Wilson Fittipaldi: the pioneering F1 ace who set up Brazil's only GP team

Prompted by his father’s tales of European racing and local success, Wilson decided to head to Europe and a year in Formula 3 in 1966. But almost as he arrived the deal collapsed, and he was soon back in Sao Paulo. Meanwhile little brother Emerson was winning everything in sight locally and so, in 1969, he made the Varig flight to London and headed to Van Dieman. Soon he was dominating the category, then moved on to Formula 3.

Wilson then decided to follow in his brother’s’ footsteps and with the same Bardahl oil company backing, he secured a Lotus 59 Formula 3 drive with Jim Russell. He was on the top step of the podium in an early Silverstone round and was always in the hunt in what was the final year of the ultra-competitive one-litre screamer category.

The publicity back home was good and in 1971 he moved up to Formula 2 alongside his brother, first in a Lotus and then a March. At the same time, they were racing another Brazilian rising star destined for F1 – Carlos Pace. Wilson scored a podium at Hockenheim and a couple of fourth places too. Wilson made his F1 race at the end of the season for Team Lotus in a non-championship race.

A decent bag of cruzeiros caught Bernie Ecclestone’s attention and he was offered the third Brabham F1 seat for the 1972 season alongside Carlos Reutemann and Graham Hill. Over the next two seasons, first with the BT37 lobster claw and then the BT42 there were odd flashes of speed, but his progress was often hampered by mechanical failure. In the first year he was out of the points with a couple of seventh places as his best finishes – and there was also a Formula 2 win. The following year there was a litany of retirements, but his first points came in the opening race in Buenos Aires and a fifth in the German GP at the Nürburgring. But he considered his best ever F1 drive was at that year’s Monaco GP. Although the results show he was classified 11th, with just ten laps to go he was battling for fourth place until a fuel injection problem halted his progress.

At the start of 1974 he had already entered into negotiations with Copersucar, the marketing co-operative of Brazilian sugar and ethanol producers which has since become the largest such company in the World. Wilson did just one non-championship race for Brabham at the start of the season and as his brother headed towards his second world championship title, Wilson was back in Sao Paulo, having convinced the sugar barons that it would be a brilliant idea to promote their Brazilian sugar cane products around the world in with an all-Brazilian Grand Prix team actually based in Brazil. Even the chief designer would be Brazilian – their old friend Richardo.

Copersucar agreed although, of course, the idea was flawed on several fronts, trying to run a team from outside Europe and with an engineer – clever as he was – with no F1 experience was never going to work. The first car, in its vibrant silver and rainbow colour scheme, was launched in front of the President of Brazil. Wilson would, of course, be the driver returning to F1 for his third full season. He ignominiously crashed the bulbous FD01 on its debut at the Argentine GP and a season of disappointment and retirements followed with 10th place – 4 laps behind – at the US GP at Watkins Glen, the best they could claim.

Wilson decided to hang up his helmet to concentrate on the management side and he had a replacement driver – his brother Emerson. At the time this story was as big as Lewis Hamilton joining Ferrari. Emerson had finished in the 1975 World Championship runner-up and now he was moving to his brother’s back-marker squad. He spent the last five seasons of his F1 career with the team as it transitioned to a Reading base, lost the Copersucar sponsorship and replaced it with Skol beer, and even merged with Wolf. Various other drivers came and went including aspiring Brazilians like Chico Serra, Ingo Hoffman and as well as Keke Rosberg. Divila left and came back at the end to join the likes of such great designers as Dr Harvey Postlethwaite and a very young Adrian Newey. Team management included Peter Warr formerly of Team Lotus and fabled McLaren team co-ordinator Jo Ramirez. The only stand out results were when Emmo finished an inspired second in his home GP in 1978 and an equally impressive third in the 1980 Long Beach GP.

But despite this the Fittipaldi brother’s dream of a winning Brazilian F1 squad was never realised and Wilson closed the team at the end of 1982. Out of 120 races there were just three podiums. It had been a brave and patriotic effort and Wilson, strongly supported by his wife Suzy, added a bright Brazilian pizzazz to the grid.

Wilson’s thoughts and efforts turned both to the family’s various other businesses including a chain of Mercedes-Benz dealerships and the career of his son Christian. Chris made his way to Formula 1, via victory in 1991 Formula 3000 series and bettered his Dad in Formula 1 – scoring a couple of fourth places. But his career then blossomed in America, and he went on to win the 2014 and 2015 IMSA Sportscar Championship, won in the CART championship series and was second in the 1995 Indianapolis 500.

Meanwhile Wilson did pull on that dark green crash helmet with its ring of yellow diamonds on occasion and with success. He drove in the Brazilian stock car series and in 1994 and 1995 he won the Mil Milhas race his father had created in a Porsche 911. As recently as 2008 he raced in the Brazilian GT3 series with brother Emerson. He never begrudged his brother his success and the pair remained close throughout.

His demise was shocking – last Christmas Day whilst celebrating the occasion and his birthday with his family he choked and collapsed. He was never to recover and died, aged 80, on February 23rd.

Motor Sport offers its sincerest condolences to Wilson Fittipaldi’s family, friends and loved ones.