Yes it was. He was a very quick driver as his drive in Italy proved.

[@matthewbell1968]

This is a really professional and well thought out video, subscribed!!

[@TheMobileChicane]

Thanks Matthew!

[@stevenbrown3852]

He may not have had a great deal of support, but he tried to run F1 like Mario jetting back and forth overseas. He should have stayed in Europe and devoted more time with the team. It did not look like he was very committed. The sabotage claim is bull and sounds like sour grapes. Michael messed up, big time!

[@tesladiesel2420]

I remember reading an article about this sometimes around 1992/93 where, he talked about flying the concord back and forth between the two continents. According to the article the main reason was - get this, “Europe didn’t have proper plumbing and he didn’t want to live in the stone ages”… poor thing!

[@liubei106]

I can't wait to get off work and watch this! It's hard to think of another teammate pairing that had such a gulf in results and reputation

[@TheMobileChicane]

Thank you, I hope it was worth the wait! The only one I can think of Dave Walker and Emerson Fittipaldi at Lotus in 1972. Fittipaldi won 5 races and won the world title, whilst Walker failed to score a point.

[@de-fault_de-fault]

Little did I expect to be featured in this video...

[@jamesmcnauliv4527]

Awesome video! You have a great voice and delivery. I am a believer in the fact that Mario prayed to god in 69 in Indy “let me win this race and I’ll never ask you again”. Could you please do a video on the “Andretti curse” at the Indy 500

[@TheMobileChicane]

Thanks James! That would definitely be a cool idea to tackle - it's on the list.

[@Spike-sk7ql]

@@TheMobileChicane yes. That would be an awful, but great watch.

[@martintaiani]

Great video. Should have many more views.

[@TheMobileChicane]

Thanks Martin!

[@johnborton4522]

What a great piece of work. SO well done.

[@TheMobileChicane]

Thanks John!

[@DucatiPaso750]

Prior to his F1 departure, Michael Andretti was my favorite CART driver. However, even I couldn't believe that he wouldn't relocate to England for Formula 1. I agree that his biggest mistake was not giving 100 percent commitment.

[@ericbishoff4812]

Its a similar situation/struggles to Alex Zanardi with one major difference the Jordan, Minardi, Lotus and Williams cars weren't able to win races.

[@TheMobileChicane]

Zanardi, Bourdais, Andretti - bar Villeneuve, the switch from US racing to F1 rarely works out it seems.

[@markorocak1466]

@@TheMobileChicane Mario Andretti and Montoya did well also.

[@Duval-In-The-Wall]

Andretti, Karl Wendlinger, and Berger 1993 summed up

[@arthuralford]

Great work, and a very accurate study of what went wrong with Andretti

[@TheMobileChicane]

Thanks Arthur!

[@AndySuk99]

Excellent balanced and unbiased documentary. Thank you.

[@TheMobileChicane]

Thanks for watching!

[@isaacnicholson4306]

First video I watched from this channel. Instant subscribe. Great video very well narrated, touches of humor

[@TheMobileChicane]

Thanks Isaac, glad you enjoyed!

[@oliversanson6207]

Really great video, the relationship with Americans in F1 both as drivers and owners has always been weird in one way or another.

[@TheMobileChicane]

Thanks Oliver!

[@celola]

Was it also a conspiracy when Moreno decided to do a couple races at formula Atlantic (Pacific)? Remembering that Moreno didn’t even raced on those circuits before…

[@jeff1176]

Wow I had never heard these things about McClaren and Michael Andretti. This was a great video. Now I can understand the rest of the grids reluctance about the impending entry into the highest form of motorsport. Next year will very interesting to watch.

[@TheMobileChicane]

Glad you enjoyed it, Jeff!

[@Holden308]

When it comes to Michael Andretti and McLaren, most of Michael's bitterness I guess you can call it is focused on Ron Dennis rather than the other members of the team from back then. And from what I have heard he and Ayrton Senna actually got along quite well. Senna had been a bit of a spoiled brat in his earlier F1 years. But he had matured a lot by 1993.

[@sabataskull9661]

Ron Dennis is a pain in the ass. He destroyed his oen team in 2007.

[@seamusblack5876]

Fantastic Video id forgotten he didn't move to England Not only could he have done more testing but he could have travelled to the other Circuits to learn them in a road going car

[@timy0218]

Got goosebumps at the end! Very interesting documentary! I hope for more ^^

[@TheMobileChicane]

Thank you! Already working on the next video - should be out next month!

[@liondriven9073]

A masterpiece of a video! I learned a lot. Maybe add a very quiet music in the background, it will be perfect.

[@AlistairMaxwell77]

Its worth noting that Chip Ganassi Racing in 94 was not the powerhouse they are now in American racing . They were mid field mid budget team in their early years and 94 surfers was their first win with Michael. The F1 equivalent of returning back 1st race and smashing the entire field in an alfa romeo or aston martin .

[@TheMobileChicane]

That is impressive, my knowledge of IndyCar is mostly limited to recent Indy 500 viewings, so it's great to learn some more historical context - thanks!

[@zlinedavid]

I would mostly agree with that. When Chip bought the assets of the team from Pat Patrick in 1990, they were a single car operation, and Cheever never got them higher than mid-pack. However, in 1992, they were one of only two teams to have the Ford-Cosworth engine, and they were much more competitive. 1993, Arie Luyendyk had Ganassi on the Indy 500 pole, and finished 2nd. They had been steadily improving, and Michael helped them get over the top.

[@sidneytaylor8341]

Just found your channel, great doc. You've earned my sub.

[@TheMobileChicane]

Thank you Sidney! Sorry for the late response, but welcome to the channel!

[@azapro911]

Had a lot of his father's ability, none of the application to the toughest international series in the business.

[@n00g75]

33:48 the ULTIMATE health destroying food EVER to be made! a freakin` MARLBORO CAKE!

[@terrymusch9581]

Outstanding, thanks for hard work.

[@TheMobileChicane]

Thanks Terry!

[@andrewmcphee8965]

Great video explaining the difficult situation, thank you!

[@djveles4629]

Michael Shumacher had a fu*king Ford on his Benetton and still won races, even a championship. A fu*king Ford engine, on a team known for making handbags and shoes. Andretti could not buy any wins like he did in the states.

[@johnelectric933]

In business that is called petered out. His talent only reached Indy cars, F1 is a much much more competitive and higher tech. I thought I was pretty good with speedy sports cars until my boss told me to drive his 308 to his home. I had to start in 2nd because I kept stalling it. I never got to test its cornering because I couldn't stop spinning the wheels. We all have limits.

[@vinewood8295]

I wish Senna had come to America and been Fittipaldi's team-mate at Penske...

[@TheMobileChicane]

Another great what-if!

[@rainbowterra]

Fantastic video! This makes me want Andretti to come into F1 even more, I hope they don't come in cursed and can have some success with some new talent/drivers, it would be a spectacle if they could have even moderate results

[@TheMobileChicane]

Thank you! I would love to see more teams and drivers join the F1 grid; I think F1 needs to find a balance between being a elitist sport, but equally allowing room for those with the passion and drive to join in. Plus with Andretti would come Colton Herta, and I think it'd be fascinating to see how an IndyCar driver would manage over in F1 nowadays.

[@cfoster81]

@@TheMobileChicane I would like to see the Andretti team make it to the F1 grid which would be a plus to court more fans from the United States alongside the 3 races in Austin (USGP), Miami and the streets of Las Vegas and if they do make it, I will proudly root for Andretti Global and the current American F1 team, Haas F1.

[@Armyvet0310]

I have been an Andretti fan my whole life and my dad before me. I would love to see Andretti make the jump to F1 however he better figure out how to get his team to gel and stop all the pit stop errors he has in Indycar. I swear they are the only team that week after week have some type of error in the pits.

[@TheMobileChicane]

@@Armyvet0310 I rarely watch IndyCar but it does seem every time I catch up, there's always an incident with the Andretti cars - or maybe it's just Grosjean!

[@thetype85]

Don't forget he also had to learn how to use ABS and get used to power steering, active cars are very hard to drive at the limit, they don't "communicate" the way a passive car does, Riccardo Patrese had the same issue in the Williams in '92!

[@Spike-sk7ql]

Riccardo was actually faster in the passive car than the active car in the early part of 92. He even went as far as to say that Williams gave him a bad car, until Mansell traded cars with him for one of the practice sessions. I think after that, he understood the amount of trust, and commitment you had to have when driving an active car vs a passive car. I think the only reason Mansell was so fast so quickly was that he did all the active testing at Lotus when he was there.

[@JH-pj8ld]

@@Spike-sk7ql Driving style also played a part in it. Patrese driving style was similar to Prost in needing to feel what the car is doing to go fast. Mansell driving style was basically to drive the wheels off the car, which overcomes the 'floating feeling' at high speed and he was better able to unleash the potential of an active car.

[@Duval-In-The-Wall]

Patrese actually out qualified Mansell in 1991, and the switch to active tech didn’t help him, good point

[@MrJoromekiq1]

To be fair to Michael, even though his time in F1 was a disaster, he was under a lot of pressure. He had a seat at McLaren, who still had championship ambition, despite being only 3rd fastest, behind Williams and Benetton. On top of that, you know in F1 your teammate is your biggest rival, his teammate was Ayrton Senna. I mean seriously, there isn't a worse teammate to have in the whole history of F1, than Ayrton Senna!

[@andyb.1026]

Mansell, Prost & Even Damon (Champ in '94 & '96) didnt have too much of a problem with the wee Man. The yank simply was not up to it ~ Period no excuses

[@MrSniperfox29]

They were only "third" fastest until midseason when Bernie made Ford break their exclusivity agreement with Benetton (who were the defacto Works Ford team) and supply McLaren with the same spec engines.

[@MrJoromekiq1]

@@MrSniperfox29 Even with the same engine, Benetton had better aero package

[@RockSolitude]

Mika Hakkinen also didn't have a problem racing in the McLaren.

[@andyb.1026]

@@RockSolitude Mika Hakkinen, a nice gentleman and very great ,, clean driver 👌

[@Shoegazer75]

Brilliant Eddie reference. I wonder what Michael would choose, cake or death?

[@TheMobileChicane]

They might have run out of cake (didn't expect such a rush), so I suspect the chicken with a white wine.

[@Calicarver]

Michael Andretti was clearly a talented and fast driver, but between McLaren technical problems and his own mistakes there was not much to celebrate.

[@weallfollowmanutd]

The tragedy was that McLaren really didn't help Michael when things were already going wrong with his own driving. If he crashed, the next race McLaren would have one issue after the other. I never understood the laptimes Michael done in testing. 2 seconds faster than on a race weekend and faster than Mika a lot of the time.

[@TheMobileChicane]

Shows the difference between the pressures of testing, and the pressures at a race weekend.

[@crazyRCSC]

This video is a total joke! Michael is considered one of the biggest F1 embarrassments. First to say that Mercedes and RedBull are worried about the Andretti’s coming to F1 with their own F1 team, that reminded me of another American F1 team, Hass F1, when their arrogant owner Gene Hass said right after getting the spot to race in F1, “We are gonna bit the Europeans at their own game”, and Hass it’s been a joke ever since. Plus, one to consider that McLaren was sabotaging Michael just to replace him with Hakkinen for a smaller salary is hilarious. Everyone that knows anything about F1, knows that the constructors championship is where the money is, so it does NOT makes any sense for McLaren to sabotage their own chances for more money at the end of a championship. The reality is that Michael was terrible at the high levels of driving a F1 car requires. I only agreed about the challenges of racing at an unknown racetrack, however we already saw that great drivers do overcome this challenge without any issues.

[@TheMrSuge]

I remember watching that documentary with the clip of Michael, on the phone to the McLaren team and petting his cat, and I remember thinking, "He strikes me as a little privileged and maybe not as dedicated as he needs to be to succeed". I'm guessing they put that scene in the documentary to give Michael an "unkind edit". But still, how did he not know how that was going to look ?

[@nathanturner5186]

When did Andretti race at Montreal before 93? Just because it’s a NA track doesn’t mean a US driver raced there. Cart only raced there a couple of times in 2000’s and that was it right? So it was yet another new track

[@empire0]

He didn't have much of a shot. Unfamiliar tracks, Senna as his team mate and Mika Hakkinen breathing down his neck, that's not a situation you can expect to succeed in unless your team is 100% supportive, which McLaren clearly were not

[@sabataskull9661]

Ron only supports his favourites. Michael had not chance with him.

[@greglockhart7439]

I agree strongly with your summation, well done. Though it may just be a touch of journalist wit, I do not agree with the sentiment that in Indycar, you "Just have to press you're foot down as hard as you dare, with little else to worry about" Even if you haven't had any race experience, a fan of the sport knows that won't wash even in you're Karting yrs...

[@gold333]

Your

[@greglockhart7439]

@@gold333 .....:/)

[@TheMobileChicane]

You are correct of course, I think perhaps what I was going for with that statement was that the CART machines of the time were a lot more physical to drive, whereas F1 was a little more technical, a little more delicate, and the aggressive driving style you could utilise in CART, wouldn't necessarily translate well into F1.

[@Sp4mMe]

That conspiracy frankly ruins an otherwise good little documentary. It's the sort of unsubstantiated crap that can't and shouldn't be taken seriously, and immediately tarnishes anyone who falls for repeating it. Instead of looking to Bottas, Webber et al, I'd recommend looking at Mika/David and Alonso/Hamilton - you know, actual relevant as the same team. Dennis had a different approach to how to handle such situations.

[@lousekoya1803]

Really enjoyed watching your video.

[@mcfireballs3491]

He did a 540⁰, not a 360⁰. You're giving him not enough credit.

[@richardmhalsall8367]

Theres a interview on KZbin where Mario and Michael speak about pretty much everything you're saying in the what went wrong. Senna was actually Andrettis biggest supporter and was vocal about giving Andretti the same parts he was getting instead of the 1 and 2 driver quality. Michael was in the process of buyin a home in France when the McLaren ultimatum happened. alot of interesting things in 30 mins

[@grgavin85]

Love your vids man keep up the good work ‼️💯

[@TheMobileChicane]

Thank you Vinnie!

[@GregBrownsWorldORacing]

Enjoyed that walk down memory lane, even if it was painful to watch Michael falter. I got so tired of race after race hearing our commentator say "Poor Michael".. he truly looked pathetic for "Our Open Wheel Champ" go over to Europe and look lost.. Having Ayrton as a teammate and when that durn dude Mika got in the car and drove the wheels off of it wasn't a good look for Mikey either. Your video is fair & it does bring out all his accomplishments as a racer and for Andretti Motorsport. it wasn't worse than I remember, it's exactly like I remember. I can't imagine how lonely he probably felt flying back to the US having raced only a couple of turns.. , again & again.

[@alequee]

if I remember correctly Micheal could not do late braking at corners at high speed braking too early

[@OMG_No_Way]

It amazes me that they thought having the drivers head so exposed was ok. I cringe when ever I see this old footage.

[@floriank3772]

The thing is : Michael wasn´t as bad as it seemed. But in a team with Senna as Number 1 and Häkkinen as a test-driver... that was simply too much

[@TheMobileChicane]

It was an impossible standard to try and match up against. Would've been good to see him in a less pressured environment against a more midfield level teammate, to accurately judge his performances.

[@JediOfTheRepublic]

I really doubt Andretti will grace the f1 Paddock.

[@celola]

Mika loved the “messy” Mclaren!😂 Michael was great doing left turns only.

[@foxy126pl6]

Maybe thats why he was on podium at monza lol

[@ZeusCannonBen]

"Michael was great at left turns only." The 1991 CART season, mentioned in this video, begs to differ. Michael won 8 times, only once was on an oval (which only made up 4 of the 17 races that year anyway).

[@tjantilag]

Fantastic video.

[@TheMobileChicane]

Thanks Tom!

[@BrianHoff04]

Not sure I like Michael. He's often had opinions that struck me as arrogant, self serving, and sometimes just illogical. That said he obviously has skills and enough luck + intelligence to create a large motorsport presence. As to F1, McLaren was a hard place to be a rookie, that car was finicky and fragile, Senna skills are a harsh thing to be compared to, and Michael did not give the impression of being truly committed. F1's practice rule changes had to have a great effect on Mike learning courses in a fussy car. I also think F1 did not warm to American drivers (and still might not). I believe this is more Ron Dennis's fault but Mike's not blameless. Ron was a terrible leader and eventually got booted long after he should have been. Zak Brown might also turn out to be bad at running Mclaren.

[@PompeyGamesRoom]

Another great episode bud.

[@paulo9504]

McLaren did not like his then wife, Sandy, at all. She insisted on being in the garage at a time when drivers WAGs were seldom seen or allowed. Look at how things are today. Did that make Sandy Andretti a bit of trailblazer in F1 back then?

[@TheMobileChicane]

If I remember rightly, Ron Dennis would employ someone to take her shopping and sightseeing just to get her out of the garage!

[@50gary]

Michael Andretti didn't stay in Europe, he commuted from the US to each race in Europe. In my opinion a fatal mistake, shows lack of commitment and not really being a team player. F1, indeed in all racing focus must be super sharp.

[@lorddrac_dontaskmetodance]

And it's not that Michael was a bad driver either. I believe his heart and soul was with CART/IndyCar and he just did F1 because the opportunity was there. Now a team owner, he can be anywhere while staying committed to his craft.

[@gdogg3710]

I never had any sympathy for Michael Andretti. Yes, he got shafted by some of the testing limitations, but actual in season testing wasn’t banned until 2008. He could still have got the mileage he needed by moving to Europe and testing between the races, but he chose not to. A once in a lifetime opportunity to land straight into a front running F1 team with a decent car, wasted…

[@mclarenscca]

Michael leaving F1 is the best thing that could've happen to him. No one will dispute the legend of the Andretti name in motorsports, and I think it would be a terrific thing to see them have an F1 team!

[@TheMobileChicane]

Here's hoping!

[@mclarenscca]

@@TheMobileChicane I think it would either be top team, or a complete failure.