Pietro Fittipaldi: My grandfather opened the F1 gates for Brazil
Pietro Fittipaldi is a third-generation racer, whose grandfather Emerson put Brazil on the F1 map long before Nelson Piquet and Ayrton Senna made Brazil a powerhouse in F1, winning six titles in the 80’s and early 90’s.
Published : Jan 30, 2016 19:29 IST
Pietro Fittipaldi is a third-generation racer, whose grandfather Emerson put Brazil on the F1 map long before Nelson Piquet and Ayrton Senna made Brazil a powerhouse in F1, winning six titles in the 80’s and early 90’s. The 19-year old, US-born Brazilian driver currently leads the MRF Challenge in Chennai and in a chat in the paddock with Sportstar, he speaks about his double-world champion grandfather's influence on his career and Brazilian motorsports. Edited excerpts:
Question: How big an influence was your grandfather on Brazilian motorsports?
Talk us about how you started out and did your grandfather influence your decision?
I started racing go-karts when I was around five. My grandfather had stopped racing by the time I was born. But my uncle, Max Papis, the Italian driver, he was racing Daytona Prototype. My mom’s cousin Christian Fittipaldi was also racing. I used go watch them race. That’s what influenced me to take the plunge. I won karting championships in the United States. In 2011, I started racing Nascar and the next year I got opportunities to race in Europe.
At the beginning I didn’t want to, because I was doing so well in Nascar. It was my grandfather who persuaded me to go to Europe, like he did before winning two F1 world championships. I fixed a timeframe of two years in Europe, but in the second year I ended up winning the British Formula Renault championship. And here I am.
Does the Fittipaldi surname weighs heavily on your shoulder?
It doesn’t really. To be honest, I am like any other driver following the dream. The name doesn’t add any extra pressure.
How involved is your grandfather in your career?
Basically, he is my mentor. When I am down or have to make decisions, I turn to him for help. He keeps tracking my progress. He comes to one or two races a year. It’s a privilege to have him. But he doesn’t help me in the driving side. It’s been 25 years since he has driven and obviously the sport has changed a lot. But I would like to drive one of my grandfather’s cars some day. The black and gold Lotus with which he won his first championship in 1972 would be really nice.