[Driver] The GOAT - Round One - Fittipaldi.E vs Fittipaldi.C

[crmalcolm]

The eighteenth match-up in Round One sees Fittipaldi.E vs Fittipaldi.C.

So who do you vote for as the greater driver?

Emerson Fittipaldi
Emerson Fittipaldi had a meteoric beginning to his F1 career, followed by a long whimper of a finish. Fittipaldi was thrust into a team leader position when teammate Jochen Rindt was unexpectedly killed in 1970. He immediately delivered the goods, winning a race in his fourth start and winning the title just two years later. At the time, he was the youngest champion in history.

In 1971, Fittipaldi beat teammate Reine Wisell 2-1 in counting races, 5-2 in qualifying, and 12-9 in points. He then partnered David Walker in one of the most mismatched driver pairings in history. Fittipaldi took the 1972 championship in convincing fashion, winning 5 of 12 races, while Walker scored zero points, never finishing higher than 9th. In qualifying, Walker was never within 1.3 seconds of Fittipaldi.

Fittipaldi was joined by a similarly strong driver, Ronnie Peterson, in 1973, with the team now having no clear number one. Fittipaldi finished ahead 55-52 in points, but with 4 mechanical DNFs versus 6 for Peterson. Seeking another title and clearer number one status, Fittipaldi moved to McLaren for 1974. He dominated his two teammates on his way to a second title, beating Denny Hulme 8-1 in counting races, 14-1 in qualifying, and 55-20 in points, and Mike Hailwood 6-3 in counting races, 10-1 in qualifying, and 37-12 in points. Following this, he beat Jochen Mass 9-2 in counting races, 13-2 in qualifying, and 57-20 in points.

From 1976 onwards, Fittipaldi raced for his own Fittipaldi Automotive team. The team was never competitive and he scored just 37 points across 5 years — fewer than he scored in each year from 1972-1975. He was the team’s sole driver for most races. After a disappointing year in 1980, where he was outpaced by young teammate Keke Rosberg, Fittipaldi called time on his F1 career.

Although Fittipaldi took only 6 career poles, he won 14 races. Known for his extremely smooth, controlled driving style that was relatively kind on tyres, Fittipaldi came into his own in races, often gaining the lead later in the race. As a result, he averaged only 34 laps led per race win, the second lowest number in F1 history (Tony Brooks holds the record at 22 laps led per race win).

Christian Fittipaldi
He started racing karts when 11 years old and needed special dispensation to make his Brazilian Formula Ford 2000 debut before his 18th birthday. He finished that 1988 campaign as runner-up before winning the 1989 Brazilian Formula 3 Championship with a Reynard 883-Alfa Romeo.
The Sud-Am title followed in 1990 while Fittipaldi also raced in British F3. He was Mika Häkkinen’s West Surrey Racing team-mate during 1990 and his Ralt RT34-Mugen won at Donington Park as Fittipaldi clinched fourth in the standings.

He moved straight into Formula 3000 with Pacific Racing’s Reynard 91D-Mugen and qualified on pole position for his debut at Vallelunga. Victory at Jerez was a highlight of a consistent campaign and the rookie clinched the title by winning the final round at Nogaro.

He immediately declared “I won’t go into F1 just for the sake of being there” but spent the next three seasons in the midfield, starting with his debut at the 1992 South African Grand Prix with a Minardi M191B-Lamborghini. He showed maturity and qualifying pace at the start of the year but missed four races after injuring his back during practice at Magny-Cours. He twice failed to qualify on his return before finishing sixth in Japan.

Fittipaldi remained with the Italian minnows for 1993, now with Ford power. A career-best fourth in the opening round in South Africa and fifth at Monaco meant that Minardi briefly led Ferrari in the championship but he did not score again. The abiding memory of that season was when the Brazilian ran into the back of team-mate Pierluigi Martini at the finish of the Italian GP. He was launched into a frightening cartwheel and crossed the line upside down to finish eighth.

A year in the Arrows-run Footwork FA15-Ford included further fourth place finishes in the Pacific and German GPs and a career-best sixth on the grid in Monaco. But 1994 proved to be his last year as an F1 driver as Fittipaldi looked to America for a more competitive future.