Clinching the Championship Artwork
Artist Chris Phillips paints a picture of Mario Andretti in one of his finest moments – clinching the 1978 F1 Championship at Monza.
I had a mission at one point to try and paint all the world champions (I have since re-evaluated my mission!) and Andretti was one of them. Mario Andretti’s win in the Lotus 79 at Monza secured him the World Championship for 1978. The Italian Grand Prix that year was regarded by Andretti as one of his best races. Gilles Villeneuve got the lead at the start (allegedly by jumping the flag) and Mario had to slowly reel him in over a large part of the race. Tragically, Ronnie Peterson, Andretti’s teammate, lost his life at this race as a result of a start line accident.
