Christian Fittipaldi facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Christian Fittipaldi |
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Fittipaldi in 2006 as a Stock Car Brasil driver
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| Nationality |  Brazilian |
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| Born | 18 January 1971 São Paulo, Brazil |
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| Related to | Wilson Fittipaldi (father) Emerson Fittipaldi (uncle) Pietro Fittipaldi (first cousin once-removed) Enzo Fittipaldi (first cousin once-removed) Emerson Fittipaldi Jr. (cousin) Max Papis (cousin-in-law) |
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| WeatherTech SportsCar Championship career | |||||||
| Debut season | 2014 | ||||||
| Current team | Action Express Racing | ||||||
| Racing licence |  FIA Gold |
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| Car no. | 5 | ||||||
| Engine | Chevrolet 5.5L V8 | ||||||
| Co-driver |  João Barbosa Sébastien Bourdais |
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| Starts | 47 | ||||||
| Championships | 2 | ||||||
| Wins | 7 | ||||||
| Poles | 6 | ||||||
| Best finish | 1st in 2014, 2015 | ||||||
| Finished last season | 3rd (2017) | ||||||
| Previous series | |||||||
| 2008 2003–2013 2005–06 2002–2003 2003 2002 1995–2002 1992–1994 1991 |
American Le Mans Rolex Sports Car Series A1 Grand Prix NASCAR Winston Cup Series ARCA Re/Max Series NASCAR Busch Series CART Formula One Formula 3000 |
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| Championship titles | |||||||
| 1991 | Formula 3000 | ||||||
| Awards | |||||||
| 1995 | Indianapolis 500 Rookie of the Year | ||||||
| Formula One World Championship career | |||||||
| Teams | Minardi, Footwork | ||||||
| Entries | 43 (40 starts) | ||||||
| Championships | 0 | ||||||
| Wins | 0 | ||||||
| Podiums | 0 | ||||||
| Career points | 12 | ||||||
| Pole positions | 0 | ||||||
| Fastest laps | 0 | ||||||
| First entry | 1992 South African Grand Prix | ||||||
| Last entry | 1994 Australian Grand Prix | ||||||
| Champ Car career | |||||||
| 135 races run over 8 years | |||||||
| Years active | 1995–2002 | ||||||
| Team(s) | Walker Racing Newman/Haas Racing |
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| Best finish | 5th (1996, 2002) | ||||||
| First race | 1995 Grand Prix of Miami (Bicentennial Park) | ||||||
| Last race | 2002 Gran Premio Telmex-Gigante (Mexico City) | ||||||
| First win | 1999 Champ Car Grand Prix of Road America (Road America) | ||||||
| Last win | 2000 Marlboro 500 (Fontana) | ||||||
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| NASCAR Cup Series career | |||||||
| 16 races run over 2 years | |||||||
| Best finish | 44th (2003) | ||||||
| First race | 2002 Checker Auto Parts 500 Presented by Pennzoil (Phoenix) | ||||||
| Last race | 2003 UAW-GM Quality 500 (Charlotte) | ||||||
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| NASCAR Xfinity Series career | |||||||
| 3 races run over 2 years | |||||||
| Best finish | 102nd (2002) | ||||||
| First race | 2001 GNC Live Well 300 (Homestead) | ||||||
| Last race | 2002 Mr. Goodcents 300 (Kansas) | ||||||
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Christian Fittipaldi (born January 18, 1971) is a Brazilian former racing driver. He competed in many types of motorsport. These include Formula One, Champ Car, and NASCAR. In the early 1990s, he was seen as a very promising young driver. He took part in 43 Formula One races for the Minardi and Footwork teams between 1992 and 1994.
Fittipaldi finished fifth in the CART series in both 1996 and 2002. He won two races and came in second at the 1995 Indianapolis 500. He has also done very well in sports prototype races. He won the 24 Hours of Daytona three times (in 2004, 2014, and 2018). He also won the 12 Hours of Sebring in 2015 and the 6 Hours of Watkins Glen three times (in 2013, 2016, and 2017). He won two IMSA SportsCar Championships with Action Express Racing in 2014 and 2015.
Christian is part of the famous Fittipaldi racing family. His father, Wilson Fittipaldi, was also a Formula One driver. His uncle, Emerson Fittipaldi, won the Formula One World Championship twice and the Indianapolis 500. Christian is also the cousin of racing driver Emerson Fittipaldi Jr.. His first cousins once-removed are Pietro and Enzo Fittipaldi, who are Emerson Fittipaldi's grandsons.
Contents
Early Years in Racing
Christian Fittipaldi was born in São Paulo, Brazil. He was named after Christian Heins, another Brazilian racer who died in a crash in 1963. In 1988, Fittipaldi finished second in the Brazilian Formula Ford series. The next year, he was third in the South American Formula 3.
In 1990, he won the Formula 3 Sudamericana title. He also placed fourth in the British Formula 3. In 1991, Christian moved to Europe to race in Formula 3000. He won two races and stood on the podium seven times in ten races. This helped him win the championship against Alessandro Zanardi. Later, he finished third in the Macau Grand Prix of Formula 3.
Formula One Career
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Christian joined Minardi in 1992. Minardi was one of the smaller teams in Formula 1 back then. He scored one point that year. Christian Fittipaldi was the first Formula One driver born in the 1970s. In 1993, he scored five points in the Drivers' Championship. However, the team decided to let him go before the season ended.
The next year, he raced for the Footwork team. He finished fourth twice, which gave him six points for the championship. After the 1994 season, Fittipaldi decided to try racing in the United States. In 2016, a study that looked at driver skill ranked Fittipaldi as the 11th best Formula One driver of all time.
CART Racing Adventures
When Christian started racing in CART, he was known for being steady rather than super fast. By 1999, when he won his first CART race at Road America, he was a top contender. He also finished second in the 1995 Indianapolis 500. This earned him the Rookie of the Year award for that race.
However, his American career faced challenges. He broke his leg twice while racing in CART. The first time was at the Surfer's Paradise race in 1997. Even though he came back and won two races, he never won a CART championship.
NASCAR Experience
With his Champ Car career on hold, Fittipaldi decided to try NASCAR. He raced three times in the Busch Series in 2001 and 2002. His performances weren't amazing in those races. But in late 2002, Richard Petty noticed him. Christian then joined Petty Enterprises and made his Winston Cup debut at Phoenix.
In 2003, he raced in his first (and only) Daytona 500. He also made a few appearances for Petty in ARCA races. That summer, Fittipaldi became the driver of the famous #43 car. This happened after John Andretti left the team. Christian struggled a bit and was moved to the #44 car later that year. He stayed with the team.
Sports Car Success
Even while racing in Formula 1, Christian also competed in sports car races. He won the 1993 24 Hours of Spa and the 1994 Brazilian 1000 Miles. In 2003, Fittipaldi first raced in the 24 Hours of Daytona. He finished sixth with the Bell team. He was one of the drivers who won the 2004 24 Hours of Daytona.
He continued to race in the Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series. In 2006, he won a race in Phoenix and finished second at the 6 Hours of Watkins Glen. He also came in third at the 200 Miles at Watkins Glen. That same year, he raced in the 24 Hours of Le Mans and finished sixth in his class.
Fittipaldi kept racing in Grand-Am in 2007, finishing 20th overall in the DP class. He also raced at Le Mans again, finishing tenth in his class. In 2008, he raced in the American Le Mans Series and had several top finishes. He also returned to Le Mans.
In 2011, he was invited to race in the 2011 24 Hours of Daytona with Action Express Racing. He finished third overall. In 2012, he raced in the same event and finished fifth. Christian became a regular driver for Action Express in 2013. He won two races, including the 6 Hours of Watkins Glen. He also had two second-place finishes.
In 2014, he won the Rolex 24 at Daytona with Action Express. His teammates were João Barbosa and Sébastien Bourdais.
See also
In Spanish: Christian Fittipaldi para niños
