FI USGP ADVANCE: MARIO ANDRETTI THRILLED BY FORMULA 1’S NEW HOME

The greatest driver in American racing history will be rubbing his hands with glee when the Circuit of The Americas and the FORMULA 1 UNITED STATES GRAND PRIX open the door to America’s racing future Nov. 16-18. The 2012 FIA Formula 1™ World Championship race has come down to a straight fight between Sebastian Vettel of Red Bull and Fernando Alonso of Ferrari, the team for which Mario Andretti won first time out in South Africa in 1971.

But the last Formula 1 race before the caravan packed its 747s for Austin—the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix—was won by Kimi Raikkonen in a Lotus, the great name with which Mario won all 11 of his other Grand Prix victories in a 128-race Formula 1 career crowned by the 1978 Drivers’ World Championship.