[Driver] The GOAT - Round One - Andretti.M vs Ickx

[crmalcolm]

The fourth match-up in Round One sees Andretti.M vs Ickx.

So who do you vote for as the greater driver?

Mario Andretti
Just like Carlos Reutemann, Mario Andretti made an impressive debut, taking pole position for Lotus at the 1968 US GP. He continued to make occasional appearances in F1 over the following years, while racing in IndyCar, including a victory for Ferrari in only his eleventh start. It wasn’t until 1975 that Andretti committed to a full F1 season.

After an unsuccessful season racing as the sole entrant for Parnelli in 1975, Andretti moved to Lotus. From 1976-1977, he was paired with newcomer Gunnar Nilsson, whom he beat 7-5 in counting races, 25-4 in qualifying, 68-31 in points.

Lotus had become a seriously competitive team again in 1977, with Andretti taking four wins and 3rd in the championship. In 1978, Lotus introduced the dominant ground-effect Lotus 79 model, which proved the year’s best car. Lotus also had a superb driver line-up, with Andretti alongside Ronnie Peterson. Peterson was considered the quicker driver by many, yet Andretti came out ahead 8-2 in counting races, 11-3 in qualifying, and 64-51 in points, although Peterson twice appeared to obey team orders by not challenging Andretti for the lead.

Jacky Ickx
Jacky Ickx is more famous for his sportscar exploits, including six Le Mans 24 Hours victories and two world titles, than he is for his F1 career. That tends to overshadow the fact that, at his peak, he was one of the top single-seater drivers in the world.

Eight GP wins, including two at the Nurburgring, 13 poles and 13 fastest laps indicate his quality.

Ickx's Ferrari took the fight to Jochen Rindt and the Lotus 72 during the 1970 season, narrowly losing out in a slipstreaming thriller at Hockenheim. After Rindt's death at Monza Ickx became the only man who could overhaul the Austrian's total. He just failed and thus finished runner-up for the second successive year.

After more successes for Ferrari, Ickx's F1 career went in to decline, but there was still time for one more success. Driving for Lotus, Ickx took a fine victory in the 1974 Race of Champions at Brands Hatch before eventually moving full-time to sportscars.

[Aysedasi]

As a sportscar fan, this one is a bit tougher. Ickx is one of the Le Mans 'GOATS' for sure. But overall, with a choice between the two, I think it has to be Mario, who has more claim than a few on the original list, IMO.

[FIRE]

A difficult one. My heart says Ickx but that's mainly due to his success in sportscars so at the end I pick Andretti.

[Aysedasi]

Yep. This is actually quite fun......