Paddock Postcard from Sao Paulo 22 Oct 2006
The paddock at the Autodromo Jose Carlos Pace at Interlagos has been full of familiar faces this weekend, with former champions Emerson Fittipaldi and Nelson Piquet present, the latter with his son Nelson Jnr who is now, of course, a Renault test driver.
Piquet Snr reports that his youngest son recently won a Brazilian kart championship aged eight, while Emmo’s grandson is also showing promise at the wheel. Fellow former champion Mika Hakkinen was busy polishing his interviewing skills with former tennis ace Boris Becker down at McLaren, and another champion present was motorcycling legend Mick Doohan.
Ex-Formula One racer and Safety Car driver Alex Ribeiro was looking fitter than ever, and former Formula Three star Maurizio Sandro Sala insists he has lost weight too. Former Formula Two entrant Fred Opert was back, as was ex-Formula Three racer Carlos Abella, again attending for the Spanish Federation.
