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Nationality ![]() |
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Formula One World Championship career | |
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Active years | 1970 - 1980 |
Teams | Lotus, McLaren, Fittipaldi Automotive |
Races | 149 (144 starts) |
Championships | 2 (1972, 1974) |
Wins | 14 |
Podium finishes | 35 |
Career points | 281 |
Pole positions | 6 |
Fastest laps | 6 |
First race | 1970 British Grand Prix |
First win | 1970 United States Grand Prix |
Last win | 1975 British Grand Prix |
Last race | 1980 United States Grand Prix |
Emerson Fittipaldi (born December 12, 1946 in São Paulo, Brazil) is a highly successful Brazilian automobile racing driver, winning world championships in both Formula One and CART, and the Indianapolis 500 twice.
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Emerson Fittipaldi is the youngest son of prominent Brazilian motorsports journalist and radio commentator Wilson Fittipaldi Sr and his wife Juzy, a Polish refugee. He was named after American author and philosopher, Ralph Waldo Emerson. Both his parents had raced production cars shortly after the Second World War and Wilson Sr was also responsible for the first Mil Milhas race in 1956, in São Paulo, having been inspired by the 1949 Italian Mille Miglia. Emerson unsurprisingly became a keen motorsports enthusiast from an early age.
Emerson Fittipaldi is the younger brother of former Formula One driver and team owner Wilson Fittipaldi. He is the uncle of former CART, Formula One and NASCAR driver Christian Fittipaldi. He was married to Maria Helena from 1970 to 1982. They had three children together, Juliana, Jason and Tatiana. He was married again, to Teresa, in the mid 1980s. They have one daughter, Joana, and a son, Luca. Now, he has another son, Emerson Fanucchi Fittipaldi, born in March 6 2007, with his new wife, Rossana Fanucchi Fittipaldi.
In his youth in Brazil, Emerson was known as 'Rato' - mouse, which contrasts with 'Tigrão' - big tiger - for his brother. By the end of his career he was most commonly known as 'Emmo' in the United States and the UK.
In September 1997, Fittipaldi, while recovering from injuries in a crash at Michigan International Speedway a year earlier, was flying his private plane across his orange tree farm estate in Sao Paulo, Brazil. The plane lost power and plunged 300 feet to the ground. He suffered serious back injuries. He would recover, and became a born again Christian.
Aged 14 Fittipaldi was racing motorcycles, and aged 16 hydrofoils. While racing one day, his brother Wilson took off at 70mph and landed upside down - they both decided that although he had survived, they would no longer race hydrofoils and moved onto to racing karts.[1]
The pair moved to racing Formula Vees, and built up a company with their parents. In his second season in single-seaters, Fittipaldi won the Brazilian Formula Vee title at 21 years old. He left for Europe in 1969, with the ambition to convince team owners of his talent in three months. After some podiums and his first victories in Formula Ford, Fittipaldi was previously trained and then subsequently engaged by the Jim Russell Driving School Formula Three team.
Fittipaldi continued to win, drawing the attention of Colin Chapman, who was looking for a driver to support the Austrian Jochen Rindt in the 1970 Formula One season. The team's No 3 driver, he ended up becoming No 1 driver after Rindt was killed at Monza and John Miles left the team. Thrust into the spotlight by leading F1's top team, he proved up to the task and won for Lotus in its first race post-Rindt.
In his first full year as Lotus' lead driver in 1971, Fittipaldi finished sixth in the drivers' championship as the team further developed the previous season's Lotus 72. Armed with what was arguably the greatest Formula one design of all time, the Lotus 72D, Fittipaldi proved unstoppable in 1972 as he won five of 11 races and easily won the F1 Drivers' Championship from Jackie Stewart by 16 points. At 25 he was then the youngest champion in F1 history. It appeared he might do it again in 1973. But after three wins from four attempts with the 72D, he began to struggle in the new 72E that was unveiled mid-year. It resulted in the reverse of the previous year, Stewart beating Fittipaldi for the Drivers Championship by 16 points; though the combination of the 72D and E's points earnings were enough to gain Team Lotus the 1973 F1 Manufacturers Championship.
Fittipaldi left Lotus to sign with the promising McLaren team. Driving the highly efficient McLaren M23, he had three victories in 1974, reached the podium four other times, and beat out Clay Regazzoni in a close battle for his second championship. The following season, he notched two more victories and four other podiums, but was second to a dominant Niki Lauda. However, at the height of his F1 success, Fittipaldi shocked everyone by leaving McLaren to race for older brother Wilson Fittipaldi's Copersucar-sponsored Fittipaldi Automotive team.
It was hardly a world class organization and the double champion regularly struggled, even failing to qualify for three races in his time there. Despite this, he remained with the team for five seasons but only managed a best finish of second. Emerson Fittipaldi decided to retire from racing at the end of 1980. He has since said that his last two years in Formula One were very unhappy: "I was too involved in the problems of trying to make the team work, and I neglected my marriage and my personal life",[2] although at the time he cited the deaths of many of his colleagues as his reason.[3] He was only 33, but had been racing in Formula One for a decade. He had failed to finish seven of the last ten races that year and had several times been outpaced by his Finnish teammate Keke Rosberg (a future champion himself). He moved into the management of the team[4] alongside his brother. The team struggled on for another two years with minimal sponsorship, going into receivership at the end of 1982.
After leaving F1 in 1980, Fittipaldi took time out from major racing for four years, returning in 1984 in CART. The 38-year old spent his first season acclimatising to IndyCars, driving for two teams before joining Patrick Racing as an injury replacement. He stayed five years with the team, recording six victories and solid finishes in the overall standings. In 1989 he had five wins and finished in the top five in every race he completed, giving him a CART championship. Among his wins was a dominant performance in the Indianapolis 500 where he led 158 of 200 laps and won by two laps, but only after a dramatic duel with Al Unser, Jr. in the closing laps of the race. With both drivers a commanding six laps ahead of third place Raul Boesel, Unser ran down Fittipaldi after a late-race restart and passed him for the lead on lap 196. Three laps later, Fittipaldi used lap traffic to his advantage to pull alongside Unser on the backstretch. Neither driver would give way, and the two cars touched wheels as they went through turn three side by side. Unser's car spun out of control to hit the outside wall, while Fittipaldi was able to maintain sufficient control to keep his car moving straight. In spite of the altercation, Unser saluted Fittipaldi from the infield with a double thumbs-up sign as he brought his car through turns three and four on the subsequent caution-slowed final lap.
Roger Penske hired Emmo for his racing team in 1990 and he continued to be among the top drivers in CART, winning a race with Penske for six straight years. In 1993 he added a second Indianapolis 500 victory by taking the lead from defending Formula One World Champion Nigel Mansell on lap 185 and holding it for the remainder. The race was more well known for him breaking Indy victory lane tradition when he drank a celebratory bottle of orange juice instead of the traditional bottle of milk. He was only the second driver to not drink milk at Indy since the tradition was founded in 1936 (and firmly established in 1956). Fittipaldi owned several orange groves in his native Brazil, and wanted to promote the citrus industry. He was widely criticized and ridiculed for the action, even though he later took a sip of milk (after the television cameras were off).
Fan reaction to the milk snub was highly negative, and he was booed a week later at Milwaukee. In the years following, many fans continued to hold the action against him. In interviews since, Fittipaldi explained his action, and apologised for the wave of negativity that followed. Fittipaldi returned to Indianapolis to drive the Chevrolet Corvette Pace Car for the 2008 Indianapolis 500. Despite coming clean, he was again booed and heckled by some fans during the Public Drivers' Meeting.
Approaching 50, he was still with Champ Car in 1996 when an injury at the Michigan International Speedway ended his career. Fittipaldi did not return to the series as a driver after the injury but in 2003 he made a return to Champcars as a team owner.
Fittipaldi is currently acting as team principal for the Brazilian A1 GP entry.
In 2005 Fittipaldi made a surprise return to competitive racing in the Grand Prix Masters event held at Kyalami in South Africa, finishing second behind former CART sparring partner Nigel Mansell.
In 2008, Emerson and his brother Wilson entered the Brazilian GT3 Championship, driving a Porsche 997 GT3 for the WB Motorsports team. [5]
Year | Chassis | Engine | Start | Finish | Team |
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1984 | March | Cosworth | 23rd | 32nd | WIT |
1985 | March | Cosworth | 5th | 13th | Patrick |
1986 | March | Cosworth | 11th | 7th | Patrick |
1987 | March | Chevrolet | 33rd | 16th | Patrick |
1988 | March | Chevrolet | 8th | 2nd | Patrick |
1989 | Penske | Chevrolet | 3rd | 1st | Patrick |
1990 | Penske | Chevrolet | 1st | 3rd | Penske |
1991 | Penske | Chevrolet | 15th | 11th | Penske |
1992 | Penske | Chevrolet | 11th | 24th | Penske |
1993 | Penske | Chevrolet | 9th | 1st | Penske |
1994 | Penske | Ilmor-Mercedes | 3rd | 17th | Penske |
1995 | Lola | Ilmor-Mercedes | Failed to Qualify | Penske |
He was inducted in the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America in 2001.
(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position, races in italics indicate fastest lap)
Year | Entrant | Chassis | Engine | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | WDC | Pts. |
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1970 | Gold Leaf Team Lotus | Lotus 49C | Ford V8 | RSA |
ESP |
MON |
BEL |
NED |
FRA |
GBR 8 |
GER 4 |
AUT 15 |
10th | 12 | ||||||||
Lotus 72C | Ford V8 | ITA DNS |
CAN |
USA 1 |
MEX Ret |
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1971 | Gold Leaf Team Lotus | Lotus 72C | Ford V8 | RSA Ret |
ESP Ret |
6th | 16 | |||||||||||||||
Lotus 72D | Ford V8 | MON 5 |
NED |
FRA 3 |
GBR 3 |
GER Ret |
AUT 2 |
CAN 7 |
USA NC |
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World Wide Racing | Lotus 56B | P&W gas turbine | ITA 8 |
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1972 | John Player Team Lotus | Lotus 72D | Ford V8 | ARG Ret |
RSA 2 |
ESP 1 |
MON 3 |
BEL 1 |
FRA 2 |
GBR 1 |
GER ret |
AUT 1 |
CAN 11 |
USA Ret |
1st | 61 | ||||||
World Wide Racing | Lotus 72D | Ford V8 | ITA 1 |
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1973 | John Player Team Lotus | Lotus 72D | Ford V8 | ARG 1 |
BRA 1 |
RSA 3 |
2nd | 55 | ||||||||||||||
Lotus 72E | Ford V8 | ESP 1 |
BEL 3 |
MON 2 |
SWE 12 |
FRA Ret |
GBR Ret |
NED Ret |
GER 6 |
AUT Ret |
ITA 2 |
CAN 2 |
USA 6 |
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1974 | Marlboro Team Texaco | McLaren M23 | Ford V8 | ARG 10 |
BRA 1 |
RSA 7 |
ESP 3 |
BEL 1 |
MON 5 |
SWE 4 |
NED 3 |
FRA Ret |
GBR 2 |
GER Ret |
AUT Ret |
ITA 2 |
CAN 1 |
USA 4 |
1st | 55 | ||
1975 | Marlboro Team McLaren | McLaren M23 | Ford V8 | ARG 1 |
BRA 2 |
RSA NC |
ESP DNS |
MON 2 |
BEL 7 |
SWE 8 |
NED Ret |
FRA 4 |
GBR 1 |
GER Ret |
AUT 9 |
ITA 2 |
USA 2 |
2nd | 45 | |||
1976 | Copersucar-Fittipaldi | Fittipaldi FD04 | Ford V8 | BRA 13 |
RSA 17 |
USW 6 |
ESP Ret |
BEL DNQ |
MON 6 |
SWE Ret |
FRA Ret |
GBR 6 |
GER 13 |
AUT Ret |
NED Ret |
ITA 15 |
CAN Ret |
USA 9 |
JPN Ret |
17th | 3 | |
1977 | Copersucar-Fittipaldi | Fittipaldi FD04 | Ford V8 | ARG 4 |
BRA 4 |
RSA 10 |
USW 5 |
ESP 14 |
MON Ret |
SWE 18 |
12th | 11 | ||||||||||
Fittipaldi F5 | Ford V8 | BEL Ret |
FRA 11 |
GBR Ret |
GER DNQ |
AUT 11 |
NED 4 |
ITA DNQ |
USA 13 |
CAN Ret |
JPN |
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1978 | Fittipaldi Automotive | Fittipaldi F5A | Ford V8 | ARG 9 |
BRA 2 |
RSA Ret |
USW 8 |
MON 9 |
BEL Ret |
ESP Ret |
SWE 6 |
FRA Ret |
GBR Ret |
GER 4 |
AUT 4 |
NED 5 |
ITA 8 |
USA 5 |
CAN Ret |
10th | 17 | |
1979 | Fittipaldi Automotive | Fittipaldi F5A | Ford V8 | ARG 6 |
BRA 11 |
USW Ret |
ESP 11 |
BEL 9 |
MON Ret |
FRA Ret |
GBR Ret |
21st | 1 | |||||||||
Fittipaldi F6 | Ford V8 | RSA 13 |
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Fittipaldi F6A | Ford V8 | GER Ret |
AUT Ret |
NED Ret |
ITA 8 |
CAN 8 |
USA 7 |
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1980 | Skol Fittipaldi Team | Fittipaldi F7 | Ford V8 | ARG NC |
BRA 15 |
RSA 8 |
USW 3 |
BEL Ret |
MON 6 |
FRA Ret |
15th | 5 | ||||||||||
Fittipaldi F8 | Ford V8 | GBR 12 |
GER Ret |
AUT 11 |
NED Ret |
ITA Ret |
CAN Ret |
USA Ret |
Sporting positions | ||
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Preceded by Tim Schenken |
British Formula Three Championship BRSCC Series Champion 1969 |
Succeeded by Dave Walker 1970 BRSCC Lombank Series |
Succeeded by Tony Trimmer 1970 BRSCC Motorsport/Shell Series |
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Preceded by Graham Hill |
BRDC International Trophy winner 1972 |
Succeeded by Jackie Stewart |
Preceded by Jackie Stewart |
Formula One World Champion 1972 |
Succeeded by Jackie Stewart |
Preceded by Clay Regazzoni |
Brands Hatch Race of Champions Winner 1972 |
Succeeded by Peter Gethin |
Preceded by Jackie Stewart |
Formula One World Champion 1974 |
Succeeded by Niki Lauda |
Preceded by Rick Mears |
Indianapolis 500 Winner 1989 |
Succeeded by Arie Luyendyk |
Preceded by Danny Sullivan |
CART Series Champion 1989 |
Succeeded by Al Unser, Jr. |
Preceded by Al Unser, Jr. |
Indianapolis 500 Winner 1993 |
Succeeded by Al Unser, Jr. |
Records | ||
Preceded by Jim Clark 27 years, 188 days (1963 season) |
Youngest Formula One World Drivers' Champion 25 years, 273 days (1972 season) |
Succeeded by Fernando Alonso 24 years, 58 days (2005 season) |
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