#20 – Emerson Fittipaldi

Emerson Fittipaldi burst onto the F1 scene with a victory in just his fourth race, at the age of 23, and became the youngest ever world champion two years later in 1972. However, three years and one more world championship later, Fittipaldi appeared to throw his F1 career away with a move to Copersucar, his brother’s team, and would never again win a race after that. At his peak, Fittipaldi successfully beat Jackie Stewart to a championship, outscored Ronnie Peterson in the same car thanks to his smoother driving style, and then comfortably beat Denny Hulme on his way to a second championship. With better career choices, he could have had far more success.

Emerson Fittipaldi’s roots to Formula 1 began when he and his brother Wilson Fittipaldi started a car accessories business as teenagers, and later built their own karts. When Emerson in particular proved very quick and successful, and once a potentially serious accident for Wilson had steered them away from racing boats and towards full concentration on car racing, he moved from Brazil to the UK to race in Formula 3 in 1969 and won the championship.

In 1970, Fittipaldi was given a chance to race in Formula 1 with Lotus, as the team ran a third car, initially for Alex Soler-Roig but later for Fittipaldi, who immediately fared better as he drove forward from 13th to finish fourth in Hockenheim. At Monza, Lotus’ lead driver, Jochen Rindt, was killed while dominating the championship, and John Miles also left the team, leaving Fittipaldi as the lead driver for the final two races of the season. In Watkins Glen, Fittipaldi’s fourth race for Lotus, he qualified third but dropped back with a poor start, fighting his way through to third by half-distance. Then when Stewart retired and Rodriguez had to stop again, Fittipaldi claimed victory. It was a great way to establish himself as the lead Lotus driver in 1971.

Joined by Reine Wisell, Emerson Fittipaldi was the lead driver at Lotus in 1971, although the car wasn’t hugely competitive as the team were still in the process of developing the Lotus 72D. He briefly ran second in Kyalami but fell back during the race and eventually retired with engine trouble. He then claimed points for fifth in Monaco and from 17th on the grid, a podium in Paul Ricard after an impressive charge through the pack. He took a second consecutive podium in Silverstone thanks to retirements for Siffert, Ickx and Regazzoni. Fittipaldi’s best result of the season came on the Osterreichring, second behind Jo Siffert as the Tyrrells retired. In Monza, Fittipaldi raced the 4WD Lotus 56 powered by a gas turbine, but finished eighth. He was sixth in the championship having outpaced Wisell.

For the following season, Emerson Fittipaldi raced the black and gold John Player Special Lotus 72. Some consider this to be the most perfect F1 car ever created, with many innovations, but perhaps most obviously the fact that Colin Chapman exploited the advantages of aerodynamics significantly for the first time, with the wings and shape of the car creating a huge amount of downforce while also increasing the straightline speed.

Emerson Fittipaldi’s teammate was Dave Walker, and armed with the Lotus 72, he was able to take it to the championship while his teammate failed to score a point. In Buenos Aires, Fittipaldi fought his way through to second but ultimately retired with suspension failure while third as Jackie Stewart took a dominant victory. Then in Kyalami, he took the lead of the race after Stewart retired but then dropped back himself due to handling problems and was passed by Hulme. Fittipaldi started third in Jarama but after a poor start, he overtook Regazzoni, Hulme, Ickx and Stewart within the first ten laps and pulled away to take a dominant victory.

In Monaco, Fittipaldi started on pole position but, in wet conditions, lost out to Jean-Pierre Beltoise and Jacky Ickx at the start and looked set to finish fourth when problems for Stewart allowed Fittipaldi back through to third, and with it he took the championship lead. Stewart then was absent from the Belgian GP due to a stomach ulcer caused by a busy schedule, and Fittipaldi took pole position and another clear victory once he had passed Clay Regazzoni who briefly passed him. In Clermont-Ferrand, Fittipaldi finished a distant second to Stewart but still led the championship by some distance.

Fittipaldi started second in Brands Hatch, and was involved in a three-way battle for the lead with Ickx and Stewart. Fittipaldi beat Stewart in a straight fight after they twice swapped positions and Ickx retired, and was 16 points ahead of his rival. Ickx dominated on the Nurburgring but Fittipaldi ran second to him until gearbox failure eliminated him, but Stewart was taken out by Regazzoni on the final lap. On the Osterreichring, Fittipaldi started on pole but was beaten by Stewart at the start, before he repassed him for the lead and the Tyrrell fell back with handling problems. Fittipaldi held off a charging Denny Hulme in a thrilling battle in the closing laps to take another win, and a significant championship lead.

The next race was in Monza and Fittipaldi moved up from sixth to third at the start, and once the Ferraris had both retired ahead of him, he took his fifth victory of the season and won the title in style, making him the youngest world champion, a record that would stand for another 33 years. He may have been driving the best car on the grid, with the Lotus certainly stronger than the Tyrrell, but the fact that Dave Walker had failed to score a point showed just how strong Fittipaldi had been. The last two races were disappointing, as Fittipaldi made contact with Revson in Mosport Park and retired in Watkins Glen, but he was still world champion by 16 points over Jackie Stewart, and so had beaten the best driver of the era.

The Lotus was still the best car in 1973, but the Tyrrell had improved and the team also expanded to two competitive cars with the signing of Ronnie Peterson as Fittipaldi’s teammate, creating an interesting situation as Peterson was clearly faster than Fittipaldi, but Fittipaldi’s smoother style and ability to develop and set up the car far better prevailed in the championship. But Lotus was denied the drivers’ title by Jackie Stewart, arguably because they had not focussed on one driver enough, but also because Stewart had a particularly strong season.

In Buenos Aires, Fittipaldi started second but dropped back in the race initially. Then he came back through after Regazzoni and Stewart’s tyres went off and Peterson retired, and he passed Cevert in the closing stages of the race to take victory. Then in Interlagos, he backed it up with a home victory after passing Peterson at the start and taking a clear victory over Stewart. Fittipaldi was only third in Kyalami as Stewart won to close the gap in the championship.

Fittipaldi started only seventh in Montjuic but gradually fought through the pack to win after Stewart and Peterson retired ahead of him, and Reutemann while attacking from behind as Fittipaldi struggled with a deflating rear tyre. Fittipaldi briefly took the lead in Zolder as Cevert spun off but was passed by Stewart and later by Cevert for a second team, thus finishing third. Then in Monaco he finished second to Stewart after closing him down in the latter stages of the race, the two drivers well ahead of their teammates. For the majority of the race in Anderstorp, Fittipaldi ran second to Peterson, but right at the end of the race he dropped out with gearbox failure.

The season seemed to shift at Lotus from this point on as Peterson, with just ten points due to many retirements, took the upper hand and Fittipaldi’s form waned. Fittipaldi was unhappy that Peterson, who was not good at setting up his car, was taking the same settings as Fittipaldi and using them to great effect. He retired in Paul Ricard after contact with Scheckter, allowing Peterson to take his first win of the season and losing the championship lead to Stewart, while in Silverstone, Fittipaldi retired from second. He struggled in Zandvoort and ultimately retired due to pain from a crash in practice, while he could only manage sixth on the Nurburgring. Stewart took two wins and was now on course for the title.

Fittipaldi was back on form on the Osterreichring, taking pole position and being allowed through to lead after a poor start by Peterson, as he was in contention for the championship. However, Fittipaldi then retired with fuel problems and Peterson was victorious again. Next, in Monza, Peterson led every lap from pole and, while Fittipaldi shadowed him throughout as Lotus dominated, he was not allowed through into the lead to maintain his very slim championship hopes. This annoyed Fittipaldi and was a cause of his departure from Lotus at the end of the season.

He led for a time in Mosport Park but was beaten to victory by Revson, partly due to confusion regarding the first safety car used in Formula 1, while in Watkins Glen Fittipaldi was sixth after a pitstop. At the end of the season, he finished second in the championship behind Stewart but three points ahead of Peterson. Although, on pure driving ability, Fittipaldi had clearly been outclassed by Peterson during the season, particularly at the end of it, it should be noted that Peterson mainly went well when using Fittipaldi’s setups, as he was far better at developing the car.

Nonetheless, Fittipaldi had fallen out with Lotus and moved to McLaren for 1974. With Jackie Stewart retiring from Formula 1, it would be a close season between many drivers vying to be the new ‘king of Formula 1.’ Fittipaldi’s teammate was former world champion Denny Hulme, and although ‘The Bear’ wasn’t at his best, it was still impressive the way Fittipaldi was so comfortably able to outscore him. In Buenos Aires, Fittipaldi started third but had to pit due to car problems and Hulme took victory. Then in Interlagos, Fittipaldi was on pole but made a poor start, and then passed Reutemann and Peterson to take victory, and was satisfied to beat Peterson after their rivalry from the previous season.

After a poor race in Kyalami, Fittipaldi started fourth in Jarama and finished third as the Lotuses retired, but was well behind the Ferraris. Then in Nivelles, he started fourth but took second at the start and passed Regazzoni for the lead, before holding off Lauda for the remainder of the race for his second win of the season, and the championship lead. In Monaco, Fittipaldi was only fifth, in Anderstorp fourth, and he started and finished third in Zandvoort behind the Ferraris, but the lack of domination from any one driver meant Fittipaldi still retained his championship lead.

Engine failure eliminated Fittipaldi in Dijon while threatening the podium. In Brands Hatch he finished second to Scheckter as Lauda got a late puncture, but consecutive retirements on the Nurburgring and Osterreichring due to car failures, the former won by Regazzoni, left Fittipaldi just fourth in the championship with three races to go. But in Monza, he finished a close second behind Peterson thanks to retirements for both Ferraris. In Mosport Park he took pole but dropped to second behind Lauda and chased him for most of the race until the Ferrari crashed out and Fittipaldi took victory, moving him level with Clay Regazzoni in the championship going into the final race of the season.

In Watkins Glen, Fittipaldi started eighth and Regazzoni ninth, and on the opening lap Fittipaldi was squeezed onto the grass by his rival, later criticising the move and stating, ‘I was always suspicious of Clay.’ But he got ahead of Regazzoni and went on to finish fourth, which was enough for his second title in a season so open that seven drivers had won races. But the Ferrari had surely been quicker than the McLaren and Fittipaldi had put in a very impressive season, arguably as the best driver on the grid, and had comfortably outpaced Denny Hulme who subsequently retired. Fittipaldi was the first ever world champion for McLaren.

Going into the 1975 season, it seemed likely that Fittipaldi would be fighting Niki Lauda, the fastest driver of the previous season, for the title, but things started well for the Brazilian as he took victory in Buenos Aires. Both Brabhams had spun out early, and Fittipaldi then had to hunt down and pass James Hunt’s Hesketh for the lead, which he duly did as Hunt spun. Then in Interlagos, Fittipaldi finished second to Carlos Pace after Jean-Pierre Jarier retired from the lead, and he led the championship. Fittipaldi retired while fifth in Kyalami and then refused to race in Montjuic, angry at the state of the barriers on the track and believing them unsafe. He would be proved correct as Rolf Stommelen’s car went through the barriers in the race and killed five people. The second McLaren of Jochen Mass took the win and half-points in the shortened race.

Fittipaldi started only ninth in Monaco but charged his way through the pack in both wet and dry conditions, and during the tyre stop between, and ran second in the closing laps as he chased down a struggling Lauda, but was unable to get through for victory. He was plagued by brake problems in both Zolder and Anderstorp and scored no points, while with two wins Lauda took a healthy championship lead. His engine failed in Zandvoort, while fourth was all Fittipaldi could muster in Paul Ricard behind Mass. Fittipaldi moved forward to lead the race in Silverstone from seventh on the grid, and towards the end heavy rain caused many cars to go off and the race to be stopped, with Fittipaldi staying on track and claiming victory, the last of his career.

But this resurgence would prove to be short-lived, as a puncture on the Nurburgring and no points in the Osterreichring eliminated Fittipaldi from title contention. He then finished second to Regazzoni in Monza, and second again in Watkins Glen although his chance to beat Lauda for victory was spoiled by an over-aggressive defence from Regazzoni. Fittipaldi finished second in the championship, and was the only driver other than Lauda to win more than one race in the season, the Ferrari driver having dominated and seemingly taken Stewart’s mantle as the best driver in Formula 1.

Surprisingly, Fittipaldi chose not to continue with McLaren into the 1976 season and instead joined brother Wilson’s team, Copersucar. It was a shock move, likely motivated by loyalty to his family as well as his country, but while almost guaranteed to leave Fittipaldi in the midfield initially, the team looked like it had the potential for success in the future. Sadly, the fact that the team was based in Brazil turned out to be a major disadvantage as they were so far from most of the motor racing world, notably the engine suppliers, Ford. That promise was never to be fulfilled, Fittipaldi racing for the team for five years and never again winning a race.

In his first season with the team, 1976, Fittipaldi scored just three points for sixth place in Long Beach, Monaco and Brands Hatch, although he also qualified fifth in Interlagos, the opening round of the season. The car was a little more competitive in 1977 as Fittipaldi finished fourth in Buenos Aires, Interlagos and Zandvoort, and fifth in Long Beach as he was the only driver for most of the season as Ingo Hoffmann raced just twice, but Fittipaldi was still nowhere near challenging for race wins.

The team continued to improve in 1978, although not to the extent that Fittipaldi would have liked. In Rio, Carlos Reutemann dominated, but Fittipaldi was able to move up to second after passing James Hunt and Ronnie Peterson, thus taking the first ever podium for his team. Then after a run of retirements, he returned to the points with sixth in Anderstorp and scored more with fourth on the Hockenheimring and the Osterreichring, and fifth in Zandvoort and Watkins Glen to finish tenth in the championship. It was a decent result, and also got the team ahead of McLaren, who Fittipaldi had left to join them, in the constructors’ championship.

Unfortunately, that would be the peak of the Copersucar team’s Formula 1 career, and they had an awful season in 1979 with just one point for sixth in Buenos Aires. The car was similarly uncompetitive in 1980 as the Fittipaldi team combined with Wolf and parted with Copersucar, but, surprisingly, Fittipaldi and new teammate Keke Rosberg were able to take a podium finish each at the start of the year. Rosberg’s came in Buenos Aires and Fittipaldi’s in Long Beach, both in races of attrition but after beating some competitive teams, and Fittipaldi’s came from last on the grid.

Fittipaldi scored his final point in Formula 1 for sixth in Monaco, but over the season was generally outperformed by Keke Rosberg, who suggested Fittipaldi was demotivated, and retired at the end of the year. The team folded two years later after one point for Chico Serra in 1982. The promising project had ultimately been fruitless, and so Fittipaldi, who had looked so competitive in the first half of his career, never again challenged for race victories. At his best he was among the best drivers on the grid having been a close rival to both Stewart and Lauda, and Fittipaldi also took two world championships. In later seasons, he would race in IndyCar, taking the championship in 1989 and winning the Indy 500 in 1993, showing just how much more success he could have had in Formula 1.

Wins: 14

Podiums: 35

Pole Positions: 6

Race Starts: 144

Points: 993

*World Champion of 1972 and 1974*

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