Fittipaldi Automotive, sometimes called Copersucar after its first major sponsor, was a Formula One racing team and constructor that competed from 1975 to 1982.
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18 Facts About Fittipaldi Automotive
1.
2.
Emerson Fittipaldi Automotive became a driver for the team in 1976 after leaving McLaren, but was unable to replicate his earlier success with the family-owned team.
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3.
The Copersucar-branded car was designed by Brazilian Richard Divila, who had worked for Fittipaldi Automotive Empreendimentos designing Formula Vee cars, and later for the European Formula Two Team Bardahl Fittipaldi Automotive, modifying their Lotus and Brabham chassis.
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4.
Team, initially known as Copersucar-Fittipaldi Automotive, did not have great success in its first racing season in 1975.
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5.
Fittipaldi Automotive's brother stepped down from driving to look after the management of the team.
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6.
Fittipaldi Automotive was able to score several 4th and 5th places during the year.
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7.
Fittipaldi finished the year with 17 points and the team, now known as Fittipaldi Automotive, came 7th in the Constructor's table – one place ahead of Emerson's old team McLaren.
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8.
Fittipaldi Automotive was again the team's only driver, although Alex Ribeiro was run in the non-championship race which inaugurated the Imola circuit that year, before attempting and failing to qualify a car for the end of season North American championship races.
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9.
Fittipaldi Automotive has since said that his last two years in Formula One were very unhappy: "I was too involved in the problems of trying to make the team work, and I neglected my marriage and my personal life", although at the time he cited colleagues' deaths as his reason.
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10.
Fittipaldi Automotive was only 33, but had been racing in Formula One for a decade.
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11.
Fittipaldi Automotive had failed to finish seven of the last ten races that year and had several times been outpaced by his Finnish team-mate.
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12.
Fittipaldi Automotive moved into the management of the team and young Brazilian Chico Serra replaced him for 1981.
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13.
The Fittipaldi Automotive brothers attempted to raise funds to continue in 1983, but the team closed its doors early in 1983.
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14.
Fittipaldi Automotive won the series championship in 1989, and the Indianapolis 500 in both 1989 and 1993.
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15.
Fittipaldi Automotive had previously driven two disjointed seasons for the Theodore Racing, ATS and Walter Wolf Racing teams but although he had won a non-championship race with Theodore, he had scored no world championship points.
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16.
Rosberg reports that Emerson, who had not previously had a full-time teammate while at Fittipaldi Automotive, wanted another Brazilian driver but was persuaded by ex-Wolf employees Peter Warr and Harvey Postlethwaite to offer the number two drive to the Finn.
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17.
Fittipaldi Automotive was competitive alongside Emerson during his first season, scoring a podium in his first race with the team, the 1980 Argentine Grand Prix.
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18.
Fittipaldi Automotive went to Williams, where he would win the drivers world championship the next season.
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