Emerson Fittipaldi facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Emerson Fittipaldi
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Fittipaldi in 2020
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| Born | 12 December 1946 São Paulo, Brazil
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| Spouse(s) |
Maria Helena
(m. 1970; div. 1982)Teresa Hotte
(m. 1983; div. 2002)Rossana Fanucchi
(m. 2012) |
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| Children | 7, including Emerson Jr. | ||||||
| Relatives |
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| Formula One World Championship career | |||||||
| Nationality |  Brazilian |
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| Active years | 1970–1980 | ||||||
| Teams | Lotus, McLaren, Fittipaldi | ||||||
| Entries | 149 (144 starts) | ||||||
| Championships | 2 (1972, 1974) | ||||||
| Wins | 14 | ||||||
| Podiums | 35 | ||||||
| Career points | 281 | ||||||
| Pole positions | 6 | ||||||
| Fastest laps | 6 | ||||||
| First entry | 1970 British Grand Prix | ||||||
| First win | 1970 United States Grand Prix | ||||||
| Last win | 1975 British Grand Prix | ||||||
| Last entry | 1980 United States Grand Prix | ||||||
| Champ Car career | |||||||
| 195 races run over 13 years | |||||||
| Best finish | 1st (1989) | ||||||
| First race | 1984 Long Beach Grand Prix (Long Beach) | ||||||
| Last race | 1996 Michigan 500 (Michigan) | ||||||
| First win | 1985 Michigan 500 (Michigan) | ||||||
| Last win | 1995 Bosch Spark Plug Grand Prix (Nazareth) | ||||||
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Emerson Fittipaldi (born 12 December 1946) is a famous Brazilian former racing driver. He was also a leader in the world of motorsport. Emerson competed in Formula One races from 1970 to 1980.
He won two Formula One World Drivers' Championship titles. He took home the championship in 1972 with Lotus and again in 1974 with McLaren. Overall, he won 14 Grand Prix races.
Later, Emerson moved to American open-wheel racing. He won the IndyCar World Series in 1989. He also won the famous Indianapolis 500 race twice.
Emerson started his Formula One career with Team Lotus in 1970. After a tragic accident involving his teammate, Emerson became Lotus's main driver. He was very successful with Lotus, winning the World Drivers' Championship in 1972. He was only 25 years old, making him the youngest F1 world champion at that time. This record stood for 33 years!
He then joined McLaren in 1974 and won another title. He also helped McLaren win their first team championship. In 1976, he surprised everyone by joining his brother's team, Fittipaldi Automotive. However, he didn't find much success there and retired from Formula One in 1980.
After Formula One, Emerson raced in the American CART series. He had many wins, including the 1989 CART title and two Indianapolis 500 victories. He mostly stopped racing in 1996. In 2008, a special Corvette car was named after him.
Early Life and Family Background
Emerson Fittipaldi was born on 12 December 1946 in São Paulo, Brazil. His father, Wilson Fittipaldi Sr., was a well-known motorsports journalist. His mother, Józefa "Juzy" Wojciechowska, was from Saint Petersburg.
He was named after an American writer, Ralph Waldo Emerson. Both of his parents loved racing cars after World War II. His father even started the first "Mil Milhas" race in Brazil in 1956. Emerson and his brother Wilson grew up loving motorsports.
Racing Career Highlights
When he was 14, Emerson raced motorcycles. At 16, he raced hydroplanes (fast boats). One day, his brother Wilson had a scary accident in a hydroplane. After that, both brothers decided to stop boat racing. They chose to focus only on racing cars.
In 1967, Emerson won the 6 Hours of Interlagos race at age 20. A year later, he won the 12 Hours of Porto Alegre. The brothers then started racing Formula Vee cars. Emerson won the Brazilian Formula Vee title when he was 21.
In 1969, he moved to Europe to show off his racing skills. He quickly won several races in Formula Ford. He then joined the Jim Russell Driving School Formula Three team. He won nine F3 races and became the 1969 champion.
Formula Two Racing
In 1970, Fittipaldi moved up to Formula Two. He joined the Lotus Team Bardahl. He finished on the podium four times. He ended the season in third place overall. This was a great result for a new driver in the series. But even more exciting things were happening for him in Formula One.
Formula One Success
Lotus Team (1970–1973)
Team Lotus was one of the best F1 teams in the late 1960s. They often used a third car to test young drivers. Emerson got this chance at the 1970 British Grand Prix. He finished fourth in his second F1 race.
Tragedy struck when Lotus's main driver, Jochen Rindt, died in an accident. Emerson was then promoted to be the No. 1 driver. In only his fifth F1 race, the 1970 United States Grand Prix, he won! It was a huge moment for him and the team.
In 1971, his first full year as Lotus's lead driver, he finished sixth. In 1972, with the amazing Lotus 72D car, Emerson was unstoppable. He won five out of 11 races. He became the F1 Drivers' Champion. At 25, he was the youngest champion in F1 history. He almost won again in 1973, but finished second.
McLaren Team (1974–1975)
Emerson then joined the McLaren team. He drove the fast McLaren M23 car. In 1974, he won three races and got on the podium four other times. He won his second championship in a close fight. The next year, 1975, he won two more races. He finished second overall to Niki Lauda.
Fittipaldi Team (1976–1980)
At the peak of his career, Emerson made a surprising choice. He left McLaren to race for his older brother Wilson's team, Fittipaldi Automotive. He stayed with the team for five seasons. His best finish was a second place.
Emerson retired from racing at the end of 1980. He later said his last two years in Formula One were tough. He was too busy with the team's problems. He was only 33, but had raced in F1 for ten years. After retiring, he helped manage the team with his brother. The team closed down in 1982.
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Fittipaldi driving the Lotus 72 in 1971.
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Fittipaldi in the Lotus 72D at the 1972 Austrian Grand Prix.
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Fittipaldi at Silverstone in 1974.
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Fittipaldi in the McLaren M23 in 1974.
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Fittipaldi driving for his brother's team in 1976.
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Fittipaldi's Copersucar car in 1978.
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CART Racing Career
After leaving F1 in 1980, Emerson took a break from racing. In 1984, at 37, he started racing in the American CART series. He spent his first year getting used to IndyCars. In 1985, he won his first CART race at the Michigan 500. He stayed with Patrick Racing for five years, winning six races.
In 1989, Emerson had an amazing year. He won five races and finished in the top five in every race he completed. He became the CART champion. One of his biggest wins was the 1989 Indianapolis 500. He led most of the race. Near the end, he had a dramatic battle with Al Unser Jr. Their cars touched, and Unser Jr. crashed. Emerson kept control and won the race. Unser Jr. even applauded him as he drove by!
In 1990, Roger Penske hired Emerson for his racing team. Emerson continued to be a top driver in CART. He won at least one race with Penske for six years in a row. In 1993, he won his second Indianapolis 500. He passed Formula One World Champion Nigel Mansell to take the lead.
After his 1993 Indy 500 win, Emerson broke a tradition. Instead of drinking milk in victory lane, he drank orange juice. He owned orange groves in Brazil and wanted to promote the citrus industry. Fans reacted negatively to this. He later apologized and did drink milk. But some fans still remembered the "orange juice" moment. When he drove the Chevrolet Corvette Pace Car at the 2008 Indianapolis 500, some fans still booed him.
In May 1994, Emerson missed an Indianapolis 500 practice. His close friend, Ayrton Senna, another Brazilian F1 champion, had died in a crash. Emerson was one of the people who carried Senna's coffin at the funeral. Emerson almost won his third Indy 500 in 1994. But he hit a wall with 15 laps left while leading.
Emerson was still racing in CART in 1996, close to his 50th birthday. An injury at Michigan International Speedway ended his racing career. He finished his CART career with 22 wins. In 2003, he returned to CART as a team owner.
Later Career and Other Activities
Emerson was the team leader for Brazil's A1 GP entry. In 2005, he made a surprise return to racing in the Grand Prix Masters event. He finished second behind fellow F1 driver Nigel Mansell.
In 2008, Emerson and his brother Wilson raced together in the Brazilian GT3 Championship. In 2011, he became a leader at Motorsport.com. In 2013, he started writing a regular blog for the official McLaren website.
In 2016, Fittipaldi started Fittipaldi Motors. He worked with other companies to create his first sports car, the Fittipaldi EF7. However, the car was never produced.
In August 2022, Emerson announced he would run for the Italian Senate. He represented Italians living in South America. He was not elected.
Awards and Recognition
- He was added to the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America in 2001.
- Fittipaldi was also added to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Hall of Fame in 2004.
Personal Life
Family Connections
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Emerson is the younger brother of former Formula One driver and team owner Wilson Fittipaldi. He is also the uncle of racing driver Christian Fittipaldi.
Emerson has been married three times and has seven children. His daughter Tatiana married racing driver Max Papis. They have two sons, Marco and Matteo. His daughter Juliana has three children: Pietro, Enzo, and Valentina. Pietro and Enzo are also racing drivers. Pietro made his Formula 1 debut in 2020. Enzo joined the Red Bull Junior Team in 2022.
Life Beyond Racing
In 1997, while recovering from a racing injury, Emerson had a plane crash. His private plane lost power and fell 90 meters (about 300 feet). He suffered serious back injuries. Emerson had become a Christian the year before, and this crash made his faith even stronger. He is a Protestant.
He was friends with Beatles guitarist George Harrison. Emerson was with Harrison shortly before he passed away in 2001.
Images for kids
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Twin-engine racing Beetle developed by Wilson and Emerson Fittipaldi.
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Fittipaldi at the 1974 Race of Champions.
