Fittipaldi (constructor)
| Full name | Fittipaldi Automotive |
|---|---|
| Base | Reading, Berkshire, United Kingdom |
| Founder(s) |
Wilson Fittipaldi Emerson Fittipaldi |
| Noted staff |
Richard Divila Jo Ramírez Adrian Newey Harvey Postlethwaite |
| Noted drivers |
 Wilson Fittipaldi Arturo Merzario Emerson Fittipaldi Keke Rosberg Chico Serra Alex Ribeiro Ingo Hoffmann
|
| Formula One World Championship career | |
| First entry | 1975 Argentine Grand Prix |
| Races entered | 120 |
| Engines | Ford |
| Constructors' Championships |
0 (best finish: 7th in 1978) |
| Drivers' Championships |
0 (best finish: Emerson Fittipaldi 10th in 1978) |
| Race victories | 0 (best finish: 2nd in the 1978 Brazilian Grand Prix) |
| Podiums | 3 |
| Pole positions | 0 (best grid position: 5th in the 1976 Brazilian Grand Prix) |
| Fastest laps | 0 |
| Final entry | 1982 Caesars Palace Grand Prix |
Fittipaldi Automotive, sometimes called Copersucar after its first major sponsor, was the only Formula One motor racing team and constructor ever to be based in Brazil. It was formed during 1974 by racing driver Wilson Fittipaldi and his younger brother, double world champion Emerson, with money from the Brazilian sugar and alcohol cooperative Copersucar. In 1976 Emerson surprised the motor racing world by leaving the title-winning McLaren team to drive for the unsuccessful family outfit. Future world champion Keke Rosberg took his first podium finish in Formula One with the team.
The team was based in São Paulo, almost 6,000 miles (10,000 km) away from the centre of the world motor racing industry in the UK, before moving to Reading, UK during 1977. It participated in 119 grands prix between 1975 and 1982, entering a total of 156 cars. It achieved three podiums and scored 44 championship points.
In the 1960s the young Fittipaldi brothers, Wilson and Emerson, ran a successful business in their native Brazil building karts and tuning engines. They went on to build customer Formula Vee racing cars and various successful one-off sports cars, including a twin-engined, fibreglass-bodied Volkswagen Beetle, as well as maintaining a car and racing accessories business. They were also race-winning drivers in Brazil and in the late 1960s went to Europe, where they progressed through the junior ranks to reach Formula One, the highest international single seater racing category. The younger brother, Emerson, was the more successful; by 1970 he was driving for the Lotus team in Formula One and won his first world championship in 1972. Wilson drove for the Brabham team in Formula One in 1972 and 1973, scoring a best race finish of fifth place. In late 1973 the brothers decided to start their own Formula One team.
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