Brazil has a special place in Formula One, stretching back to the late sixties. In terms of World Champions and World Championships, Brazilian nationals are ranked third with three individual World Champions and a total of eight world championships.
With Lewis Hamilton clinching his third world title in America, Britain leads with a total of 16 World Championships by 10 drivers, followed by Germany with 11 championships by two drivers!
In many ways Brazil’s presence in international motorsport was pioneered by a driver with impossibly long side burns, an inordinate amount of talent and for many a mouthful of a name which was hard to pronounce. Emerson Fittipaldi.
Having travelled to Europe to rise through the ranks, he made his Formula One debut as a third driver for Team Lotus at the 1970 British Grand Prix. I remember it well, because as schoolboy, it too was my first Grand Prix.
The race at Brands Hatch was won by my hero Jochen Rindt, also in a Lotus. Rindt was later tragically killed at the 1970 Italian Grand Prix, but became the first, and thankfully only so far, posthumous World Champion. This promoted Emerson to become the Lotus lead driver and he went on to win the American Grand Prix, which was only his fifth F1 race!
In 1972 Emerson Fittipaldi with Team Lotus became the youngest ever F1 World Champion at the age of 25, a record he held for 33 years until claimed by Fernando Alonso.
In 1974 Emerson moved to Team McLaren to win his second World Championship and the first of many for McLaren. With his brother Wilson, the Fittipaldi’s started their own F1 team for the 1976 season, but the world title dream never materialised and the cars were largely uncompetitive.
When Emerson retired from Formula 1 in 1980 he moved across the Atlantic to North America, to win the Indianapolis 500 twice and the CART championship once. As many motorsport fans will know, the tradition at Indianapolis is for the winner to drink the ceremonial milk, Emerson however may have angered a few of the diehard American motorsport fans by drinking a glass of orange juice instead!
I was fortunate enough to meet Emerson several times, when he was doing work for some of the McLaren sponsors and always found him to be an absolute gentlemen with steely eyes and an amazing insight into the sport.
Brazil’s second multi World Champion was Nelson Piquet. I never knew Nelson, but I know a man who did. Journalist Mike Doodson painted a picture in words of Nelson in Motor Sport magazine:
"Let’s remind ourselves of his extraordinary talent. He left Brazil for Italy in 1977 at the age of 24, he won races in the European Formula 3 championship while living in his truck, then moved to England to contest the (two) British Formula 3 championships in 1978."
"Before the season was half complete he found himself in Formula One, vaulting any intermediate category and he subsequently went on to win 23 Grands Prix and three world championships (twice with Brabham and once with Williams). Intelligent, incisive and no sufferer of fools, he commanded deep loyalties that remain firm to this day.”
After retiring from Formula 1, Nelson made two attempts at the Indianapolis 500, injuring his feet in a heavy crash while practising for the first in 1992. He is now a very successful businessman in Brazil, plus manages the racing career of his sons Nelson Piquet Jr and Pedro Piquet.
Brazil’s third multi World Champion hardly needs any introduction, such was his impact on the sport. With three World Championships, 41 Grand Prix victories, 65 pole positions, Ayrton Senna was one of the best ever, and arguably the best!
When Ayrton left McLaren to join Williams, he was entering the next chapter of his life, which was so tragically cut short at Imola in 1994. There was always speculation that he would spend a couple of years with Williams, then have a final year with Ferrari, before retiring to his beloved Brazil.
That was hinted by the great man himself when I had dinner with him in his apartment in Monaco. When you look back and reflect on your life, there are certain instances when you wonder how on earth you ever got to be in that particular unique situation!
This was indeed one of those moments. In the build up to the Monaco Grand Prix in 1993, I had to collect some passes for the sponsors from the McLaren team co-ordinator Jo Ramirez.
Jo had to deliver some trophies to Ayrton’s apartment in Monte Carlo so we arranged to meet there. When Jo needed a hand to carry all the silverware upstairs I duly volunteered. That evening Ayrton was all on his own, apart from his housekeeper and you sensed he was lonely, so we were duly invited to join him for dinner.
Although I had got to know Ayrton reasonably well on a professional basis as the marketing person who tried to ensure he attended the various sponsor functions, having a relaxed informal dinner with him in his home was something else. I had to pinch myself to make sure I was not dreaming!
During the dinner he and Jo talked about all sorts of things, and I just felt privileged to listen, but at one stage he did say “one day I think I will drive for Ferrari!” And it has been speculated that the rumoured $25 million deal for Michael Schumacher to go to Ferrari in 1996 was originally pencilled in for Ayrton!
By 1994 Senna already was building a sizeable business empire, with Ducati, Audi and TAG Heuer dealerships and it is fair to say that once he retired he would have focused his formidable brain, personality and competitive spirit into business, plus help the people of Brazil. Who knows, he could have even become the President of Brazil!
A native of São Paulo, Ayrton won the Brazilian Grand Prix at Interlagos twice. The scene of two memorable victories, not just for his effort and determination, but also for the adoration of the home crowd for their local hero.
The name Interlagos literally means "between lakes”, as it is located between the large artificial lakes of Guarapiranga and Billings, which were built in the early 20th century to supply São Paulo with water and electric power.
The land on which the circuit is built was originally bought by property developers to build houses, however, following difficulties partly due to the 1929 stock market crash, it was decided to build a racing circuit instead.
Construction started in 1938 and the track was inaugurated in May 1940 with a design based on New York's Roosevelt Field Raceway.
The first Formula One race was held in 1972 and was a non championship event, but it became a full World Championship round the following year, won by Emerson Fittipaldi. Over subsequent years the Brazilian Grand Prix was shared with Jacarepaguá in Rio de Janeiro, but from 1990 the Grand Prix has been exclusively at Interlagos.
The official name of the circuit now is Autódromo José Carlos Pace, in honour of Carlos Pace, who was sadly killed in a light aircraft accident in bad weather near São Paulo in 1977. Carlos took part in 73 Formula One World Championship Grands Prix and won the race at Interlagos in 1975.
He also had a special relationship with Bernie Ecclestone, not only as a Brabham driver but also as a good friend, as Gordon Murray explained in the biography of Bernie Ecclestone:
“He had a very good personal relationship with Carlos and I think if I remember correctly, he had picked Carlos from Formula 3. He was like Bernie’s protege, he thought Carlos could have been World Champion one day, you only had to look and see how good he was, watch his car control.”
In recent years since the Brazilian Grand Prix has been positioned towards the end of the Formula One season, Interlagos has frequently witnessed some dramatic moments, especially because of the weather and World Championship deciders.
Fernando Alonso clinched both his championships in 2005 and 2006, Kimi Raikkonen in 2007, Lewis Hamilton narrowly beat local hero Felipe Massa to the championship in 2008, Jenson Button in 2009 and Sebastian Vettel’s second championship in 2012.
Whilst the championship may be over this year, there is no doubt that the excitement will start at the first corner with Massa carrying the weight of Brazil’s ambitions on his shoulders!
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