Emerson Fittipaldi: Two-Time Formula One Champion and Indianapolis 500 Winner

Emerson Fittipaldi was one of Brazil's best-known racing drivers, a two-time Formula One world champion and a double winner at Indianapolis. His career moved from Lotus and McLaren to American open-wheel racing, where he took the CART title in 1989.

Who was Emerson Fittipaldi?

Emerson Fittipaldi is a Brazilian who raced at the top of Formula One between 1970 and 1980. He won the world title with Lotus in 1972 and again with McLaren in 1974, and later took the CART championship and two Indianapolis 500 victories in American open-wheel racing.

He was born on 12 December 1946 in Sao Paulo, the younger son of Wilson Fittipaldi Sr, a motorsports journalist and radio commentator. He was named after the American author Ralph Waldo Emerson, and his father had organised the inaugural Mil Milhas event in 1956.

Fittipaldi and his brother Wilson grew up around cars and bikes, and both parents had raced production cars soon after the Second World War.

Two world titles in two different decades, and an Indianapolis win that is still remembered for a glass of orange juice.

How did Fittipaldi start racing?

Fittipaldi raced motorcycles from the age of 14 and hydroplanes from 16, but a boat accident involving his brother Wilson ended their interest in boats. From then on, the brothers focused on land racing, and by 1967 Fittipaldi had won the 6 Hours of Interlagos at the age of 20.

The brothers built a business with their parents and moved into Formula Vee racing. By his second year in open-wheelers, he had taken the Brazilian Formula Vee championship at 21, and in 1969 he went to Europe determined to make his name.

In Europe he had to persuade team owners of his talent. After some podiums and his first wins in Formula Ford, he was taken on and trained by the Jim Russell school's Formula Three squad. He won nine F3 races in a Lotus 59 and took the 1969 Lombard Championship.

How did Fittipaldi's Lotus years lead to the 1972 title?

Fittipaldi moved up to Formula Two in 1970 with Team Bardahl, finishing third in the eight-race season. That same year he made his Formula One debut as third driver at the British Grand Prix, and he was promoted to Lotus's lead role after Jochen Rindt's death at Monza.

The third seat at Lotus was a role that Colin Chapman used to test younger drivers in championship races. Alex Soler-Roig held the seat early in 1970 before Fittipaldi took over from the British Grand Prix.

His first Grand Prix win for the team came at the 1970 United States Grand Prix, his fifth race in the sport. It was the first win for Lotus after Rindt's death.

In 1971 he finished sixth in the championship. In 1972 he dominated, winning five of 11 races on the way to the title, and at 25 he became the youngest champion in the sport's history.

The 1973 season was harder. After three wins in four races with the 72D, he struggled with the 72E that arrived mid-year, and Jackie Stewart took the title.

How did Fittipaldi win a second title at McLaren?

Fittipaldi moved to McLaren for 1974 and drove the efficient M23 to three victories and four other podiums. He beat Clay Regazzoni in a close fight for the championship, and with his help the team won its first Constructors' title that year.

In 1975 he added a further pair of wins and four more podiums, yet Niki Lauda took the title.

Why did Fittipaldi leave McLaren for his brother's team?

In 1976 Fittipaldi shocked the paddock by leaving McLaren to race for Wilson Fittipaldi's Copersucar-sponsored team. It was a dramatic change at the height of his success. He stayed five seasons, but his best finish was second, and the cars never gave him a realistic title chance.

He later said that his final two years in Formula One were unhappy. He had been too involved in the team's problems and had neglected his marriage, even though he publicly blamed the deaths of several colleagues at the time.

He retired at the end of 1980, aged 33, after being outpaced by his Finnish teammate Keke Rosberg, who later became a champion himself. The team struggled on with minimal sponsorship until it went into receivership at the end of 1982.

How did Fittipaldi adapt to CART racing?

After four years away from major racing, Fittipaldi made his CART debut in 1984, at the age of 37. He joined Patrick Racing as a replacement for the injured Chip Ganassi, and he took his first CART victory at the 1985 Michigan 500.

He stayed five years with Patrick Racing and recorded six victories. The 1989 season was his best, when he won five races, placed in the top five in each event he finished, and was crowned CART champion.

Roger Penske signed him for 1990, and he won at least one race for the team in six straight seasons. He was a leader at Indianapolis more than once, but tyre blistering in 1990 and a gearbox problem in 1991 cost him Indianapolis wins while he was in front.

What happened in the 1989 Indianapolis 500?

Fittipaldi led 158 of the 200 laps in the 1989 Indianapolis 500 and won by two laps. The race was decided in the closing stages following a tense battle with Al Unser Jr. Unser moved ahead on lap 196, and Fittipaldi then fought back.

Three laps later, Fittipaldi used the lapped traffic to get alongside Unser on the back straight. Neither driver would give way, and their cars touched in turn three. Unser spun into the outside wall, while Fittipaldi kept his car straight and went on to win.

In spite of the contact, Unser applauded Fittipaldi from the infield as he passed on the final lap.

Why did the 1993 orange juice win make headlines?

In 1993 Fittipaldi won his second Indianapolis 500, passing Nigel Mansell for the lead on lap 185. He then broke a long-standing tradition by drinking orange juice in victory lane instead of milk, which led to a backlash among fans.

He chose orange juice partly because he had orange groves in Brazil, and he hoped to help the citrus trade. The reaction was negative, even though he did drink milk shortly afterwards.

The penalty was financial and public. He gave up $5,000 of the winner's purse and offered a public apology to the American Dairy Association. Milwaukee crowds booed him the following week, as the city is a centre of the American dairy industry.

In later interviews he explained his action and apologised for the negativity that followed. He returned to Indianapolis in 2008 to drive the pace car, and he was booed again during the parade laps.

How did Ayrton Senna's death affect Fittipaldi in 1994?

In May 1994 Fittipaldi skipped an Indianapolis practice session after his close friend Ayrton Senna died in a crash. Senna, also a Brazilian and a former Formula One champion, had been a close friend for years. Fittipaldi was one of the pallbearers at the funeral, alongside Jackie Stewart and Alain Prost.

He nearly won a third Indianapolis 500 that year. He held a near-full lap lead over his teammate Unser Jr. when he touched the turn-four wall with 15 laps left, and the chance slipped away.

How did Fittipaldi's racing career end?

Fittipaldi was still in CART competition in 1996 when a Michigan International Speedway injury ended his time as a driver. He had finished his CART career with 22 wins, and he returned to the series in 2003 as a team owner.

He was approaching 50 when the injury ended his career as a driver. The injury came near the end of a long and varied career that had taken him from motorcycles to Formula One and then to American open-wheel racing. He did not return as a driver afterwards.

The injury was not his only setback. In September 1997, while still recovering, he was flying his private plane over his orange farm in Sao Paulo state when it lost power and fell 90 metres (300 ft) to the ground, which left him with serious back injuries.

What did Fittipaldi do after his racing career?

Fittipaldi kept a presence in motorsport through special events and team roles. He drove in the Grand Prix Masters at Kyalami in 2005 and finished second behind Nigel Mansell, and in 2008 he entered the Brazilian GT3 Championship with his brother Wilson.

He served as acting team principal of the Brazilian A1 GP team. In 2011 he took up social media in earnest and became chairman of Motorsport.com. From 2013 he wrote a regular monthly column on the McLaren website.

Honours came too. The Motorsports Hall of Fame of America recognised him in 2001 and the Indianapolis Motor Speedway's own hall of fame honoured him in 2004. In 2008 a Corvette production car was named in his honour, making him one of only three people to receive that distinction.

In 2016 he established Fittipaldi Motors and developed the Fittipaldi EF7 sports car with Pininfarina and HWA, The EF7 project never reached production. In August 2022 he stood as a candidate for the Italian Senate, and he was defeated a month later.

What were Fittipaldi's main career results?

Fittipaldi's record shows a driver who won at the highest level in two very different categories. The table below pulls together his Formula One and American open-wheel results, so readers can see how the two careers compare. It also shows how quickly he moved from Formula One titles to Indianapolis wins.